KFC’s new billboards reveal the product only when you shake your head back and forth

Edelman used an optical illusion to pitch ‘Fing Fing Cajun Chips,’ which come with a seasoning you have to shake on them

Published On
Oct 02, 2023
Photo of the "Fing Fing" billboard in Hong Kong

Editor's Pick

Optical illusions in advertising are fun, and here’s the latest—a KFC billboard in Hong Kong, devised by Edelman, that requires onlookers to shake their heads back and forth, revealing a new menu item.

The creative was inspired by the product itself. “Fing Fing Cajun Chips” come with a packet of seasoning, which you shake on to the chips. (“Fing Fing” means “shaking” or “rocking” in Cantonese.) The billboards feature vertical black lines; when you shake your head, it reveals a product shot.

Here’s the billboard creative, so you can try it. But don’t hurt yourself!

Close-up of the "Fing Fing" billboard from KFC Hong Kong

Below is the full product shot. The billboards reveal what looks like a shadowy version of the product.

Product shot of KFC's "Fing Fing" chips

“We wanted to highlight the truly distinctive feature of these chips—the experience of shaking in the spicy Cajun seasoning,” John Koay, executive creative director at Edelman Hong Kong, told Ad Age. “After hours of sampling and playing with this product we thought, ‘How can we translate this fun shaking experience into our communications?’ in order to make it as memorable as possible to consumers?”

Street shot of "Fing Fing" billboard from KFC Hong Kong

Koay said the idea could have been executed in any number of ways.

“We first thought about using AR technology or lenticulars, but we really wanted this to be accessible for the average passerby,” he said. “So, we pulled the execution back to its simplest form with a traditional printed billboard using an optical illusion. Our idea required people to work a little bit for the payoff. It was a fun way to deliver our message, and seeing everyone shaking their head at a billboard would truly stop people in their tracks.”

As you can see from the video below, passersby have certainly been trying it out.

 

Lots of past ad campaigns have used optical illusions. Most recently we saw a dessert brand bring back the Magic Eye illusions. Other examples include the Sonos logo, introduced in 2015, that used an optical illusion to look like it was vibrating when internet users scrolled; and this 2017 E-Trade campaign using optical illusions to suggest how the company “lends a new perspective“ to the world of trading.

Street shot of "Fing Fing" billboard from KFC Hong Kong

Credits

Date
Oct 02, 2023
Client :
KFC
Agency :
Edelman Hong Kong
Regional Executive Creative Director :
John Koay
Creative Director :
Amy Cheng
Creative Director :
Oliver Davis
Design Director :
Andy Chan
Art Director :
Carson Ho
Production Manager :
Richard Poon
Head of Strategy :
Phyllis Yip
Digital Senior Manager :
Logan Cheng
Digital Associate Manager :
Sammie Wong
PR Brand Manager :
Mona Tin
PR Brand Assistant Executive :
Suki Chu
Production :
Ray Man Photography

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