Giving cricket lovers even more to celebrate
THE CHALLENGE
In 2021, KFC began its first year of cricket sponsorship and we wanted people to know it. With so many other big, long-time cricket sponsors taking up space on the field, in the stands and on TV screens, KFC didn’t have the luxury of slapping a logo on the field and hoping it would translate into awareness. We had to attach ourselves to something in the game that had meaning and was salient enough for cricket fans that they’d remember KFC every time they thought of it.
THE IDEA
If there’s one moment in cricket where all fans come together for a whooping celebration, it’s the Six. When a Kiwi team hit a six we knew that was our moment. So, at every T20 in the ‘20/21 season, KFC made a bet with New Zealanders – every six that landed in the KFC Six & Shout Zone, we shouted Kiwis free KFC nationwide.
The tease of the KFC Six & Shout meant the games’ most exciting moment had everyone, from fans on the slide-lines to armchair fans tuning in from home, suddenly on the edge of their seat hoping and praying for a six. When it happened, the collective celebration saw every kind of cricket fan thinking about KFC.
How we did it:
- Releasing the Zones
Pre-match we released the location of each game’s KFC Six & Shout zone exclusively on KFC social to let fans know which area to keep an eye on.
- In-game hype
The zones were branded with KFC flags, corflute signage, and giant KFC buckets making it unmissable to the public at the game and those watching at home. Plus, KFC bucket hats made game attendees in the zone part of the KFC branding.
Our TV sponsorships with Spark Sport and TVNZ delivered KFC Delivery messaging throughout the match reminding watchers that they wouldn’t need to miss a single run, in order to get their KFC fix -it was a mere few taps away.
- Shout gets activated
When a six landed in the zone the commentators called it live and digital media signage all around the stadium and side-lines activated. Simultaneously, all KFC social media told fans to use the code they’d seen at the game or on TV to get their free KFC.
- A kicker
Post-match we took the best moment of the match and packaged it for fans to relive on social, calling it “KFC’s Delivery of the Match”, delivered with a CTA for KFC’s delivery service.
- Driving awareness for delivery
We had key stadium media drive awareness in broadcast (on TVNZ and Sky Sport) for KFC Delivery. Utilising LED signage around the ground as well as the sight screen to display delivery messaging and remind fans they could have KFC delivered while the match was still on.
THE RESULTS
It’s been said that KFC ‘stole cricket’ in year one of sponsorship through the game that so well aligned with the sport that it quickly became one of the best know sponsors of the game, even though others had supported cricket for up to 20 years. We went from no cricket sponsorship awareness at all, to fan awareness of the sponsorship at 46% by the end of its first year.
KFC’s delivery service also went from 0% awareness at the start of the campaign to 51% awareness by June 2021, when the cricket season ended, with delivery sales also growing by 33% during the campaign period.
