A dictionary may tell you that a “sister” is a girl/woman who has parents in common with someone else, or it may refer to a friend/peer. But Chicken Licken chose to defy dictionary conventions, as it does with so many others, through its new SoulSister campaign, saying “There’s a SoulSister in all of us”. (Yes, even in you, SoulMister.)
Premiering on September 12 on screens big and small across the country, the SoulSister campaign kicks off with a shoot on Bomba Estéreo’s soul-rock track, So Yoand shows the SoulSister “effect” unwittingly taking control of Mzansi, one (extremely uncontrollable, spinning, shaking) body at a time, starting with…a man.
Created in partnership with Joe Public and directed by Darling Films’ Slim, our story begins on a train with a businessman in a suit, whose inner SoulSister has just stepped out to play “during the people” as the Tweeps might put it. A telltale orange package lands in the lap of an unsuspecting co-passenger who is puzzled by this sudden display of savage abandonment as the man exits the train – his face and limbs appear to be working on a different agenda than this his diary might suggest for the day. As we travel through the city, we encounter more and more bodies happily out of control as this SoulSister effect takes hold of everyone who enjoyed the meal.
This bold new SoulSister campaign is the result of a deliberate move to reposition the sub-brand by making it much more inclusive. This means a strategic shift from the previous positioning which was much more female-focused, with the 2019 campaign featuring three ‘SoulSisters’ who come forward to stand up for other women in difficult situations, and even to cheer on a young man struggling to come. out of the closet’ with his father.
According to Assaf Levy, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public, “We had to overcome the bias inherent in the name ‘SoulSister’. We couldn’t change the product name, so we chose to redefine what “SoulSister” extrinsically means. It took on the meaning of this inner self that we all have, the part of us that wants to let go, to move, to play and to be freed from the constraints of everyday life. The version of ourselves we don’t even know exists until we suddenly encounter it. The part that yearns to be nurtured.
Xolisa Dyeshana, Creative Director of Joe Public, agrees: “We chose dance as the vehicle to represent each person’s unique SoulSister personality because it is highly individualistic and expressive. The campaign gives men, women, children, everybody — no matter who they are or where they’re from — permission to embrace that part of themselves. It’s another example of how Chicken Licken enjoys breaking stereotypes through lighthearted entertainment, using creativity to grow both the brand and the country beyond, allowing them to see themselves differently and get out of the norms that society tries to impose on us.
The campaign is expected to roll out in the coming weeks on social media. And according to Tlhogi Swaratlhe, Ovayo Ntlabati and Joey Gordon, Joe Public’s young creative team responsible for the SoulSister concept, there’s one more surprise coming for Chicken Licken fans on TikTok – because if there’s any where, a person’s SoulSister wants to show off their stuff, that’s on TikTok, right?
If you’re tempted to meet your SoulSister, the meal is available from R38 for 2 pieces + a serving of SoulFries® or if your SoulSister is in the mood to party (we think you will), try the SoulSister Party 4, for only R74.
#FreeYourSoulSister | Twitter: @ChickenLickenSA | Facebook: Chicken licked | YouTube: Chicken Licken SA
Credits:
Brand: Chicken Licken
Client: Chantal Sombonos van Tonder
Agency: Joe Public
Group Creative Director: Pepe Marais
Creative Director: Xolisa Dyeshana
Executive Creative Director: Assaf Levy
Integrated Creative Director: Alexa Craner, Michelle McKenna
Embedded editor: Tlhogi Swaratlhe
Integrated artistic director: Ovayo Ntlabati, Joey Gordon
Creative Commercial Director: Amber Mackeurtan
Account Manager: Sonwabile Mkize
TV & Radio Manager: Di Cole
Agency Producer: Aileen Kennaugh
Media: Joe Public
Director: Thin
Production company: Darling Films
Executive Producer: Lorraine Smit, Melina McDonald
Producer: Nick Voortman
Director of photography: Adam Bentel
Production Artistic Director: Keenan McAdam
Choreographer: Zoyi Muendane, Eugene Baloyi
Stylist | costume design: Rosanne Whyte
Editor: Xander Vander
Publisher: Stangelove Post
Visual effects: Jean du Plessis
Post-production: Chocolate Tribe
Colorist: Terry Simpson
Audio and sound design: Lorens Persson
Sound studio: Sterling Sound
