• Copywork365
  • Posts
  • 31-MAY-2026 | KFC’s Chicken Shortage Ad

31-MAY-2026 | KFC’s Chicken Shortage Ad

The Vault from Copywork365

The swipe file is dead.

Literally, and maybe figuratively as well.

When I first started working on this project, I gave it the working title, Toolbox. The simple tagline was: the swipe file on roids.

But the more I worked on it, the more it became clear that this wasn’t just a box of tools. Calling it a swipe file wasn’t accurate, either. Roided up, or otherwise.

Because at its core, the swipe file is merely a collection of pictures or text. A pile, in other words.

This thing behaves more like a navigable map.

And no matter how much stuff you hoard into a swipe file, its contents are inert.

This, on the other hand, grows deeper over time. Its contents are living.

So, henceforth, this will be known as…

New illustration — credit Pranav Venkitaraman.
Big thank you to Pranav!

The Vault is an atomic copywriting database. As far as I know it’s the first of its kind, so that’s what I’m calling it.

It’s a database of world-class excerpts just like the ones we cover right here on the daily. Spanning ad copy, webpage copy, and literature.

Each excerpt is x-rayed and dissected to reveal what makes everything tick, how it works — on the most granular level. (Hence, atomic.)

It covers all the tools, techniques, and psychology we touch on here, but in their full depth. Making it easy to master these “devices” and then apply them to your own persuasive writing. You can even filter by author or brand to steal the secret sauce from your very favorite writers, copywriters, and brands.

Same as before, I’ve still got a forever deal for you.

If you join the waitlist below, you get exclusive lifetime access for an ultra-low flat fee when The Vault launches. (It’s looking like Q1 or Q2 of 2026.)

After all, a sweetheart deal is the least I can do to thank you for your support.

And as I’ve mentioned before, yes, I really do mean lifetime.

Even if the internet ceases to exist. I’ll toil day and night to make sure you receive a physical copy. With however many thousands of excerpts this accumulates over its lifetime.

Pinky promise.

KFC’s Chicken Shortage Ad

WE’RE SORRY

A chicken restaurant without any chicken. It’s not ideal. Huge apologies to our customers, especially those who travelled out of their way to find we were closed. And endless thanks to our KFC team members and our franchise partners for working tirelessly to improve the situation. It’s been a hell of a week, but we’re making progress, and every day more and more fresh chicken is being delivered to our restaurants. Thank you for bearing with us.

Visit kfc.co.uk/crossed-the-road for details about your local restaurant. 🏁

It reads like how a friend sounds.

“Fuck, we’re sorry.”

Witty play on the KFC letters, and it comes across as sincere regret. The rearrangement of the letters also gives off a “we know we’re a bit of a mess” vibe. A big corporation isn’t supposed to cuss. The F-bomb that slips through humanizes them.

“It’s not ideal” has a sheepish brevity to it, like they’re guilty and trying to soften the bad news. You can feel their discomfort.

There’s more hope in the following sentences, which are also longer. They take this opportunity to express gratitude. And they still don’t shy away from dirty words like “hell.” Again — more human.

A quiet detail where the copy meets their website: “crossed the road.” Nice touch — the reference leans into the brand.