2025 Winner

With the NBA crowded with QSR competitors, KFC needed a fresh way to break into basketball culture, but without paying for sponsorship. The brand leaned into what no one else had: its iconic “Finger Lickin’ Good” tagline. Recognizing that finger licking is already an unspoken part of basketball celebrations, KFC launched the “Finger Lickin’ Open Endorsement” – an “endorsement deal” open to all, from casual fans to athletes. KFC sent Colonel Sanders courtside to a Raptors game with elite shooting coach Lethal Shooter, grabbing headlines and outshining official sponsors. The campaign took off, with fans and players across all levels adopting the finger-lickin’ celebration. In just a month, KFC became the number two brand associated with basketball and owned the conversation during All-Star Weekend (all without spending a dime
on traditional sponsorships).

Credits

Agency: Courage
Founder, CCO: Dhaval Bhatt
Founder, CCO: Joel Holtby
Partner, CSO: Tom Kenny
Partner, President; Niki Sahni
Executive Creative Director: Raul Garcia
Creative Director: Hemal Dhanjee
Creative Director: Steve Ierullo
Group Account Director: Alex Karayannides
Account Director: Kyron Sobers
Account Supervisor: Atria Ghosh
Group Strategy Director: Rami Dudin
Executive Producer: Clair Galea
Producer: Katie Fowler
Producer, Post Producer: Sunaina Arora
Editor: Marcus Barrie

Client: KFC
Chief Marketing Officer: Katherine Bond Debecki
Director, Marketing: Azim Akhtar
Brand Manager: Jordan Sequeira

Production: Merchant
Director: Jason Jeffrey
DP: Adam Marsden
Executive Producer: Ian Webb
Executive Producer: Hayley Taylor
Producer: Maryna Petrenko
Production Designer: Jessica O’Reilly
1st AD: Ron Parrell
Production Manager: Kyle Lauzon
Stylist: Adelle Gaudet
Hair & MUA Artist: Cristina Rubiales
Sean O’Connor: Foodstylist

Transfer, Online: Alter Ego
Colourist: Lily Henry
Colour Assistant: Daniel Saavedra
VFX Lead: Eric Perrella
VFX Artists: Sebastian Boros, Victoria Gaston
VFX Assistant: Nupur Desai
Senior Motion Designer: Edward Deng
Producer: Mariya Guzova
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira

Audio: Vapor Music
Creative Director: Ted Rosnick
Sound Engineer: Ryan Chalmers
Producer: Matilde Mata
Executive Producer: Lindsey Serlin

Media: Wavemaker
CEO: Nikki Stone
Managing Director: Dan Boem
Associate Director: Daniel Balment
Client Business Manager: Blanca Gamez

PR: Narrative
EVP, Managing Director: Cathy Mitchell
Vice President: Lauren Baswick