Hardee's highlights strong cultural roots during Ramadan ahead of Kuwait National Day

Fast-food restaurant chain Hardee’s, in collaboration with Horizon FCBKuwait, has revealed a campaign that re-establishes its strong roots in Kuwaiti culture by highlighting the long-standing presence of the Al Deera Burger, an exclusive local patty, that initially launched in the 1990s.

The Al Deera launch campaign, which is running during Ramadan, has also been timed around National and Liberation Day, bringing back the local patty’s relevance for today’s audience – balancing familiarity with newness and innovation.

This balance was achieved by introducing a local collaboration with FICO. The campaign leveraged linguistic duality through the pairing of Al Deera and FICO, two product names brought together in a local brand collaboration. Both names are rooted in Kuwaiti culture and carry layered Arabic meaning.

Al Deera (الديرة) refers both to Kuwait itself and to the Hardee’s exclusive local burger, reinforcing a sense of place and familiarity. FICO (فيكو), the famous Kuwaiti chips brand and a commonly used local slang term meaning “you”, reflects togetherness and collective pride. This meaning was echoed in the campaign song lyrics.

The narrative reflects a simple insight: while generations may differ and debate their preferences, their shared connection to Al Deera remains constant. In this context, Al Deera symbolically represents both the country and the product, creating an emotional link between culture, food, and people.

These layered meanings were naturally woven into the song and film, reinforcing the campaign’s central idea: “Together with Al Deera” (الديرة تجمعنا).

Rollout of the Hardee’s campaign

The campaign was executed through an integrated mix of channels to maximise reach and engagement. This included out-of-home visibility via DOOH, digital display placements, and always-on social media content to sustain momentum online.

A PR-led launch event also formed a key part of the rollout and was hosted at Hardee’s store located in one of Kuwait’s neighbourhoods. The event was managed by Horizon FCB Kuwait in collaboration with AXN, where the store was transformed into a 1990s-inspired setting.

Elements such as VHS tapes, cassette players, arcade games, Game Boys, and 90’s televisions were used to bring the nostalgia theme to life. The event helped generate earned media coverage and influencer-led content, extending the campaign’s reach beyond paid channels.

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As part of the campaign execution, bespoke graphic icons inspired by familiar emojis such as the heart, sunglasses, and “like” symbol were developed. These were reinterpreted using Sadu-inspired patterns and Hardee’s brand colors, alongside locally relevant elements.

The custom visuals were integrated across the hero film and wider creative assets, reinforcing the campaign’s cultural cues in a subtle and consistent way.

Film played a central role in the campaign, and wordplay played an important role in the film by helping strengthen memorability and deepen emotional engagement.

DOOH was selected to deliver strong appetite appeal and broad visibility for the Al Deera range and Pufak Loaded Fries at scale, particularly during a high-traffic period.

Digital display and social media were used to maintain a consistent presence across key touchpoints, reinforcing awareness, supporting consideration, and encouraging trial among both existing and new audiences.

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Additionally, Hardee’s Kuwait collaborated with a group of local influencers who were invited to attend the PR launch event. Their presence helped amplify awareness through real-time content and social coverage, supporting the campaign’s reach and engagement.

Horizon FCBKuwait also invited members of the local press, including 360FM, which provided live radio coverage.

The campaign launched February 1^st and will continue till March 14^th nationwide across Kuwait.

The success of the campaign is being evaluated across a mix of brand and performance KPIs, including: