KFC is well known for its chicken, but what about its commitment to social purpose? The company has set itself a goal of becoming the world’s number one socially responsible brand. As part of this, it needed to gather support for its Pan European refugee support programme. In partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, TENT and HIAS, KFC START helps refugees find employment and supports their integration into society – offering resources such as language classes, finding a place to live and financial skills training.

KFC had been encouraging customers to round up bills to contribute to the programme, but this wasn’t enough. It needed to raise awareness of START across Europe and empower franchisees to spread the message so it could expand the programme. Franchisees are empowered to run their businesses independently so the campaign had to be powerful, easy to implement and something they would be proud to invest in. The aim was to show that refugees are mothers, fathers, leaders, and dreamers who are trying to create a better life for themselves.

The campaign featured employees who are also refugees from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Syria. It used portrait photography to capture their identities and draw an emotional response from the audience. First-person headlines focused on their personality, their relationships, and their role at KFC – ending on their refugee status. It told audiences that, ‘I am many things, and a refugee is just one of them. It’s not all I am.’ Franchisees received a toolkit and assets they could use to support their campaigns and encourage donations. The target was to support 2,500 refugees through START in 2025, but this target was surpassed by 56%, at more than 3,900.