In today's mad world, it’s hard to know what to truly believe in anymore, but KFC knows there’s still one thing we can all rely upon: chicken.

Challenge

By 2023, competitors had caught up to the new marketing standard in the category and KFC’s chicken superiority was under threat. Old rivals like McDonald’s had trebled their investment in chicken, launching star-studded campaigns which positioned their products as being “for those who love chicken”. Meanwhile new challengers like Popeyes and Wingstop had entered the fray and were instantly appealing to the new generation. 

The market had moved forward and KFC was viewed as being “past its prime”. As a result, penetration was in decline, particularly amongst younger consumers. Our challenge became clear, we needed to show the new generation that nothing beats the iconic taste of KFC & establish the brand as being the iconic leader of chicken.   

Insight

From AI taking over the world, deep fake videos that look legit, to political leaders that can’t be trusted - Brits could feel the world becoming more and more mad. Edelman had showed that trust had reached record low levels in the UK. Against the madness of modern life, KFC offers one thing you can always rely on - the best tasting chicken. 

Solution

We position the KFC as a solution to the mad world, by dramatising chicken as the one thing you can believe in. With ‘iconic’ as our centre of gravity, we evolved the KFC brand world to meet new modern fast food codes. We reinvented our tone of voice to be bold, unexpected and irreverently witty, ensuring KFC confidently stands distinctly apart from the category.

Results

• Brand buzz is up +1.9 vs pre-campaign and up +1.8 year-on-year
• Our overall BrandIndex score is up +1.6 vs pre-campaign and up year-on-year by +1.8
• General impression is up +2.8 vs pre-campaign and up +2.4 year-on-year
• Quality perception is up +3.2 vs pre-campaign and +2.8 year-on-year
• Consideration is up +0.8 vs pre-campaign and up +0.8 year-on-year
• We've overtaken both McDonald's and Subway in our modernity perceptions
• 8.1 million viewers watched our TV ad on launch day

Following last year’s hypnotic first iteration of Believe, a new chapter delves deeper into the playful mythology surrounding KFC's passionate dedication to chicken. The outcome? ALL HAIL GRAVY.

The film focuses on the majestic moment a crispy KFC Mini Fillet meets a pot of glistening gravy. Viewers are transported to an enchanted forest where a colossal golden egg totem and a group of devoted "Believers" embark on a journey toward a lake of KFC's legendary gravy. At the climax, the cult members revel as a ritualistic gravy dunk ensues. The modern-day fable explores the strong connection KFC fans have with the Original Recipe Chicken and a true cult favourite: the freshly made gravy.

See the film below.

This video was then followed by multiple activations such as the takeover of the BFI IMAX and a roadtrip which paired the infamous Greggs sausage rolls with KFC's gravy for the first time.

2026 saw the third installment of the Believe series. After two years telling the nation to Believe in Chicken, we needed to continue to show up as an iconic brand. It was no longer enough to showcase obsession, to win in this next chapter, we needed to invite everyone into it.

The year long participation event kicked off with an epic film and OOH takeover featuring an impossible-to-ignore invitation: prove your faith by scanning a QR code. Throughout the year, fans were challenged to demonstrate their belief in increasingly ambitious ways, all building toward the campaign finale: the ultimate test of faith to uncover the nation’s biggest believer.

So far, we have had 7M website visits and 32k applications.

See the film below.