- David Gianatasio, Adweek

Seeking to get a spicy leg up on better-known and bigger-spending competitors like KFC, Atlanta-based Church's Chicken is launching a $23 million ad campaign tagged "You know what good is." The work will run for the rest of the year.

The goal is to put a face on the brand, and to that end The Cartel Group in San Antonio, Texas, teamed with Redtree Productions in Boston to craft a series of spots that mix live action customer testimonials with colorful graphics.

"For this production, we actually cast at Church's Chicken locations and found people who are true fans of the brand," said Rosario de la Pena Garza, executive creative director at Cartel. Redtree's Matt Donaldson and Charlie Leal shot 24 spots over a five-day period. This marks the second year the shop and production company have teamed up for Church's TV.

In light of the recession, Church's follows the lead of several other fast-food chains by playing up value -- though the chicken fans do sing the praises of the taste and quality of some offerings, including spicy legs. Other category clients taking a similar approach include small regionals like The Ninety-Nine Restaurants to national players such as Denny's.

Cartel's de le Pena Garza served as ecd on the effort, working with creative director Cory Matthews, copywriter Ariel Gonzales and agency producer Sean Sales.

Founded in San Antonio in 1952, Church's has some 1,600 locations worldwide in 19 countries, with annual system sales exceeding $1 billion.


Source: Adweek.com