KFC’s Twister wraps are a certified hit with their female audience, but the launch of a limited edition Ghost Pepper edition presented us with a new challenge.

How can we effectively communicate the benefits of this product without alienating women, who are less likely to be seduced by the overly masculine portrayal of extreme spice in contemporary advertising?

Women account for only 30% of spicy food sales at KFC, which is a shame really because blushing, sweating and heavy breath are all signature characteristics of a healthy lifestyle. They use blusher for exactly that reason!

And thus, the direction was clear - we’ll show our female audience that spice looks good on them, by launching this spicy wrap as a beauty product with astonishing results: Natural Rosy Cheeks!

Infiltrating the beauty category to ‘rebrand spice’ opened up a world of possibilities. We started with a TVC demonstrating the Ghost Pepper Twister’s cosmetic benefits in 3 easy steps - bite, rush, blush!

This was followed by perfectly posed visuals showcased in print and online, plus a magazine partnership that established it’s competitive edge, premium packaging distributed to beauty influencers who glamorised the look through unboxing content and application tutorials and pop up booths so people could sample the Ghost Pepper effect next to famed beauty brands.

By hijacking the beauty category as a fast food brand, we changed how people looked at spice … and changed how spice looked on people.