The archive · Advertising · Marketing decision · 2022–2023
KFC turns a free-chicken scam into a heist film — 'Anything for the Taste'
South Africa's urban legend of a fake quality inspector eating free KFC becomes a 2.5-minute comedy heist; it wins the Loeries 2023 TV & Cinema Grand Prix.
KFC South Africa · Yum! Brands
What it had to solve
KFC had been in South Africa for over 50 years, and the agency knew the culture was full of stories about how far people go for the taste. It needed a brand platform that made that obsession tangible, launching 'Anything for the Taste' in a market where the brand was already loved.
How it works
In 2019 a young South African dressed as an official and toured KFC restaurants posing as a quality-assurance inspector, eating free meals for about a year until he was caught. The story spread across social media as proof of how far people would go for the taste — and KFC and Ogilvy South Africa turned that urban legend into a brand platform.
'Anything for the Taste' launched in September 2022 with a 2.5-minute comedy film. The hero, 'Mr Molapo', wears a wig and fake moustache, inspects meals with a clipboard, leaves an origami chicken at each store, and narrowly escapes — until the real Mr Molapo appears. Ogilvy's ECD Peter Little said the platform took nine months from brief to launch and was shot in multiple locations across South Africa.
The campaign resonated nationally: it was reported as the most-watched advert on YouTube in South Africa in 2022, amassed over a million YouTube views within weeks, and, according to the agency and KFC's CMO, produced strong market sales.
The work then became an awards landmark for the region: KFC won the Grand Effie and two Golds at the 2023 Effie Awards, the film took the TV & Cinema Grand Prix at the Loeries 2023, and it also picked up a Cannes Lions Bronze.
Why it lands
- It made a real, locally known story — the impostor who ate free KFC — the proof point for the entire taste promise.
- Long-form, cinematic storytelling let the audience watch obsession escalate, so the payoff felt earned rather than asserted.
- The platform gave KFC a repeatable narrative universe ('Anything for the Taste') instead of a one-off ad.
- Humour and cultural familiarity made a potentially sleazy scam charming, turning news into brand affection.
What it did
The film became the most-watched YouTube advert in South Africa in 2022 with over a million views, the campaign drove strong market sales and won KFC the Grand Effie plus two Golds at the 2023 Effie Awards, and the film took the Loeries 2023 TV & Cinema Grand Prix and a Cannes Lions Bronze.
What you can take
Dramatising real consumer behaviour makes a promise believable: audiences recognised their own craving in the scam, so the stunt read as truth, not advertising.
Since then
The platform continued: KFC and Ogilvy extended 'Anything for the Taste' with later films including 'Beyond the Sea' (2024) and the AI-assistant stunt KAIIA (2025), and the original film's Grand Prix at Loeries 2023 made it a reference point for how African advertising can turn local culture into world-class craft.
Sources
- How 'Mr. Molapo' Ate His Way through South African KFC's
- The Loeries 2023: Winners Announced
- Global Ads Spotlight: KFC's heist ad that took home the Grand Prix at Loeries 2023!
- Ogilvy maintains its top position as Most Effective Agency at 2023 Effie Awards
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