How KFC combined data and OOH in China

WARC’s Chiara Manco looks at 2020 WARC Media Awards winners that have used data to inform innovative out-of-home strategies. (This is an excerpt from a longer Opinion piece. Click "View more" to read the full article.)

Among winners of the 2020 WARC Media Awards’ Best Use of Data category, were many examples of effective uses of out of home. From the informative to the emotive, they show how data can enrich out-of-home communication through contextuality and personalisation.

KFC: contextual data-drives sales

Meanwhile, in China, KFC used weather data to drive online orders on rainy days, when demand for food delivery soars by 10%. Looking to become the go-to fast food in such gloomy days, KFC created a special rainy-day menu. This would intrigue consumers with limited-edition products, while also reducing delivery times and avoiding the delays often caused by inclement weather. It then partnered with popular Chinese singer Jam Hsiao – whose nickname is God of Rain – and featured him in dynamic OOH that would be triggered by weather app Moji’s forecasts of rain.

In the first two weeks of the campaign, KFC saw 850,000 rainy-day-menu orders, representing an increase of 200,000. The work, through Mindshare China, won Bronze in the Best Use of Data category and was praised for being a smart application of contextual data.