A nationwide brand activation campaign spanning five cities across New Zealand's premier rugby season.

Client: PHD
Brand: KFC
Industry: Food & Beverage
Campaign: KFC Super Rugby 2026
Locations: Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, Christchurch
Duration: 7 March – 30 May 2026

The Objective

For the fourth consecutive year, Destro partnered with PHD to deliver the KFC Super Rugby activation — a high-energy nationwide presence campaign designed to put KFC at the heart of New Zealand's biggest rugby season.

The campaign goals were clear:

• Build strong brand presence and awareness across Super Rugby venues.
• Generate social media buzz and consumer engagement around KFC.
• Deliver a recognisable, entertaining brand experience at every game.

The Challenge

Running a live brand activation across five cities over nearly three months presented a number of logistical and talent challenges:

• Coordinating staff deployments across Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton, Dunedin, and Christchurch simultaneously
• Sourcing niche, specialised talent — specifically a KFC Colonel mascot performer standing over 175cm, paired with an experienced mascot minder
• The most significant challenge arose in Dunedin, where staffing the activation coincided with the university holiday period, drastically reducing the local talent pool

Our Approach

Destro drew on its nationwide talent network and deep experience in live brand activations to overcome each challenge head-on.

• Deployed 32 specialised staff in total across all cities and game dates
• Leveraged our nationwide talent database to fill Dunedin staffing requirements despite the university holiday constraints, ensuring no gaps in coverage
• All mascot and minder talent were thoroughly briefed and experienced in high-crowd, high-energy environments

Execution

Across 16 games and five cities, the Destro team delivered a consistently high-energy presence that brought the KFC brand to life at every match.

The activations were built around crowd engagement and entertainment. Destro's mascot and minder duo created infectious energy in the stands and concourse areas, drawing attention, generating social content, and building brand affinity with passionate rugby fans.

A standout moment of the campaign came after inviting influencers to the Eden Park Sky Sport Rooftop Tour, guided by the KFC Colonel mascot himself — a bold, visually striking moment that captured the attention of attendees and generated strong social media content.

Despite the challenges of a long-running, multi-city campaign, the Destro team maintained energy and professionalism across every activation, delivering a seamless experience that matched the pace and excitement of Super Rugby itself.

Results

The campaign delivered strong results across all five cities, connecting KFC's brand with over 240,000 rugby fans across the season.

Campaign Highlights

• 16 matches staffed
• 32 Destro Brand Ambassadors deployed
• 5 cities activated
• 240,000+ fans reached

Four years running. That's not luck — that's the standard of talent and service Destro delivers, campaign after campaign.

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