KFC’s new period-piece campaign tosses polite dining decorum out the window to celebrate the unapologetic joy of indulging in the QSR’s cuisine.
“Sorry Manners” playfully challenges prim and proper Victorian-era manners as a reminder that fried chicken is meant to be eaten by hands – a point driven home by agency partner Courage’s backdrop that brings to mind Bridgerton or a Jane Austen novel.
“We’re not just reminding people of what makes KFC irresistible, we’re showing them,” says Katherine Bond-Debicki, CMO and chief digital officer at KFC Canada. “With ‘Sorry Manners,’ we wanted to reinforce ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ with a culturally relevant insight and a creative execution that is not only visually interesting, but that entertains in a way that is distinctively KFC.”
Courage CCO Dhaval Bhatt says the campaign was born from a simple but powerful truth – that KFC is not to be nibbled politely.
“One of the things I love about this campaign is that it’s simple, it’s fun and it finds a fresh, attention-grabbing way to build on one of the oldest and iconic taglines in our business,” Bhatt says. “It isn’t really an apology, it’s a declaration.”
It’s the latest work by KFC that’s bold with its classic catchphrase. In April, Courage zoomed in with microphotography in the “Every Little Bit” campaign to show that the brand’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” philosophy extends to the tiniest morsels.
“Sorry Manners,” which was filmed in Prague, is now live across TV, digital, OOH and social platforms in Canada, with more extensions under the “Unapologetically KFC” platform planned for later in the year.
IPG Mediabrands’ Team Accelerate was behind the buy.
