NBA KFC case study

KFC is one of the most well-known brands on the planet, right?
Well, not really in most of Africa.
America has 4 000 KFC restaurants, China has 7 000.
Our markets averaged 16 stores per country. Some as few as 3. We were tasked with making KFC more relevant to the continent’s youth in an authentic way. But how do you create compelling communication that speaks to seven separate markets, each with their own languages and cultures? Well, you know what our youth really love? NBA basketball - with over 108 million fans across the continent, and fan numbers doubling in the last decade. So we partnered with the NBA to leverage this incredible passion for the game while refreshing our KFC brand assets and meals.
We included this insight into our launch: live NBA games get broadcast in early hours across Africa, with early morning NBA viewership recently spiking. After watching games, fans are hyped to play. We cast real street ballers from across Africa and launched by speaking to our multiple markets in one language - authentic street. Our energetic film called out to all those b-ball fans, and clearly announced our collab and payoff, ‘Now We Balling’. We were everywhere, rolling out an integrated campaign with over 400 assets, including TV, radio, online content, social, OOH, on-premises signage, new packaging, illustration, animation, branded merchandise, internal comms, NBA player endorsements and more.
Our new design system mashed up iconic KFC style with the excitement of the NBA, incorporating a pan-African look and feel that worked in every one of our countries.