2026 Winner

KFC needed to bring back the emotional power of “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” after years of focusing on value and product. “Sorry, Manners” did that by leaning into the idea that when the food is that good, people stop caring about etiquette. The film set that idea in a world defined by manners. A formal 1800s dinner unfolds inside the Ploskovice Chateau in Prague, with every detail reinforcing control: ornate ceilings, chandeliers, velvet drapes, oil paintings and a fully set Victorian table with silverware, candelabras and precise place settings. Guests are dressed in period-accurate wardrobe, wigs and jewelry, and the meal is delivered by horse and buggy, served by butlers with silver trays and cloches. Then KFC arrives. The setting stays pristine, but behaviour shifts completely: guests ditch cutlery, eat with their hands and abandon all restraint. The contrast between refinement and instinct carries the idea without explanation, turning the tagline into something you can see play out in real time. The campaign drove a 30% increase in sales, a 15.5% increase in brand consideration and an 8.6% lift in value perceptions.

Credits

Courage Inc
Dhaval Bhatt: Founder + CCO
Joel Holtby: Founder + CCO
Tom Kenny: Partner + CSO
Niki Sahni: Partner + President
Clair Galea: Partner + Executive Producer
Maxime Saute: Partner + ECD
Marilou Aubin: Partner + ECD
Chris Booth: Executive Creative Director
Sammy Lo: Art Director
Emma Lorenzi: Copywriter
Rami Dudin: Executive Strategy Director
Sydney Hill: Sr Strategist
Alex Karayannides: Group Account Director
Kyron Sobers: Account Director
Nick Lepp: Account Supervisor
Zoe Fetsis: Account Executive
Raquel Mullen: Sr. Integrated Producer
Jeannette Downes: Sr. Production Designer
Veronica Coles - Assistant Producer
Natalia Banoub: Director, PR

Chief Marketing Officer: Katherine Bond Debecki
Director, Marketing: Azim Akhtar
Senior Manager, Media & Regional Marketing: Lauren Pottie
Marketing Manager, Brand & Communications: Jordan Sequeira
Marketing Coordinator, Brand & Retail Marketing: Emilie Power

Production Company - Partners Film
Executive Producer - Gigi Realini
Director - Martin Werner
Producer - Neil Bartley
DP - Ottar Gudnason
Food Styling - Katie Giovanni
Production Service - Boogie Films
Production Designer - Lucie Amosse
Costume Design - Dasa Stefflova
Makeup & Hairstyling - Jana Dopitova

International Casting - Sarcasting
Prague Casting - Jam Casting

Outsider Editorial
Editor: Chris Murphy
Assistant Editor - Ilya Sarossy
Executive Producers - Kayan Choi, Kristina Anzlinger
Producer - Kelsey Dale-McGrath

Alter Ego Post
Colourist: Lily Henry
Colour Assistant: Daniel Saavedra
VFX Lead: Joel Osis
VFX Artist: Igor Boros
VFX Artist: Jake Hussey
VFX Assistant: Nupur Desai
Producer: Mariya Guzova
Executive Producer: Hilda Pereira

Vapor Music
ECD: Joey Serlin
Composer/Arranger - Brendan Quinn
Sound Designer: Kevin Chamberlain
Executive Producer: Lindsey Serlin
Audio Mix Engineer: Ryan Chalmers

UM Canada
Derek Ouellette: VP, Client Business Partner
Adam Steeves: Manager
Julia Clark: Senior Planner