Weekly wrapup: Flying chicken and 'Fukuppy'

FTW or fail

Each week we select one campaign or piece of work that we agree is 'FTW' (for the win) and one that...isn't.

Our FTW selection this week is 'Snack! In the face' a mobile game we covered yesterday, created by DT for KFC Australia. Branded apps are a dime a dozen, but this one is particularly well thought out in terms of matching the target audience, objectives, incentives (Free food!) and user journey (More free food!). Plus, who wouldn't love rescuing popcorn-chicken pieces from an evil villain by hurling them past laser beams and spinning sawblades into the gaping maw of The Colonel?

Honourable mentions:

• A misbehaving politician in an ad by Ogilvy for the Indian newspaper The Hindu.
• The remote control tourist, a four-day internet event in which people worldwide directed four helmet-cam-equipped 'tourists' around Melbourne. By Clemenger BBDO for Tourism Victoria.

For the fail of the week, we have to go with "Fukuppy", the mascot with the unfortunate name that was created by a Japanese manufacturer of refrigeration systems. Yes, the name might sound perfectly fine in Japanese, and yes, the internet got the story all wrong (many reports claimed the cute little dude was a PR effort associated with the damaged nuclear power plant).

But even setting that aside, someone should have thought about the English pronunciation at some point. It may be harsh or even unjust, but in today's environment, failing to think about internet reactions that might bring ridicule is, well, a major fukupp. Mike Fromowitz, add this one to your list.

Dishonourable mention:

• A dull hair-coloring ad that more or less recreates a fondly-remembered 25-year-old hair-coloring ad, with the same actor. If you're going to refer to a classic, you have to add something.     

Top stories

The most-read items on CampaignAsia.com for the week of 11 through 17 October.

• World's CEOs more worried about social media than business strategy: Deloitte
• L'Oreal China tipped to consolidate media with Mindshare
• NEW BUSINESS LEAGUE: August update
• Lego constructs its growth strategy in Asia
• Agency leaders shake heads at Hong Kong free-to-air TV decision
• Jim Liu resigns as GroupM South China CEO
• JWT sets up shopper-marketing offering in Singapore
• DATA POINTS: Multi-screen trends in Australia
• Desmond Chan and Keith Ho take over Danny Mok's duties at Grey Hong Kong
• The 'I Quit' video: Anatomy of a viral hit

Distractions

1. Air New Zealand's latest inflight safety video, starring the incomparable Betty White and former Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod (who apparently has not aged at all since the late 1970s).

 

2. This fascinating report on the Japan 'Love industry' from Vice.com. It gets a little weird at the end (scratch that, it gets a lot weird), but there's some interesting demographic and psychographic info. WARNING: This is really really NSFW. Really.

 

3. Starbucks can't spell my name. Creative interpretations of first names by Starbucks baristas. (Mildly amusing and mildly NSFW.)

Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading Campaign Asia-Pacific.