2026 Winner

Playoff hockey is pretty crowded territory for QSR brands, but “Kyle F*cking Connor” gave KFC an entry point that no competitor could replicate. As a new sponsor of the Winnipeg Jets, the brand tapped into two overlapping cultural cues: the team’s long-standing “Whiteout” tradition and star player Kyle Connor, already known to fans as “KFC.” Instead of a standard sponsorship, the campaign fused those elements into the experience itself. Buckets were redesigned with Connor’s likeness, a local restaurant was rebranded in his name, and game-day activations put the Colonel into the Whiteout, distributing rally buckets fans could wear and share. OOH extended the idea with “Let’s Go KFC” messaging that doubled as both brand and player support. The integration felt native to fan culture, not imposed on it, driving a 22% increase in store sales, a 358% jump in brand affinity and $364 million in earned media.

Credits

Agency
Courage Inc.
Founder + CCO: Dhaval Bhatt
Founder + CCO: Joel Holtby
Partner + President: Niki Sahni
Partner + CSO: Tom Kenny
Partner + EP: Clair Galea
Copywriter: Zac Smith
Art Director: Zeina Elshurafa
Sr Strategist: Sydney Hill
Creative Director: Steve Ierullo
Creative Director: Hemal Dhanjee
Executive Creative Director: Chris Booth
Group Account Director: Alex Karayannides
Account Director: Kyron Sobers
Account Supervisor: Nick Lepp
Account Executive: Zoe Fetsis
Producer: Rachel D’Ercole, Sarah Moen
Sr. Integrated Producer: Raquel Mullen
Sr. Production Designer: Jeannette Downes
Talent + Traffic Manager: Christine Baggs
PR Director: Natalia Banoub
Client
KFC
Chief Marketing Officer: Katherine Bond Debecki Director, Marketing: Azim Akhtar
Senior Manager, Media & Regional Marketing: Lauren Pottie Marketing Manager, Brand & Partnerships: Jordan Sequeira
Associate Marketing Manager: Olha Safonik
Production
Photographer / Videographer: Ben Dartnell
Assistant:
Retoucher: Allan Davey
Talent: Robert Wills (The Colonel)
Hair & Makeup: Pina Robinson
Wardrobe: Laura Deluca
PR Agency
Narrative
Managing Director - Cathy Mitchell
Executive Creative Director - Debbie Chan Vice President - Lauren Baswick
Account Director - Katie Mills
Senior Account Manager - Holly Wilks
Media
UM Canada
Vice President - Derek Ouellette - VP
Manager - Adam Steeves Adam Steeves - Manager Senior Planner - Julia Clark