Kentucky Town: Why VMLY&R Commerce Malaysia Went Immersive for KFC
The immersive world of 'Kentucky Town’ was created to celebrate KFC Malaysia’s 50th Anniversary and was woven into celebrations for International Fried Chicken Day and International Friendship Day.
By collaborating with local icons like Pestle & Mortar and Ujang, the distinctive campaign engaged its audience in unique ways. Achieving remarkable on-site visits and sales, VMLY&R’s strategy drove high engagement and turnout.
Sean Lim, head of brand activation and experiential at VMLY&R Commerce Malaysia, elaborates on integrating Gen Z's preferences for genuine connections and immersive experiences and how innovative technologies like AR, smart mirrors, and motion capture games were used to enhance the event.
LBB> The concept of ‘Kentucky Town’ is incredibly immersive and engaging. Could you share the initial spark that led to the idea of creating an entire town to celebrate KFC Malaysia’s 50th Anniversary?
Sean> Through collaborations such as Lays x BBQ Crunch Chicken, the NFT partnership, Mobile Legends, and Pestle & Mortar, KFC has been on an ongoing journey to interact with the youth. KFC wanted to find a more meaningful way to interact with youth and celebrate its 50th anniversary with them. As a result, our strategy was to establish a KFC-owned youth platform (Kentucky Town) in partnership with strategic partners such as Samyang Buldak, COKE, Ujang, and Pestle & Mortar to drive brand affinity and engagement among Gen-Zs and millennials.
LBB> Combining celebrations for KFC Malaysia’s golden jubilee, International Fried Chicken Day, and International Friendship Day is quite unique. How did you approach blending these elements seamlessly in the Kentucky Town experience?
Sean> Kentucky Town was all about bringing together like-minded young people to celebrate old and new friendships. As a result, International Friendship Day was an obvious choice for us to embrace and celebrate, providing a variety of spectacular live activities to celebrate this special day. Additionally, with this being the brand’s 50th anniversary, it was also an opportunity to recast ourselves into the lives of the Gen-Z.
For example, we celebrated the heritage of KFC in things such as our merchandise collaboration with young and popular streetwear brand Pestle and Mortar and legendary cartoonist Ujang, who is considered part of Malaysian culture. As KFC is considered to be the original hero of fried chicken in Malaysia, it was only natural for us to celebrate International Fried Chicken Day, and to mark this important event, we gave out free KFC whole fried chicken to our loyal customers.
LBB> The secret KFC menu introduced in Kentucky Town, featuring items like Savours Cracklin’ Gold Crunch and Samyang Buldak Double Down, is intriguing. How did you strike a balance between honouring KFC’s history and appealing to the tastes of the Gen-Z audience?
Sean> As we wanted to reach a younger audience along with our brand loyalists, we decided to blend and fuse some of the Malaysian classics with a new twist. That said, Malaysians, in general, are flavour enthusiasts at heart, on an ongoing quest to satisfy the calling of delicious food.
KFC’s latest invention is the first of its kind, pushing all boundaries. Their must-eat list included unique flavours like the intense Samyang Buldak Double Down (meat on meat on meat), the extremely spicy Samyang Buldak, and Savours Cracklin’ Gold Crunch, with its ‘umami’ flavour. Malaysians are huge followers of Korean and Japanese culture (music, food, and culture), so we gave them the exclusive opportunity to sample limited-edition delicacies that have never been available in Malaysia for a limited time only.
LBB> Collaboration with local icons like Malaysia’s cartoonist legend Ujang and Pestle & Mortar seems to have added a distinctive touch to the campaign. How did these collaborations come about, and what impact did they have on engaging the target audience?
Sean> An integral part of the township’s launch was the unveiling of KFC’s collaboration with Malaysia’s renowned streetwear brand Pestle and Mortar, along with the esteemed comic artist Ujang, to create exclusive merchandise commemorating KFC’s 50th year in Malaysia. Both brands epitomise the Malaysian spirit in their unique ways, resonating with people from all walks of life and generations, much like KFC itself.
The distinctive style of Pestle and Mortar combined with the iconic artwork of Ujang results in merchandise that not only reflects current trends but also showcases Malaysian identity. The streetwear collection is not only visually appealing but also comfortable, making it more than just a collectable item. Additionally, with Ujang having legendary status in Malaysia, we felt it would be a nice touch to have him design merchandise with a popular hype streetwear brand, Pestle & Mortar, to blend heritage with new age style.
LBB> The campaign successfully tapped into Gen Z’s preferences for genuine connections and immersive experiences. Can you elaborate on the process of integrating these insights into the various interactive activities within Kentucky Town?
Sean> Using VMLY&R’s proprietary Intel Lab to gather data about KFC Malaysia’s next generation of consumers, we found that Gen Z places a high value on genuine connections, friendships, and trendy experiences that allow them to feel like they are part of a group. Tapping into youth subcultures (art, food, fashion, music, technology and sports) allowed us to leverage this need for a sense of friendship and belonging, while the fear of missing out (FOMO) provided an opportunity for us to link to KFC’s brand concept of being always original, whilst offering limited and exclusive experiences.
Based on these insights and tapping on relevant subcultures, we included numerous immersive and innovative activities, including an AR (augmented reality) Friendship Tunnel, a Friendship Mirror, or smart mirror to let attendees virtually try on limited-edition merchandise; a Friendship Tub photo space, and Kentucky Town Cooks motion capture game. Friendship-themed games were also hosted daily, and International Fried Chicken Day saw whole chicken giveaways all day.
LBB> Augmented reality (AR), smart mirrors, motion capture games — Kentucky Town boasts a range of innovative technologies. How did you ensure these technologies enhanced the overall experience rather than overwhelming visitors?
Sean> Kentucky Town featured experience zones that were strategically designed and positioned within the event area to provide fun and interest as visitors journeyed through the space. The technology and innovation we developed and produced were also carefully considered and created to serve a purpose.
These included allowing consumers to digitally transform into one of our four town protagonists and share delightful AR visuals of themselves on Instagram, as well as getting to try on special edition KFC x Ujang x Pestle & Mortar merchandise via our smart mirrors. Through our use of gamification, consumers were also able to prepare meals in a virtual KFC kitchen while collecting points and winning fantastic prizes throughout the day.
LBB> Achieving over 26,000 onsite visitors and 10,000 secret menu and merchandise sales is an impressive feat. What strategies did you employ to drive such high engagement and turnout for the event?
Sean> Through the insights that were unearthed, we developed and produced highly engaging communications that would excite our target audiences. Thanks to our energetic youthful communications, along with our collaborations with Pestle and Mortar & Ujang, our secret menu, plus special appearances by various KOL’s, we were able to intrigue and captivate audiences to attend the event with the promise of a truly unforgettable experience at Kentucky Town.
LBB> The multi-sensorial nature of Kentucky Town appears to be a key factor in its success. Could you discuss the challenges and creative decisions that went into ensuring each aspect of the town contributed to a memorable dining experience?
Sean> We wanted to sell a story and make visitors the centre of the story. Kentucky Town is a place where you go to connect with new friends or reconnect to the ones you already have. It is a place where everyone is equal and where you can be your true self and that’s why having immersive multi-sensorial elements drive this activation was of utmost importance.
We needed visitors to be transported into a fantastical land and therefore, the key challenges were mostly around space, crowd control and service management. We strategically positioned the activation zones to ensure consumers had the opportunity to experience an immersive journey throughout the event, ensuring that they were delighted throughout the entire experience.
LBB> The future introduction of new locations across Kuala Lumpur sounds exciting. What can the audience expect in terms of innovation and experiences from KFC in the coming months?
Sean> Consumers can expect more unique and unforgettable experiences that we plan to bring to life through innovative technology, food, and possible collaborations - all of which will seamlessly weave into the passion points of our audience. Who knows, Kentucky Town might even come to you or maybe Kentucky Town can be a place that you carry along with you everywhere you go? Stay tuned to find out!
