KFC: 11 Secrets

Eleven puzzles hidden inside a commercial.

An alternate-reality campaign that sent audiences from a Matty Matheson film into codes, hidden websites, real locations, and the mythology of KFC’s secret recipe.

KFC: 11 Secrets — case-study film

The project

KFC: 11 Secrets hid eleven puzzles across short films, captions, websites, and real locations. Solvers encountered the Sherlock Holmes dancing-men cipher in a roadside tree, a what3words location in closed captions, a program written entirely with the word “chicken,” and a Western Kentucky String Tie that had to be tied to reveal its message. The first eleven people to finish won eleven months of free KFC.

Production notes

Rob Auten half-jokingly said, “I think I’ve got a steganography project for you.” Mike “Auggie” Augustine, Tommy Honton, and I had to hide eleven puzzles inside a campaign film. I designed a little more than half and built all of them. One clue was written on a ribbon that only made sense after you tied a Western Kentucky String Tie. Another was a working program made entirely from the word “chicken.” Solvers who finished got eleven months of free KFC.

Responses and conversations

“The strongest ad in QSR.”

“My friends shared the video with me yesterday. There are some interesting puzzles.”— u/Johnny_M_13, ARG developer

Vintage car driving along a desert road bordered by Joshua trees. — A vintage car drives through a desert landscape.

01 / 05

My role

I designed a little more than half of the eleven puzzles and handled their implementation, making assets or overseeing their production before handing them to the compositor. For one clue, I animated sparks in Blender that players had to reconstruct into letters by rearranging parts of the video frame.

Selected credits

Rob Auten: Executive Creative Director
Alexander Porter: Creative Director
Mike “Auggie” Augustine: Puzzle Designer
Tommy Honton: Puzzle Designer

Responses and conversations

Selected credits

Links & presentations