How KFC generated 168 million views and unprecedented brand love for their 50th birthday using South Africa's first 3D Branded Effect on TikTok.
★ Winner Gold, at the MMA South Africa SSA Smartie Awards 2023.
167.9M
Total Video Views (Hashtag Challenge)
31.3K
Pieces of User-Generated Content
11.5M
Total Engagements
390K+
Positive brand comments generated
R2.6B
Revenue Generated
We generated over R2.6 billion in attributable revenue (USD $154M) for our clients in 2025.
12.3B
Ad Impressions Served
Ad impressions served, with 114 million clicks driving traffic to client websites and apps in 2025.
1492%
Average ROAS
We achieved an average ROAS for our clients across all campaigns in 2025.
01 — challege
From Basic Awareness to Full-Blown Cultural Sizzle
Half a century of finger-lickin' good chicken is a massive milestone. When KFC turned 50 in South Africa, they didn’t just want to run a standard awareness campaign—they wanted to throw a nationwide digital party.
The challenge was to capture the vibrant, celebratory spirit of the brand and translate it into high-impact digital engagement. KFC needed a campaign that wouldn't just be seen, but actively participated in by a massive, highly engaged local audience. The goal: ignite conversation, drive massive reach, and make KFC's 50th birthday the most talked-about event on social media.
R2.6B
Revenue Generated
We generated over R2.6 billion in attributable revenue (USD $154M) for our clients in 2025.
12.3B
Ad Impressions Served
Ad impressions served, with 114 million clicks driving traffic to client websites and apps in 2025.
1492%
Average ROAS
We achieved an average ROAS for our clients across all campaigns in 2025.
02 — SOLUTION
Pioneering Immersive 3D Tech on TikTok
To generate unprecedented reach, we turned to the ultimate platform for viral participation: TikTok. We engineered a massive Hashtag Challenge (HTC) paired with a highly interactive 3D Branded Effect.
The #KFCTurns50 challenge invited users to celebrate by dancing to the official KFC birthday anthem. The kicker? We deployed the very first 3D Branded Effect on TikTok in South Africa, an AR filter that literally turned users into Colonel Sanders.
To ensure explosive momentum from day one, we partnered with popular local creators to seed the challenge and utilized premium TopView ad placements. This guaranteed maximum visibility, sparking immediate engagement and fueling the massive viral demand KFC was after.
R2.6B
Revenue Generated
We generated over R2.6 billion in attributable revenue (USD $154M) for our clients in 2025.
12.3B
Ad Impressions Served
Ad impressions served, with 114 million clicks driving traffic to client websites and apps in 2025.
1492%
Average ROAS
We achieved an average ROAS for our clients across all campaigns in 2025.
03 — TikTok Branded Hashtag Challenge
A Finger-Lickin' Viral Success
The TikTok hashtag challenge worked by inviting users to create and upload video content performing the KFC Turns 50, dance and skit, and tagging it with the #kfcturns50 unified hashtag.
TikTok → KFC HASHTAG CHALLENGE
167,951,689
video views
31,359
user generated content
11,538,472
total engagements
R2.6B
Revenue Generated
We generated over R2.6 billion in attributable revenue (USD $154M) for our clients in 2025.
12.3B
Ad Impressions Served
Ad impressions served, with 114 million clicks driving traffic to client websites and apps in 2025.
1492%
Average ROAS
We achieved an average ROAS for our clients across all campaigns in 2025.
03 — TikTok Branded EFFECT
TikTok → BRANDED EFFECT
5,448,832
video views
1419
user generated content
46,817
total engagements
R2.6B
Revenue Generated
We generated over R2.6 billion in attributable revenue (USD $154M) for our clients in 2025.
12.3B
Ad Impressions Served
Ad impressions served, with 114 million clicks driving traffic to client websites and apps in 2025.
1492%
Average ROAS
We achieved an average ROAS for our clients across all campaigns in 2025.
07 — Conclusion
The campaign was far more than a flash in the fryer. By merging interactive technology with creator-led humor, the hashtag challenge exploded across the platform.
The numbers speak for themselves: the TikTok community generated over 31,000 user-generated videos, amassing a staggering 167.9 million video views and 11.5 million total engagements. The 3D Branded Effect itself was a massive standalone success, pulling in 5.4 million views and nearly 47,000 interactions.
Beyond the metrics, the campaign generated authentic brand love at scale. KFC received overwhelmingly positive sentiment from the TikTok community, with over 390,000 comments delivering joy and cementing the brand's cultural relevance in South Africa.