KFC Island
Read the story- Brand
- KFC
- Year
- 2020
- Objective
- Engagement
- Industry
- Food & Drink
- Mechanic
- Adventure & Quest
- Platform
- In-Game
- Agency
- Ogilvy
Objective
During the Philippines' COVID-19 lockdown, KFC's dining rooms sat empty while restrictions kept guests limited or homebound entirely — and those same customers were spending their downtime in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the biggest game of 2020. KFC needed to reach them there, stay ahead of rival fast-food chains in the conversation, and turn a virtual visit into an actual bucket of chicken sold.
Solution
Once a day, KFC Philippines posted a fresh Dodo code on Facebook and Twitter, open to a limited number of players who could fly over to "KFC Island." Landing there, players wandered a full-scale replica of a KFC restaurant — ordering counter, a dining area with couches and menu boards, and a logo spelled out in red lilies floating in the pond. Poking around further uncovered a hidden pantry holding the "11 secret herbs and spices," and somewhere on the island a Colonel Sanders lookalike was wandering the grounds. Finding him handed players a redemption code for a free 8-piece chicken bucket at a real KFC. After the scheduled visiting days wrapped, the island stuck around as a Dream Address anyone could drop into.
Results
KFC Philippines sales rose 13.3% during the lockdown period, the campaign generated 62% more fan mentions than other major fast-food chains, and it reached 26.5 million impressions.
- 1
The campaign opens with a video tour on KFC Philippines' Facebook page, where a virtual Colonel Sanders walks viewers through the island and invites them to become one of the "lucky guests."
- 2
Interested players follow @kfcphilippines and wait for a daily Dodo code, issued in limited batches; once they have one, they enter it at their own island's airport to fly to KFC Island, the same way players visit each other's islands.
- 3
On arrival, players explore a full-scale recreation of a KFC branch: a KFC logo landscaped from red lilies in the pond, a dine-in area with themed seating and tables, menu boards displaying real KFC items in the brand's typography, and a mini kitchen fitted with gravy pumps and custom bucket props.
- 4
A separate, fenced-off section of the island represents the restaurant's storeroom of 11 secret herbs and spices, staged as an inaccessible back-of-house area rather than an explorable room.
- 5
The core objective is to track down a Colonel Sanders character who roams the island but only appears during certain hours, requiring players to check different zones until they encounter him; speaking to him yields a real-world code for a free 8-piece chicken bucket.
- 6
Players redeem that code at an actual KFC restaurant in the Philippines, the reward being limited to that country.
- 7
From September 2, players who missed the live visits can instead enter a Dream Address to tour KFC Island solo, with no slot restrictions.
- 8
A second phase flips the activity into a creation challenge: players build their own KFC-themed island, then post screenshots and their Dream Address to Facebook tagging @KFCPhilippines with #KentuckyFriedCrossing; the best builds get an in-game visit from the Colonel, official "KFC branch" status, and a gift of in-game Bells.
