Product: KFC. Title: KFC So Real (Part II). Ad agency: M&C Saatchi HK. First impression: is that Fruit Chan in the director's chair? Storyboard: the 30-second spot opens with pop star/actress Miriam Yeung Chin-wah (top left) strolling happily down the street before literally bumping into fellow pop singer Justin Lo Ting-wei. She is outraged that he should walk straight into her, smashing his bag on her stomach. She points her finger at him and says: 'Yau mo gau chor!' ('What is this!') before she bursts out laughing. Yeung is apparently on a film set and she is only acting. Fruit Chan (yes, the film director) yells 'Cut!' a few more times before they all head off to KFC for a meal. After a few shots of Yeung biting into her fried chicken, she and Lo fight over the last piece in the bucket. Lo wins and Yeung looks cheesed off. Next comes a computer graphic shot of flames flaring behind an angry-looking Yeung. Then we are back on the set again, this time with Yeung delivering the 'Yau mo gau chor!' line with venom - in one take. What the client says: according to KFC, the message here is, 'The real taste of chicken ignites the real you.' This is the first time the company has used celebrities to enhance its 'so real' concept. Iris Lo, executive creative director of M&C Saatchi HK, says: 'We tried to display the more genuine side of things, hence you see the [bad] takes [to illustrate the realness].' It was shot by Fruit Chan, an independent (as opposed to a commercial) filmmaker best known for his gritty and realistic take on local youth in award-winning film Made in Hong Kong. A KFC spokesperson says: 'Competition in the fast-food business is fierce in Hong Kong and we need to exceed customers' expectations in order to stand out. This new campaign is an extension of our 'So Real' platform. With the two young, popular celebrities Miriam and Justin, this will further enhance KFC's brand image.' Does it work? It was a good idea to use outtakes to show what these celebrities are really like. But ... this is like a film within a film. Are we seeing the 'real side' of the personalities featured in the ad? The irony is that most local actors are actually themselves anyway, even in films, as there is not much acting to speak of here. Yau mo gau chor!
