Evocation of an Orwellian reality? New Disney film? Or new video game?

By Claudia Perez Riva| September, 2024

My dear new business owners, I’m sorry to disappoint you by telling you that this first topic as your marketing consultor is not about any of the above options, but about Chick-fil A’s iconic marketing campaign: “Eat More Chicken”.

Today’s communicators perceive how fast and overwhelming the contemporary world tends to be for everyone. The oversaturation of information results in an enormous challenge for communicators when they try to transmitting messages and specifically when they intend the audience to retain them. It is well known that humor, laughter and satire provoke a state of well-being in human beings. Taking into account his idea: Wouldn’t humor be an excellent channel to transmit our messages in a funnier, more sophisticated and even more ironic way? Wouldn’t humor be an excellent channel for our future clients to better retain our messages?
The communicators at Chick-fil A know this perfectly well and applied it in a big way in their “Eat More Chicken” campaign. Let’s see step by step how they used the Intention-Based communication model and how they achieved many of the purposes of Marketing Communication.
First of all, we must start with the message, which in this case is: to encourage increased consumption of chicken meat. To transmit this message, the communicators used some picturesque characters: the well-known Holstein cows. These cows are the ones who through their message (poorly written, by the way) encourage the audience to consume more chicken, as a way to save themselves. The message is concrete, simple, constructed in an appropriate way, easy to decode and interpret by the audience. In addition, the communicators used a specific and genuine visual identity to present this message. They used the black and white colors that traditionally identify Holstein cows, ironically turning them into the brand’s mascots.
In addition to informing (something we have talked about in some form before), these brilliant and funny creators achieved other purposes of marketing communication. Due to the authentic, genuine, humorous and even innocent way in which the information was presented, the message connected and is reminded. The cows became associated with the brand, making Chick-fil-A one of the most recognized and prominent brands in the market. Through their message, they discourage the audience from eating beef and persuade them to consume chicken instead. The channels and communication elements, such as the cow character fighting in an innocent and sarcastic way for its survival, generate an almost immediate connection with the audience. This connection is expressed through the creation of a loyal customer base that associates the brand with fun and creativity. And although it seems that we have already seen everything, there is still more: “The cow appreciation day”. An event that was created by the brand to connect even more with the audience through entertainment activities and the evocation of emotions.