- KFC began a challenging media agency tender process in mid-2024, which was resolved in October in favor of Arena Media.
- KFC’s new media agency debuts its relationship with the brand by participating in the latest campaigns launched:
“KFC x El Juego del Calamar”, ‘Combito’ and, most recently, ‘Nuevas patatas’.
Madrid, January 28, 2025 – Arena has officially begun its partnership with the restaurant chain KFC as its media agency for the campaigns “Combito,” “KFC x Squid Game,” and the recently launched “New Potatoes.” This collaboration follows the trust earned from the client at the end of 2024.
The media agency pitch process began in mid-2024, with a challenging and well-prepared briefing from KFC’s marketing team, supported by all necessary documentation. The five-month timeline allowed Arena Media’s various teams to dedicate their full effort and passion to the pitch, showcasing their best work.
Arena brings years of accumulated knowledge and experience in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) category, enabling the agency to deliver bold strategic solutions. These go beyond traditional communication and media, focusing instead on business impact and brand building. As required in KFC’s briefing, Arena presented an integrated and disruptive proposal for the coming years.
Kerman Romeo, Head of Marketing at KFC, highlighted Arena’s approach during the pitch process:
“We loved how Arena Media took us to uncharted territories, challenging us to ensure the brand remains consistent in its boldness and differentiation across all touchpoints. We wanted an agency that would push us to be better. In a media pitch with excellent proposals, Arena Media stood out by making us believe they will help us reach the next level while staying true to what makes KFC unique.”
Mireia Álvarez, Business Managing Partner at Arena for KFC, emphasized the trust the brand has placed in the agency:
“Being given a blank slate, ‘without constraints or commitments,’ allowed us to think beyond conventional media planning. We were able to explore and identify opportunities for the brand by leveraging our understanding of the evolving audiovisual landscape and prioritizing the quality of impacts in a category that has lost some of its value and recognition.”
Álvarez also stressed the importance of designing tailored communication and media strategies for each brand and its assets, defining the role each medium should play to maximize creativity. She added that the success of a campaign lies in the collaboration of all stakeholders:
“Working closely with the brand and creative agency teams has allowed us to fully leverage our strategic capabilities, which are deeply rooted in consumer and business insights, and how these impact our strategies.”
The partnership between Arena and KFC marks the start of a new chapter aimed at evolving the brand’s communication to tackle new challenges. KFC currently holds the third position in market share and, having demonstrated a unique approach to brand building, now faces the need to refine the role of media in its communication strategy to continue growing.
This transformation has begun on a high note, with the launch of three distinct campaigns. First, “KFC x Squid Game,” launched in late 2024, where Arena focused on high-quality, relevant formats to integrate creativity into media, breaking away from traditional ad blocks. Second, the “Combito” campaign, a value-driven initiative that prioritized visibility and connecting with a specifically defined audience.
Finally, last week’s launch of KFC’s “New Potatoes,” in collaboration with creative agency PS21, took a bold approach. Starting with the need to generate PR around a brilliant idea, KFC issued a grand apology at Madrid’s Príncipe Pío station for years of subpar potatoes, compensating people with a one-day sampling event. The campaign was communicated in an integrated manner through Los40.
Jorge Aylagas, Fame & Media Effectiveness Manager at KFC, praised the partnership with Arena:
“The year couldn’t have started better, with the aforementioned projects delivering extraordinary results. But this is just the beginning. We are confident that Arena Media’s new media strategy will help the brand achieve the ambitious growth goals we have set for the coming years.”
