Aussie food culture has become ultra-curious. The more unconventional and polarising the flavour the more it is likely to become a “thing”. The pickle is one of Australia’s current food obsessions – and KFC has grabbed it as its own. KFC Australia and Special have turned the humble pickle into an entire subculture, to support its latest limited-time menu, taking the current pickle obsession beyond food and positioning it as a lifestyle.

The campaign seizes the opportunity to harness the enthusiasm of hardcore “pickle fanatics” and use it to draw the broader “pickle curious” into the cultural moment.

Tom Martin, CCO & partner at Special, stated, “We didn’t just drop a menu item – we built an entire subculture. By giving this LTO the high-fashion treatment it deserved, we turned a flavor obsession into full-blown Picklecore. It’s unapologetic, gloriously weird, and proves that when you lean into cultural absurdity, people don’t just eat the food – they live the lifestyle.”

Under the campaign platform, It’s not a garnish. It’s a lifestyle, Picklecore gives the food trend the full high-fashion treatment, creating an exaggerated culture and identity around KFC’s new limited time only pickle range, including Pickle Burger, Pickle Pepsi Max, Frickles and Pickle Loaded Chips.

The campaign first appeared through teaser billboards featuring surreal Picklecore products including pickle pants, watches, and lipstick, before extending across social and culture with podcaster and radio host Luisa Dal Din.

At the centre of the campaign is a 15-second hero film styled like a high-fashion campaign and soundtracked by techno, bringing the Picklecore world to life while deliberately blurring the lines between food advertising and fashion. The film is supported by OOH, social, and audio executions, creating a multi-channel campaign designed to reach everyone from committed pickle fans to those yet to be converted.

Vanessa Rowed, CMO KFC SOPAC, commented, “Continuing to push boundaries and lean into culture is at the heart of our success story. Picklecore is more than just a menu launch – it’s an invitation to our fans and the ‘pickle-curious’ to experience KFC in a totally new way. It shines a light on how we can take a passionate food obsession and turn it into bold, entertaining work, giving our biggest lovers of the brand an unmissable reason to drop in while driving real commercial momentum during a key period.”

The Picklecore campaign is running nationally in Australia for the month of September.

Credits:
Client: KFC 
Vanessa Rowed: CMO KFC SOPAC
Sabrina Douglas: Marketing Director, Integrated Brand & Comms
Ruth Goumans: Marketing Manager, Calendar & LRM
Isabella Margin: Brand Manager, Menu & Innovation
Bridget Cooper: Head of Media
Christian Fox: Manager, Media

Creative Agency: Special 
CEOs & Partners: Lindsey Evans & Cade Heyde
CCOs & Partners: Tom Martin & Julian Schreiber
CSO & Partner: Dave Hartmann
Client Partner: Jaimee Kerr
Creatives: Amanda Alegre, Joel Grunstein & Tom Lock
Team Lead: Rebecca Ingham
Business Director: Elliot Aitken
Business Manager: Femke Pusey
Senior Strategist: Adelaide Day-Collett
Designers: Hamish Kennelly & Designer
AI Artist: Nathanial Kiwi
National Head of Production: Tash Johnson
Senior Producer: Amanda Collins
Head of Stills: Nick Lilley
Senior Video Editor: Aleks Manou
Finished Artist: Jen Bailey

PR: Special PR
Managing Director: Alex Bryant
Creative Strategy Director: Kate Wilkinson
Client Services Director: Georgina Thompson
Group Account Director): Renee Black
Senior Account Executive: Emma McLaren

Sound: Mosaic
Michael Thomas: Sound Design & Mix
Adam Moses: Head of Creative & Partner
Bill Doig: EP & Partner
Mads Wilkinson: Producer

Media: Essence Mediacom