KFC Canada is the latest brand to jump aboard the Yung Gravy train, inviting this year’s breakout hip-hop star to promote its Gravy Lovers roster—which consists of gravy themed items like the Gravy Lovers Double Bucket Feast, the Gravy Lovers Sandwich, and $1 individual gravy servings.
Developed by Narrative, with media from Wavemaker, the “Satisfy Your Gravings” campaign is running through Jan. 2 across TV, out-of-home, cinema and OLV, as well as KFC’s owned and operated channels.
The QSR is also running a contest featuring a grand prize of tickets to a Yung Gravy show in Vancouver and the KFC VIP Gravy Card— an exclusive pass giving holders access to a year’s supply of free KFC gravy. The contests are being run on KFC’s owned channels and through strategic media partnerships.
The campaign is rooted in a lyric from Yung Gravy’s summer hit “Betty (Get Money)”: “Damn gravy/you so vicious/you so clean, so delicious.” (We feel they missed an opportunity by not replacing “vicious” with “viscous,” but…)
“When we saw ‘Betty’ trending on TikTok, we knew that it was an immediate fit for this campaign and KFC’s festive offers,” said Narrative creative director Jessie Sorell. “It not only felt authentic to the brand and the cultural moment, but we knew his lyrics, coupled with the universal appeal of a Rick Astley sample [“Never Gonna Give You Up”], could get almost anyone in the gravy spirit.”
Static and social ads in the campaign feature images of KFC’s various gravy-enriched products, accompanied by headlines like “Say when” and “Satisfy your gravings.”
Gravy might seem like a lesser item on the KFC menu, but the chain has also put significant advertising behind it in recent years. KFC Philippines currently offers year-round gravy-on-tap as part of the in-restaurant experience, while KFC in the U.K. partnered with Pizza Hut on a product called “In Gravy We Crust” and in 2019 introduced a limited-edition KFC gravy candle.
“The holiday season is about indulging, and despite sweets often taking the spotlight, it is the savoury staples found in meals together that make the holidays special,” said KFC’s chief marketing officer, Katherine Bond-Debicki. “Nothing embodies this better than the deliciousness of a holiday feast, dressed up and dripping in glistening, savoury gravy.”
The Minneapolis-born Yung Gravy emerged as a major star in 2022, with “Betty” becoming his first Billboard 100 hit. Since then, he has appeared in social ads for brands including Pizza Hut, Foot Locker, and Comedy Central. The music’s the main thing, but the rest is just gravy.
