KFC have partnered with Snapchat for their new campaign offering audiences the chance to pose as the enigmatic Colonel Sanders thanks to the social-sharing giant’s geofilter lenses. Posters outside all 900 KFC outlets use ‘snap to unlock’ technology to activate a secret filter which allows them to take a selfie as the iconic Colonel.

“99% of smartphone owners use the internet on their phone while OOH during the week, so this campaign taps into current user behaviours,” says KFC’s Social Media Manager, Brad Gilbert:

“Moreover we know from our past campaigns and Outsmart research that OOH boosts mobile performance so this campaign will take an interesting look specifically at OOH’s effect on social performance.”

KFC’s Snapchat selfie campaign builds on the brand’s pioneering use of Snapchat: they were the first UK brand to take up the photo-messaging giant’s sponsored geofilter service back in 2015, and other major brands have been eager to get in on the action ever since. It’s not surprising, given that around 30 million Snapchat pics featuring decorated lenses are shared worldwide every day.

And kudos to the pioneering poultry provider for delivering a campaign that makes clever use of this data to exploit the intersection of mobile and out-of-home.

Interactive OOH

Part of the genius of the campaign is turning conventional static print advertising into an interactive, digital experience for audiences. A digital experience which taps in to the often illusive world of social sharing, the holy grail of brand engagement- as long as brands can work out how to be an organic part of the conversation.

Snapchat is the most popular with the under-30s, (it’s the third most popular platform amongst millennials) so the campaign is also a great way to build engagement amongst KFC’s younger fan base.
The UK is Snapchat’s second biggest market. And with nearly 10 million Brits using the micro-messaging app in the UK, this campaign is a fantastic way to drill down into a demographic who have grown up in an era of smart phones, tablets, and instant, interactive communication.

Snapchat is not just popular with teens; over 70% of its UK users are over 18 years old. This means the odds are on that at least one member of the families who are a core KFC demographic will be using Snapchat, making this campaign a very savvy move from the fried chicken behemoth.

Phone boxes

We’ve written before about how phone boxes are a secret weapon in any OOH advertising strategy. The fact that KFC’s Snapchat selfie campaign posters are running on phone box ad sites near its restaurants bares this out.

The campaign could have made better use of Twitter to spread the campaign wider than Snapchat- there’s appears to be only one tweet about the selfies from the official KFC twitter feed, which seems like a missed opportunity.

Nonetheless, this is a minor issue and this remains a dynamic campaign making clever use of posters, geofilters, and social media that is a good reminder as any as to why KFC are so adept at staying ahead of the curve.