When the Double Down launched in 2010, KFC sold 10 million in
one month. The product was so successful that the company extended
the original month-long promotion, with some stores selling it
through the end of the year. A spokesman for the company declined
to say whether the limited-time window might be extrended again if
it sells well.
David Menis, director-brand communications at KFC, said the
Double Down is the most-talked-about product the chain has ever
released, and that the chain looked to consumers' social media
comments to drive the TV spot, which was created by Interpublic's
FCB. "We structured the marketing so that it
demonstrates fans' love for the product...the spot mimics the way
people talk about the product online."
In the commercial, three young men in a dorm room talk about the
virtues of the Double Down, framing the product as a near-mythical
figure. "My sister ate it, she turned into a boy," said one
character.
Mr. Menis said that the campaign is a continuation of KFC's
latest tagline, #HowDoYouKFC, a slogan that is clearly directed at
millennials who are heavy social-media users. The Double Down
campaign will be accompanied by a big social media push called
Double Down Dare, in which the chain will present four dares to
consumers throught the campaign.
The first two dares, Mr. Menis said, will challenge consumers to
create the best Double Down selfie and to create the best Double
Down dance move. The hashtag for the social-media campaign is
#DoubleDownDare, and each individual dare will have hashtags such
as #DDselfie and #DDdance. A spokesman said that entries will be
accepted via Instagram, Vine, Twitter and YouTube. "We won't be
able to accept entries via Facebook, because privacy settings keep
us from being able to see content, even if it is hashtagged," he
said.
Winners will be awarded a cash prize, but other exceptional
entries will receive a t-shirt that says "Bread is dead."
