KFC tasked us to deliver their biggest campaign of the year, including concepting a fun, uniquely KFC activation, sourcing production and commercial partners, designing campaign assets and planning a seamless contextually relevant customer journey across channels including direct response, in just two months. Celebrate Mom, sell a lot of chicken.

We wanted to do less with more and bring an idea that would delight customers, get people talking, and bring value to the brand and franchisees.

The audience was everyone looking to delight Mom for Mother’s Day, so we needed a campaign that celebrated Mom, with the Colonel taking second stage just this once.

And then we let the idea do the talking, launching the Buckquet with a modest direct response campaign, and waited for the world to take notice.

Customers who Ordered a KFC Sides Lovers Meal for Mother's Day via the KFC mobile app or kfc.com between May 1-3 received a promo code to redeem your very own free Kentucky Fried Buckquet kit from our partner, Proflowers.

The Kentucky Fried Buckquet kit from Proflowers included 12 colorful and vibrant roses, a glass vase, a KFC vase applique, eight skewers and a card to tell mom just how much you love her (as if the Buckquet didn't do so already!).

Pair the Sides Lovers Meal with a Kentucky Fried Buckquet kit, for a DIY arrangement that you can make for mom. Once assembled, the Buckquet can feature KFC Extra Crispy chicken tenders or chicken, delicately skewered and tucked into a vase alongside a blooming arrangement of a dozen multi-colored roses that will truly make mom want to stop and smell the fried chicken and roses on Mother's Day.

We wanted to reach millennials— millennial dads buying gifts for mom on behalf of the family; and millennial singles gifting their moms.

We needed to bring a heartfelt and genuine tone of celebration, paired with the irreverence and humor that KFC is known for.

The messaging strategy was focused on celebrating mom and giving her a creative gift that brings together the best two worlds— fresh flowers and fried chicken. The official trending hashtag #KFCMothersDay became a vehicle for sharing unique Buckquet creations.

To spread the word, the campaign came to life across the ordering experience, CRM, app push notifications, as well as ATL and in store channels.

We knew that flowers and fried chicken was a winning combination for Mother’s Day, and one that was uniquely ownable to the fun, irreverent KFC brand. A personal connection led to partnership with Proflowers, and the Buckquet was born. We leaned into the digital experience and direct channels, knowing the big idea alone would drive earned pickup and WOM.

Customers could buy the Buckquet across mobile app and ecommerce experience. Push notifications, in-app messaging and CRM drove purchase, and the Buckquet sold out in under 9-hours. By tapping Proflowers’ existing delivery and fulfillment solutions, all Buckquets made it to their destination on time, and ready for the big day.

We designed all product packaging, including the box, a Mother’s Day card, and vase wrap, taking into account every last detail. From briefing to delivery the campaign came to life in just 2-months.

Mother’s Day is already one of the biggest sales days in the calendar for KFC and 2022 was their best selling Mother’s Day yet. Furthermore, we saw 1.8 Billion earned media impressions and 180 earned media stories, a 15% lift in web traffic and a 6.5% lift in app downloads.

The stunt was picked up by 180 publications including Food & Wine, Food Network, Thrillist and Mashed, local radio stations across the country, and even the Late Late Show with James Corden.