Mumbai: KFC India has joined forces with India’s biggest GenZ YouTuber, CarryMinati (aka Ajey Nagar), for an unprecedented co-creation — the all-new Saucy Popcorn. Blending KFC’s crave-worthy flavour with CarryMinati’s trademark saucy personality, the launch marks a bold new direction in brand-influencer partnerships within the QSR industry.
For the first time ever, a digital creator has stepped into the KFC kitchen not just to endorse a product, but to co-create one — contributing his personality and palate to the development of the limited-edition Saucy Popcorn. The offering reimagines KFC’s iconic Chicken Popcorn, now tossed in a spicy, tangy Nashville Sauce — a snack made for the Internet generation, by one of their own.
The collaboration comes wrapped in a limited-edition packaging featuring CarryMinati himself, and includes a special spork — an idea pitched by the YouTuber to keep hands clean for gamers and multitaskers alike.
Aparna Bhawal, CMO, KFC India and Partner Countries, said, “Today’s consumers want bold, scroll stopping experiences – whether on their feed or on their plate. And that’s exactly what KFC is delivering with our first ever co-created product. When KFC’s crispy, finger lickin’ good taste meets the main character energy of India’s biggest GenZ YouTuber, you get a menu offering that’s built to break the Internet. And the corresponding #BuyOrCry campaign launched today does just that. Targeted at GenZ, the campaign acknowledges that these audiences don’t want long-winding storytelling from brands. They want the real deal straight up. And that’s exactly what the #BuyOrCry campaign does. It calls it like it is: this drop is EPIC. So, if you miss it, run the risk of a series of everyday fails. The choice is simple — Buy. Or Cry.”
CarryMinati added, “As with all KFC lovers, I also like KFC. Furthering this likeness, along with KFC, I’m giving my take on one of the most iconic menu items, the chicken popcorn. Such a collab is amazing and of course when I had to co-create the product, I made it saucy – just like my content. I’ve had a lot of fun with the team at KFC experimenting and finding the right mix to create this limited-edition product. And moreover, they have printed my photo also on the packaging. After months of effort of co-creation – I just want everyone to try, relish and praise it otherwise you might have to deal with an unskippable ad for 15 minutes!”
To drive buzz, a digital film starring CarryMinati — dressed in a Chicken Popcorn costume — was also launched today. It humorously depicts the YouTuber reacting to a classic brand shoot, eventually taking over the campaign in his own irreverent style, threatening fans with hilarious “saucy” consequences if they miss the drop.
Lines like:
“Tumhaari crush tumhe zindagi main saucy message nahi bhejegi”
“Podcast channel banaoge but koi guest nahi aaega”
“AI ko apna trauma bataoge aur woh tumhe aur trauma dekar bhaga dega”
“Har signal par KFC ka lal colour dikhega”
…are already resonating with fans and setting the tone for a high-impact GenZ-focused campaign.
Mayuresh Dubhashi, CCO, FCB India, added, “#BuyorCry – Yes, in the new campaign for KFC’s new offering ‘Saucy Popcorn’ we are actually threatening our consumers with really funny consequences if they don’t buy this amazing new addition to KFC’s already stellar menu. Brought to life by the hilarious CarryMinati, this campaign is nothing if not super disruptive. It upends classic marketing rulebooks through a massive 360 campaign. So, buy the Saucy Popcorn or else….”
View this post on Instagram
Agency Credits
FCB India
Group CEO, FCB Group India & South Asia: Dheeraj Sinha
Chief Executive Officer: Ashima Mehra
Chief Creative Officer: Mayuresh Dubhashi
Executive Vice President: Anupam Chauhan
National Creative Director and Head of Design: Anusheela Saha
National Creative Director: Udayan Chakravarty
Account Management: Sunaina Kapoor, Sorashi Sharma
Creative Team: Kshitij Chandel, Savannah Patel, Malhar Vaidya
