2024 Winner
BronzeBest in Sponsorships
BronzeBest in Retail and QSR
KFC
"Superstitious"
Courage
"Superstitious"
Courage
The last time the Edmonton Oilers advanced to the NHL Finals was all the way back in 1990. So to commemorate this momentous occasion 34 years in the making, official sponsor KFC wanted to make a splash. But then again, so did every other Canadian brand with a connection to hockey. The challenge was to stand out from the sea of sponsors and win the hearts of Canadian hockey fans.
From throwing octopus on the ice to playoff beards, hockey is a sport steeped in rituals, routines and superstitions. In fact, in the lead up to the finals, all-star Edmonton Oiler and Canadian icon Connor McDavid, had begun wearing the exact same suit to playoff games so long as his team kept winning. So rather than put out a conventional ‘proud sponsor’ message, KFC decided to get in on the fun and support their team the way a true hockey fanatic would.
The idea was to celebrate the moment, by going back in time. As the 2024 championship finals were heating up, KFC would turn back the clock with their own superstition – replaying all the same ads from the last time the Edmonton Oilers won it all back in 1990. The ads were identical to what was aired three decades prior.
In the lead up to the Edmonton Oilers first home game of the series, KFC’s vintage ads began appearing in paid social posts generating early buzz and engagement. The campaign then hit the mainstream later that day when our vintage ads aired during the broadcast of the game. The spots would continue to air in both social and during games on TV for the remainder of the series.
Beyond the TV spots, fans could get a taste of the ‘90s with throwback in-store posters, as well as vintage logos that sport the original, iconic look. Fans would also see digital OOH showcasing the classic 1990’s bucket outside the Edmonton arena with messaging to cheer them on as they watched outside of Rogers Place.
To sweeten the deal even more, KFC brought back 90s pricing for a limited time with its 18 pieces of chicken for $18 bucket deal in Edmonton.
Ad space during the NHL finals broadcast is prime real estate in Canada – especially when there’s a Canadian team in the finals. Using that space to run commercials that were over three decades old was a bold and innovative choice. While other brands swam in the sea of sameness with generic sponsorship messaging, KFC broke through the clutter with an entirely unexpected approach that drew directly from hockey fandom.
Complementing the TV buy with paid social, out of home, in-store signage and a limited time offer created a 360 campaign that became unmissable at a time when countless brands were
vying for attention.
KFC’s throwback campaign scored big with hockey fans and made them the most talked about
brand of the finals.
In addition to garnering national news coverage and effusive social engagement, the campaign also sold a ton of fried chicken. In fact, during this campaign period Alberta experienced its highest sales month on record.
During the three week period the campaign was in market sales and transactions went up in Edmonton by 7% and 2% respectively – both numbers significantly outpacing national growth metrics. And on game days when spots aired in-game, sales were through the roof.
On the night of Game 6 sales grew 36% and transactions grew 19%. And on the night of Game #7 the Stanley Cup Final, sales grew 51% and transactions grew 31%.
By tapping into hockey culture in a way that was unmistakably KFC, the campaign proved that some superstitions really do work.
From throwing octopus on the ice to playoff beards, hockey is a sport steeped in rituals, routines and superstitions. In fact, in the lead up to the finals, all-star Edmonton Oiler and Canadian icon Connor McDavid, had begun wearing the exact same suit to playoff games so long as his team kept winning. So rather than put out a conventional ‘proud sponsor’ message, KFC decided to get in on the fun and support their team the way a true hockey fanatic would.
The idea was to celebrate the moment, by going back in time. As the 2024 championship finals were heating up, KFC would turn back the clock with their own superstition – replaying all the same ads from the last time the Edmonton Oilers won it all back in 1990. The ads were identical to what was aired three decades prior.
In the lead up to the Edmonton Oilers first home game of the series, KFC’s vintage ads began appearing in paid social posts generating early buzz and engagement. The campaign then hit the mainstream later that day when our vintage ads aired during the broadcast of the game. The spots would continue to air in both social and during games on TV for the remainder of the series.
Beyond the TV spots, fans could get a taste of the ‘90s with throwback in-store posters, as well as vintage logos that sport the original, iconic look. Fans would also see digital OOH showcasing the classic 1990’s bucket outside the Edmonton arena with messaging to cheer them on as they watched outside of Rogers Place.
To sweeten the deal even more, KFC brought back 90s pricing for a limited time with its 18 pieces of chicken for $18 bucket deal in Edmonton.
Ad space during the NHL finals broadcast is prime real estate in Canada – especially when there’s a Canadian team in the finals. Using that space to run commercials that were over three decades old was a bold and innovative choice. While other brands swam in the sea of sameness with generic sponsorship messaging, KFC broke through the clutter with an entirely unexpected approach that drew directly from hockey fandom.
Complementing the TV buy with paid social, out of home, in-store signage and a limited time offer created a 360 campaign that became unmissable at a time when countless brands were
vying for attention.
KFC’s throwback campaign scored big with hockey fans and made them the most talked about
brand of the finals.
In addition to garnering national news coverage and effusive social engagement, the campaign also sold a ton of fried chicken. In fact, during this campaign period Alberta experienced its highest sales month on record.
During the three week period the campaign was in market sales and transactions went up in Edmonton by 7% and 2% respectively – both numbers significantly outpacing national growth metrics. And on game days when spots aired in-game, sales were through the roof.
On the night of Game 6 sales grew 36% and transactions grew 19%. And on the night of Game #7 the Stanley Cup Final, sales grew 51% and transactions grew 31%.
By tapping into hockey culture in a way that was unmistakably KFC, the campaign proved that some superstitions really do work.
Credits
Courage Inc.Niki Sahni - Partner + President
Dhaval Bhatt - Founder + CCO
Joel Holtby - Founder + CCO
Tom Kenny - Partner + CSO
Jesse Wilks- Creative Director
Gerardo Agbuya- Creative Director
Jesse Wilks - Copywriter
Gerardo Agbuya- Art Director
Alex Karayannides - Group Account Director
Kyron Sobers- Account Director
Nick Lepp - Account Supervisor
Zoe Fetsis - Account Executive
Clair Galea - Executive Producer
Sarah Moen - Senior Producer
Rachel D'Ercole - Producer
Raquel Mullen - Senior Integrated Producer
Tania Gaudio - Integrated Producer
Media: Wavemaker
CEO: Nikki Stone
Managing Director: Dan Boem
Associate Director: Daniel Balment
Client Business Manager: Blanca Gamez
Assistant Planner: Marcelyn Tran
KFC Canada
Katherine Bond Debecki - Chief Marketing Officer
Telly Carayannakis - Performance Marketing Director
Lauren Pottie - Sr. Manager, Media & Regional Marketing
Luke Melenberg - Performance Marketing Manager
Outsider Editorial
Editor: John Gallagher
Executive Producers: Kayan Choi & Kristina Anzlinger
Editorial Assistants: Denisse Pressacco & Dana Ryan
alter ego
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira
Colourist: Eric Whipp
Colour Assistant: Daniel Saavedra
Online Artist: Jake Hussey
Senior Producer: Andrew Tavares
Boombox
Partner & Creative Director: Roger Leavens
Creative Director: Chris Stiliadis
Casting Director: Kaliopi Kuzyk
Engineers: Kara MacKinlay
Partner & Executive Producer: Umber Hamid
Senior Producer: Spencer Houghton
Production (Stills)
Joe Calleja - Sr. Production Designer
Simon Tuckett - Sr. Retoucher