PLAY BASKETBALL ON A SOCCER FIELD

TitlePLAY BASKETBALL ON A SOCCER FIELD
BrandYUM! RESTAURANTS (CHINA) INVESTMENT COMPANY
Product / ServiceKFC'S BASKETBALL COUNTER-ATTACK
CategoryA03. Ambient media: large scale
EntrantBBDO CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Entrant Company BBDO CHINA Shanghai, CHINA
Advertising Agency BBDO CHINA Shanghai, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Waifoong Leong BBDO China Executive Creatvie Director Of Greater China
Awoo Lai BBDO China Executive Creative Director
Frank Zhao BBDO China Group Creative Director
Ben Guo BBDO China Associate Creative Director
Army Xie BBDO China Creative Group Head
Oni Zhang BBDO China Strategic Planner
Rachael Tsai BBDO China Business Director
Jocelyn Zhu BBDO China Associate Account Director

The Brief

Since its inception in 2004, KFC 3on3 has been the most well-known teenage basketball tournament in China with over 1.3 million teenagers participated in. It has brought outstanding brand awareness to the KFC brand for years among teenagers. However, in 2014, we were faced with an unprecedented challenge. In the year of the World Cup, when the young Chinese consumers put all their attention to soccer, anything irrelevant to soccer may be easily neglected. Not to mention that this year’s KFC 3on3 grand opening was happening only days before the World Cup final.

Creative Execution

We’ve developed a creative idea and execution that are unprecedented - such brave thing has never been done by other competitors or marketers in China before, even something similar. However, it doesn't mean the idea is totally off brand. It links tightly to KFC and KFC 3on3 basketball, because the idea was transforming 3on3 basketball which is the brand assets of KFC in China, to something even braver and crazier, which really carries out the essence of 3on3 basketball – free spirit and braveness, and totally reflects what Chinese youth is looking for.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We came up this idea – Play basketball on a soccer field! We changed a soccer field into the biggest basketball court, played using soccer rules and regulations, and held a giant 11on11 basketball game. During the event, it attracted live coverage and reports from 31 media outlets, and reached over 253 million people. At the same time, it caused quite a stir in social media. The hashtag #Play basketball on a soccer field# was read by over 5 million people on Weibo, and resulted in 30,000 discussions.

Results

On July 6th, around 2000 people came to watch the 11on11 basketball game attacting a live coverage, reporting from 31 media outlets (including CCTV 5), reaching over 253 million people,earning media value worth RMB 16.6 million.Meanwhile, it caused quite a stir in social media.The hashtag #Play basketball on a soccer field# was read by over 5 million people on Weibo, resulting in 30,000 discussions –which was more than six times achieved by hashtags released by a competing brand-an official partner of the World Cup.Also, it created the record of “the biggest basketball court in China” awarded by China Records.