'Stadium Astro' woos sports fans with ringside offer

KFC held onto top spot, but viewers in Malaysia were wooed by a sporting offer from Astro.

KFC held on to the top spot in the March Adwatch chart, but this time gained a lower recall rate of 89 per cent -- down from 94 per cent the month before. The BBDO-created spot promotes the newest addition to the menu -- the KFC fish sandwich. The Eskimo-themed campaign uses the tagline 'It's big' and highlights the fact that KFC is continually expanding its menu to encompass more than just chicken.

Pay-TV operator Astro came in second place with a TVC promoting its exclusive rights to the 2006 World Cup. The TVC, developed by Y&R, features the tagline 'Stadium Astro -- the best seat is in your home'. Through the use of 3D images, viewers are encouraged to watch the World Cup from the comfort of their living rooms at 'Stadium Astro'. The spot was locally produced with the help of Malaysian film director Al Isaac.

"The ad aims to position Stadium Astro as the place to watch all world sports, not just the World Cup," said Veno Chornalingam, Y&R's regional creative director on Astro, adding that the campaign has also been crafted to serve as a subs acquisition promotion. The 45-second spot will be running throughout the World Cup this summer on all sports and free-to-air channels.

McDonald's 'McDelivery' spot moved up from sixth to third place in viewer recall since the February chart, promoting the fast-food giant's newly-introduced delivery services. Meanwhile, Maxis, one of Malaysia's three leading telco companies, made a strong showing in the chart, with two different spots running simultaneously, including Maxis' Push 2 Talk product and its sponsorship of hip-hop group Fort Minor's concert.