KFC Unveils ‘The Gravy Train’ with Special PR

The Gravy Train - KFC's first-ever themed train delivery service in celebration of their partnership with the Blues - offers a free-on-board experience open to anyone with a ticket to the Blues vs Force game travelling to Eden Park ahead of the match on Friday, 5th April.

This unique partnership goes beyond just delivering finger-lickin’ good chicken but emerges as a show of support towards Auckland Transport (AT), which hopes people attending big events will consider their transport options when travelling to and from major events, where free public transport is often included with the event ticket.

The campaign was created by Special PR who led creative, design, experiential, content development, media relations and influencer engagement. The agency was supported by media planning and buying from PHD, and integrated experience support from MediaWorks who led the coordination and implementation across the Auckland Transport network.

Fans lucky enough to ride The Gravy Train from Britomart station to Eden Park will be greeted by Carlos Spencer as the inaugural Train Conclucktor who’s no stranger to driving buzz and excitement amongst Rugby fans; along with a group of dedicated KFC ambassadors who will be roaming the carriages and serving up limited edition KFC snack boxes.

KFC’s marketing director Leanne Too, says, “This is an incredible opportunity to show our support for Super Rugby, while simultaneously championing our ‘Super Delivery’ campaign from Stanley Street that highlights the effort KFC goes to with our home delivery service. Whether that’s a ‘Super Delivery’ of rugby fans to the gates of Eden Park, or family dinner to your neighbourhood on Friday night, KFC delivers.”

Kelly Grindle, managing director at Special PR, commented, “We created Special PR with a desire to create truly famous work that blurs the boundaries of marketing disciplines – whether that’s a fine dining experience with Hercules Noble, a jewellery collaboration with Nick Von K, or a fully operational ‘Gravy Train’ for Super Rugby. We hope this initiative will see more Aucklanders leave the car behind to catch public transport and support the Blues this weekend.”

Amanda Palenski, creative integration lead at PHD, added, “Media magic is an integral part of what we do here at PHD, so we are excited to be involved in an activation that will no doubt drive a lot of talkability and buzz, supported by the long term impact that large format OOH delivers”

MediaWorks Outdoor CEO, Mike Watkins, said the innovative use of advertising formats across Auckland Transport has been a huge success:  “Our inventory reaches millions of New Zealanders every single week, and this has been an exceptionally creative use of our assets. It’s a brilliant case study that demonstrates the power of outdoor media advertising by blending it with live experience. We’d like to thank all of our partners at Auckland Transport and Auckland One Rail, for working together to make this idea a reality.”

The Gravy Train experience is open to anyone with a Blues ticket travelling to Eden Park on match day, simply present your game day ticket at the gate and you will be ushered through to the correct platform to jump on board and enjoy the ride. The specific departure timings remain in the Colonel’s Vault - along with the 11-secret herbs and spices recipe.

While there might only be one super delivery to Eden Park, KFC is committed to offering the rest of New Zealand a super delivery on game day – no matter where you are watching the game.

KFC are kicking their delivery service fee to touch with no delivery service fees from Friday 5 April to Sunday 7 April for all delivery orders placed through the KFC website or app. Customers can save up to $7.99 using the code ‘SUPER’. Usual delivery T&Cs and minimum spend applies.