The “Sorry, Utensils” TV spot was a uniquely filmed brand storytelling opportunity for KFC to further brand love and drive taste appeal for the iconic fried chicken QSR. With expert direction the visually arresting spot helped viewers feel for the sad utensils while increasing crave for the delicious KFC food.

“It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” is one of the most iconic taglines in the history of marketing. And not only is it distinctly KFC, it’s also the perfect description of how the food is meant to be eaten - with your hands. No utensils needed. This simple truth became the root of our campaign, because there’s no better way to enjoy KFC than by digging 10 fingers deep.

“It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” means utensils aren’t needed. And we make no apologies for it, except maybe to the knives, forks and spoons that have been left behind. Our spot showed delicious KFC feasts from the POV of the sad, ignored utensils watching enviously from the sidelines.

The TV spot featured a montage of scenes featuring a wide range of people and their favourite KFC meals devouring fried chicken with great relish while utensils watched. The spot climaxed with a super animating on screen, “Sorry, utensils.” – “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good.

The cinematic spot was paired perfectly with the iconic heartbreaker of a track, “I’m All Out Of Love” by Air Supply.

KFC’s relevancy in Canada was dropping year over year. An influx of new offerings crowded the QSR market and were contesting KFC’s status. Our brief was to drive brand love and mass appeal for our products through a TV campaign.

Strengthening the brand was to be done with the help of KFC’s most iconic products as well as using brand elements that were core to the KFC identity, like the slogan, “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good”.

The direction for the moody spot came together by striking a balance. Making the viewer feel sad for the left-out utensils, and at the same time feel joy seeing the delicious and craveable KFC food.

Every meticulous shot used camera moves, angles, and lighting to tell the story of the utensils looking onward from the sidelines as KFC customers devoured tasty fried chicken. Each unique vignette used unique directorial choices to reinforce the idea that KFC’s food was so Finger Lickin’ Good that utensils would forever be heartbreakingly watching from afar.