South African Scientists Go to Extreme Lengths to Get a KFC

Beyond the Sea, the latest spot from director Kim Geldenhuys asks: “How far will you go for what you love?” 

Granted, one might think of what they would do for a family member, a friend or even a pet, but what about a twenty-one-piece chicken bucket from KFC? 

Marion Island is the home to a South African National Antarctic Programme facility, where some South Africans often spend more than a year living remotely in service of science. It’s also 2000km away from the nearest KFC. 

In those conditions, our hero receives a family video call where everyone is enjoying a finger lickin’ good menu while he must get by with canteen food which requires a plan to be hatched. But surviving a boat ride across the Southern Indian Ocean is no easy feat. 

The film, set to a jazz cover of Comin’ Home Baby, showcases Kim’s natural aptitude for subtle and emotive storytelling. A premise that seems almost ridiculous can end up being relatable to all viewers through Kim’s ability to showcase the complexities of human narrative. You are rooting through the characters’ montage-style training, hoping their escape is successful and they survive the sail to enjoy that bucket of chicken. Or even considering going to KFC yourself to share the joy they might have felt.  

The campaign by Ogilvy SA was teased before the ad dropped through radio transmissions that interrupted FM radio shows of a mysterious someone reporting on his voyage from the Marion Island facility to Cape Town in a dinghy. Reasonably, some listeners grew concerned enough to call the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), who took to social media app X to inform KFC of the impact of their campaign. In turn, KFC thanked the organisation for their work and announced a 25k donation to them (in morse code, of course). 

A journey like the one our scientists make is clearly not an easy one, and it’s not suggested to try at home. But it does help us ask the question, how far would we go?