KFC all hail gravy
Executive summary
KFC’s “All Hail Gravy” is the second chapter of its UK “Believe in Chicken” platform developed with Mother London, staging a surreal, ritualistic TV spot and supporting OOH and in-restaurant activity that elevates gravy to an absurd, near‑sacred centerpiece of brand mythology [1][2]. The work is explicitly designed to entertain and provoke conversation—aiming to boost modernity metrics with Gen Z while accepting that polarising creative will generate both industry praise and public complaints [3][4].
1. What the campaign actually is: a theatrical gravy baptism
“All Hail Gravy” presents a cinematic narrative in which a lost man follows a procession carrying a giant golden egg to a lake of gravy, where a choreographed “baptism” transmutes him into a piece of KFC chicken; the 60‑second spot is accompanied by outdoor ads that appear drenched in gravy and in‑store activations [3][5][6]. The ad’s aesthetics—sacramental ritual, muted earthy tones and a focus on spectacle—are deliberate creative choices from Mother London to continue the “Believe” platform’s mythology and to create eye‑opening surprise and emotional engagement [1][7].
2. Why KFC and its marketers made this choice
KFC’s UK marketing leadership framed the campaign as an “entertaining antidote” to a chaotic world intended to resonate with younger audiences and sustain talkability; Monica Silic, CMO of KFC UK & Ireland, framed the “Believe” work as designed to entertain, while Mother’s ECD Martin Rose said the brand accepts suspended logic for the sake of symbolic, playful obsessive chicken worship [5][3]. The campaign’s stated strategic goals were to push modernity metrics, reach Gen Z amid competitive chicken marketing, and reinforce the brand’s cultish connection to gravy as a menu cult classic [1][8][2].
3. How the campaign was executed in media and space
Beyond the film, KFC deployed a fully integrated mix: large-format outdoor creative including converting the BFI IMAX into a dripping pot of gravy, in-restaurant OOH, PR activity and digital placements so the message is unavoidable across channels, and the work was scheduled for high‑visibility airings to maximise talkability [9][10][11]. Industry coverage highlights the scale and consistency of execution—from personalised web messages that scream “All Hail Gravy” to experiential OOH—that helped the campaign quickly gain traction online and in trade discussions [8][9].
4. Reception: praise, industry buzz and backlash
The campaign received industry admiration for its unconventional brilliance and extension of a bold platform, with many outlets noting its surreal entertainment value and technical craft [3][9]. However, it also provoked hundreds of complaints from some viewers who called the gravy baptism blasphemous or accused the spot of glorifying cultish behaviour—responses KFC and Mother anticipated, noting they were being deliberately polarising to spark conversation [4][3].
5. Cultural and strategic implications—what this says about advertising today
“All Hail Gravy” exemplifies contemporary brand theatre where fast‑food advertising leans into mythmaking and ritual to create cultural shareability rather than simple product demonstration, reflecting a shift toward storytelling that trades straightforward messaging for immersion and debate [1][7]. The campaign’s willingness to court controversy reveals an implicit trade‑off: boosted visibility and relevance with younger cohorts against the risk of alienating certain audiences and generating regulatory or complaints noise [4][2].
6. Verdict: effective provocation with predictable polarisation
As executed, the campaign succeeds on its own terms—lifting a familiar side into a recognisable piece of brand theatre, achieving high talkability and industry acclaim while accepting backlash as part of the plan; this mirrors explicit statements from KFC and Mother that polarisation was intentional [5][3][4]. Available reporting documents the creative, strategic intent and mixed public reaction, and while the long‑term brand impact beyond immediate buzz isn’t covered in these sources, the campaign clearly advances KFC’s “Believe” mythos and provokes the cultural conversation it set out to start [1][2].