Strategy: 

In Canada, basketball fans are big consumers in the Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) space with 75% of them being regular fast-food customers. Yet, herein also lies the problem: the basketball market is already saturated with QSR brands vying for the attention of basketball fans. 

We needed to infiltrate this big yet niche space in a way that is authentic to KFC. 

A key competitor in this space is McDonald’s, who has spent millions of sponsorship dollars with the NBA – individual player endorsements, seasonal campaigns with the Toronto Raptors, and reportedly giving away more than 700,000 free fries in one season valued at $1 million, . 

Not to mention, other KFC competitors, including Mary Brown’s and Subway have also made significant investments in basketball – securing multiple player endorsements with the Toronto Raptors, including former Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes.

As a challenger brand with zero sponsorship deals, KFC Canada aimed to embed ourselves in basketball culture by shifting our focus from the players to the fans – making KFC the most loved QSR in basketball.

Our challenge: cut through the sponsorship clutter by finding a culturally relevant way to connect with basketball fans without an official partnership. 

Insight: 

Knowing the basketball space is already saturated with QSR brands, KFC needed to find a way to connect with basketball fans – and that wasn’t going to be a traditional ad buy.

While other QSRs had a fiscal relationship with the NBA, we identified a parallel to the game that only KFC has, our most iconic brand asset: Finger Lickin Good. 

We came across a little known fact that NBA players have been licking their fingers on the court for a while.

From the free-throw line or after a clutch three, finger licking has always been a part of basketball. 

Performed by basketball icons like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Angel Reese, "the finger-lickin’ good celebration” has solidified its place as an iconic basketball ritual. 

Now was the time to cash in on this cultural currency. And as the brand who put finger lickin’ on the map, KFC saw an opportunity to insert itself in basketball culture by being the first brand to own a basketball celebration – “the finger lickin’ good” celly.

Our strategy? Hack our way into the NBA by being the first brand to own a basketball celebration, putting it at the center of a nation-wide fan engagement campaign.

Creative Idea

Instead of paying for a big player endorsement, KFC hacked its way into the NBA by putting out an endorsement deal open to everyone - players and fans alike. Just shoot a bucket, do the finger lickin’ good celebration, share it online and get paid in KFC.

To launch, we introduced the first ever sponsorship opportunity of its kind: KFC’s Finger Lickin’ Open Endorsement. 

An endorsement deal open to anyone – from streamers, rec leaguers, basketball fans, and more.

The campaign operated under a simple mechanic: film yourself shooting a bucket, do the finger lickin’ good celly, and tag @kfc_canada for a shot at being endorsed in KFC.

To generate buzz about the program, we infiltrated the NBA by sneaking our biggest brand asset, Colonel Sanders, courtside at the Raptors vs. Pacers game, alongside basketball influencer, Lethal Shooter. The stunt made national news, making KFC a top-trending topic on Twitter, overtaking McDonald’s.

Then we crashed March Madness by endorsing over 40 NCAA athletes, creating the biggest NIL deal of its kind. The domino effect even reached the NBA, prompting the Maverick’s own, Luka Doncic, to do the FLG celly in-game against the Rockets – putting KFC at the forefront of basketball culture.

Impact and Results

The results of the campaign were outstanding. By finding an ownable way to tap into basketball fandom, KFC generated a whopping $17,485,000 in Earned Media Value (EMV). Moreover, our engagement amongst basketball fans was evident: over 1,000 people endorsed.

But our campaign didn’t just generate buzz, it changed brand perception in a big way. In just one month, KFC surpassed McDonald’s as the #2 brand associated with basketball, along with capturing the #1 share of voice during the All Star Weekend. And we did it without going the traditional and expensive path of sponsoring an official team, venue, or a big athlete.

By incentivizing KFC’s tagline (“it’s finger lickin’ good”) in a culturally relevant way, KFC solidified itself in basketball culture as the first brand to own a basketball celebration, offering basketball fans yet another reason to lick their fingers.