My Most Immortal Ad: Tahaab Rais
In the run-up to this year’s Immortal Awards, LBB’s jurors will each select an ad that they believe deserves the title of Immortal. With the entry system now open, LBB’s esteemed jurors will take it in turns to select an ad that’s iconic to them, revealing the reasons why it’s stayed with them until this day.
This week sees Tahaab Rais, regional head of strategy at FP7 McCann, explain to us (and his wife) how a man in a chicken costume captured his attention and drew him into the industry…
Burger King ‘Subservient Chicken’ (Crispin Porter + Bogusky, 2004)
Says Rais: “The evening before I was asked by LBB to share my Most Immortal Ad, my wife asked me about what pulled me to advertising, communications and creativity. I replied without blinking twice because I knew the answer.
“In 2004, Burger King did something that attracted me, then a 19-year-old business management student who wasn’t interested in advertising or marketing, to spend an hour on his PC telling a chicken, online, to do crazy, quirky and fun things for me.
“Viral Marketing”. “Interactive”. “Digital”. “Experiential”. “Branded Entertainment”. Before these words became commonplace, at a time when digital marketing was limited to websites and static banners and an after-thought, Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” pushed marketing into a new realm; one that was more targeted, more focused, more measurable, more entertaining, more participative and more than just ads on TV.
“It spoke to the right target audience (men aged 18-45 who spent a lot of time on the internet), importantly, it delivered on the brand’s promise and set the tone for other hits that followed, such as the Whopper Freakout. And it made me get into the field I love that helped me to do the work that got me onto the Immortal jury. So, yeah, that’s the one!”
The Immortal Awards entry system is now open. Every member of Little Black Book is entitled to up to five entries, depending on their membership tier. This year, Bronze members receive two entries, whilst Silver and Gold members get five entries. The full list of rules, including eligibility dates, can be found here.
If you’d like to enter the Immortal Awards but you’re not yet a member of LBB, contact Lynchy here: michael@campaignbrief.com.
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AIRBAG, Alt.VFX, ARC EDIT, Clockwork Films, Collider, Curious, Cutting Edge, The Editors, Exit Films, Filmgraphics, Fin Design + Effects, Final Sound, FINCH, Flying Fish, Good Oil, Heckler, Jumbla, Passion Pictures, Photoplay, Plaza Films, The Producers, Revolver/Will O’Rourke, Rumble Studios, Scoundrel, Sedona Productions, Sweetshop, Taxi, //Thirteen & Co, Uncanny Valley, Velvet, Winifred.