There are many things asking for us to believe in them right now: football teams, political parties, tech companies. KFC simply wants you to believe in chicken.

“Believe in Chicken plays off a universal truth, that in today’s mad world, it’s hard to know what to truly believe in anymore. KFC knows there’s still one thing we can all really rely on: chicken,” says Martin Rose, ECD at Mother, the agency behind the brand’s new campaign.

The campaign was teased with a slew of outdoor adverts that left a breadcrumb (or chicken skin) trail for the public. The ads could easily have belonged to a political or activist campaign, were it not for the mention of chicken, herbs and spices.

The full campaign has now launched with a spot directed by Vedran Rupic that follows crowds of people entranced by a thrumming beat – kudos to movement director Sven Lesoria and music supervisor John Connon – as they are drawn ever closer to their leader. Clue: it’s not a human.

A new typeface, Original Recipe, is also being debuted as part of the campaign, which will serve as the display font for KFC in the UK and Ireland from now on.

Developed with the help of Family Type, the natural imperfections of food have been translated into the design, which evolves the existing condensed bold typeface into a version that has more of a hand-drawn feel.

Not only that, the new typeface is variable and ever-changing. A script has been embedded into the typeface that randomises the letters, which works by programming the edges of each character to shift subtly every time it is typed. It means that no design will feature the same version of a character more than once.

“We wanted to create a typeface that had a strong idea baked into it. KFC’s iconic Original Recipe Chicken, which is made from fresh hand-breaded chicken, with no two pieces identical – each is unique,” says Adam Evans Pringle, lead art director at Mother. “We thought this characteristic would be perfect to reflect in the font.”

Believe in Chicken promises to be KFC’s biggest brand campaign to date, which we don’t doubt considering it will be rolled out variously across TV, cinema, online, social, buses, pubs, merch, and nationwide OOH placements, including prominent locations such as Piccadilly Circus, Westminster and Gatwick airport – as well as a 260-foot chicken icon in a field along the flight path.

“All served in a very tongue-in-cheek way, the campaign is here to deliver a bold statement about KFC and its point of difference in the category,” says Rose. “While competitors may dabble in chicken (we have no beef with that) there’s only one brand you can truly believe in when it comes to chicken.

“Having a simple truth at the core of what KFC does makes a really powerful statement. Standing up and standing out, KFC are simply restoring chicken to its rightful place, the top.”

Credits:
Agency: Mother
Edit: The Quarry
Partner / Editor: Paul Watts
VFX: Black Kite 
Sound: King Lear 
Music Supervision: Mr Pape
Production Company (Film): Business Club
Director: Vedran Rupic 
DOP: Nicolay Poulsson 
Puppeteers: Robert Tygner, Niklas Hermansson, Oskar Wallroth