Aftershave, Soda, Knee - Three Chefs | Clapboard Ad Archive
Aftershave, Soda, Knee marked a sharp creative turn for Three Chefs and agency Kairo within Egypt’s crowded food and drink category in 2016, using a trio of films that pivoted on unexpected symbolism and genre-defying scenarios to cement brand recall in a market dominated by conventional food advertising. Rather than synthesize literal consumption moments or rely on problem-solution narratives, the campaign leans heavily into symbolic storytelling, drawing on disconnected everyday objects—such as aftershave and a knee—to create exaggerated, memorable metaphors for product appeal. This approach, in line with what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#9—Symbolize the Benefit, reframes Three Chefs as a challenger brand unafraid to stretch viewers’ expectations of food advertising by aligning the freshness and irresistible quality of its food with surreal, almost absurd visual cues. Each film in the series, including the standout Aftershave execution, dispenses with logical product demonstrations and instead places the brand at the center of bizarre yet relatable situations, letting the sheer incongruity become the mnemonic device that anchors the brand in the viewer’s mind. The decision to push humor and surprise over rational persuasion allows the campaign to cut through category noise and reach digitally fluent, distraction-prone audiences who have grown skeptical of formulaic food tropes. While not engineered for viral scale, Three Chefs’ strategic intent is evident in its deliberate narrative style, which champions cinematic craft—tight scripts, pacing, and high production polish—without losing sight of the core commercial goal: anchoring Three Chefs as an innovative, culturally attuned player in the Egyptian food space. Kairo’s work on this campaign demonstrates a keen awareness of evolving ad sensibilities, leveraging surreal, symbolic visuals not as a detour from the brand’s message, but as a distinctive conduit for it. By prioritizing creative risk and a self-aware, humorous tone over didactic messaging, Aftershave, Soda, Knee repositions a value proposition—freshness, quality, desirability—through advertising that is designed to stick. The campaign earns 63/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. As food and drink marketing continues to chase ever-noisier and less credulous consumers, Aftershave, Soda, Knee matters because it signals the industry’s willingness to trust audiences to make the leap from abstract visual wit to concrete brand affinity.
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