KFC is encouraging Hong Kong’s overthinking citizens to think less and indulge more with some Finger Lickin’ Good fried chicken…and we feel two ways about this.
Stress and overthinking¹ are pervasive in the chaotic 24-hour metropolis. Recent studies indicate Hong Kong is one of the most stressful cities in the world and ranks #1 in the stress index of employees all around East Asia, with a massive 53% of employees feeling pressured and stressed from their day-to-day occupation. However, scientific findings have shown that comfort food relieves the stress response in the brain.
In acknowledgement of this, KFC has partnered with Edelman Hong Kong to launch its latest integrated campaign centred around the power of comfort food. The message is “Don’t Overthink, Just Indulge” and this has given birth to a brand new tech invention they call the KFC Brainwave Bucket.
The KFC Brainwave Bucket is a brain-sensing helmet with a built-in headband that analyses people’s brain activity. The data from the helmet is connected to an app which provides real-time biofeedback showing how active the mind is. The helmet design, and the mind-detecting enclosure, is based on KFC’s iconic bucket. People are invited to sit inside the bucket-esque structure and place the helmet on their head, after which they are encouraged to switch off and think less with the help of some Finger Lickin’ Good chicken.
The event was launched at KFC’s flagship store where customers were invited to try the Brainwave Bucket and those who could embrace the comforting qualities of the Colonel’s signature chicken and stop overthinking were rewarded with more fried chicken.
KFC is the ultimate comfort food! Born from a great truth, we recognise the brand’s ability to provide people in this pressure cooker of a city with a moment of escape – and the Brainwave Bucket is a fun way to prove it.”
– John Koay, Edelman’s Regional Executive Creative Director
The challenge embodies KFC’s commitment to delivering their Finger Lickin’ Good experience to consumers as a moment of indulgence from their busy day-to-day life.
While we here at The Wellness Insider do acknowledge that this is obviously both a great marketing campaign that is fun, but comfort food is always psychologically something that most of us reach out to when we’re stressed. That is why there are so many of us who gain weight during stressful periods of time and while it is good to have a break (not with a Kit Kat), it is still better to find healthier methods to stop the overthinking and ease the mental stress such as reading a book, meditating and *gasp* exercise. Not saying that you can’t have a cheat meal once a week…but let’s not use fried chicken or other “comfort foods” as our go-to solution and recognise this for what it is – a creative marketing campaign.
¹ Mind HK Survey Reveals Hong Kong Citizen’s Worsening State of Mental Health During the Fifth Wave of the Covid-19 Pandemic https://www.mind.org.hk/press-releases/mind-hk-survey-reveals-hong-kong-citizens-worsening-state-of-mental-health-during-the-fifth-wave-of-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Images: KFC Hong Kong
