Campaign Overview

KFC partnered with Realtime Media to launch “The Colonel’s Secret,” a digital scavenger hunt designed to challenge fans through a series of clever, interactive puzzles. Drawing from Colonel Sanders’ legendary blend of 11 herbs and spices, the promotion invited participants to uncover 11 hidden secrets for a chance to win 11 months of free KFC.

The campaign leaned into a playful, “flavor-obsessed” mindset, brought to life through a high-energy promotional video and a challenging, puzzle-based experience. By combining brand storytelling with interactive gameplay, KFC created a promotion that rewarded curiosity, persistence, and brand affinity—driving deep engagement and sustained participation.

Our Solution

Realtime Media developed and supported the technology and infrastructure behind KFC’s digital scavenger hunt experience.

Our Approach

• Dedicated Microsite Experience: The campaign lived on a custom microsite, which served as the central hub for the promotion. Participants watched the promotional video, accessed clues, and submitted decoded secrets directly on the site.
• Gamified Scavenger Hunt Mechanics: The hunt featured 11 unique challenges, with each one tied back to KFC’s founding story. The experience launched with a code hidden within a video featuring celebrity chef Matty Matheson, with additional visual clues integrated throughout the site to guide observant players. Each secret consisted of one or more words that had to be correctly decoded and entered.
• Competitive Prizing Structure: The first participant to correctly solve each puzzle won 11 months of free KFC, turning speed and strategy into a crave-worthy incentive. A total of 11 prizes were available, with a one-prize-per-winner limit to encourage broader participation.

Key Benefits

• Audience Attention and Reach: More than 5,000 users joined the hunt for the 11 codes and clues, converting audience attention into strong traffic and valuable first-party data capture.  
• High-Value Gamification and Engagement: Puzzle-based challenges, limited prizes, and real-time competition encouraged active participation, repeat visits, and sustained engagement throughout the scavenger hunt.
• Brand-Led Storytelling: Every aspect of the experience—from the number of challenges to the structure of the prizes—was thoughtfully tied to KFC’s origins and the story behind the 11 herbs and spices, reinforcing brand identity through hands-on, interactive gameplay.

Conclusion

The Colonel’s Secret demonstrates how thoughtful gamification can transform brand storytelling into an interactive experience that drives active participation. By aligning challenge, competition, and rewards with a core brand truth, KFC delivered a promotion that was both entertaining and strategically effective.

Interested in learning more about how we can help with your next digital promotion? Get in touch with us today!  

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