Red Rooster turns up the heat in latest Hot Honey Crunch Fried Chicken campaign via Leo Australia

Red Rooster (Reds) is rewriting the rules of QSR marketing with the launch of its latest Hot Honey Crunch Fried Chicken campaign. Instead of just a traditional TVC, Reds and Leos have pushed the envelope and turned to AI-powered publishing launching a cheeky e-storybook, “The Birds & The Bees: The Unofficial Story of How Hot Honey Crunch Was Made”, to spark cultural buzz and keep a hero menu item fresh and relevant.

Now in its third iteration, Hot Honey’s bold new direction – blending creativity, technology and cultural storytelling – is designed to capture attention beyond traditional channels and get people talking and tasting.

The ATL campaign heroes Reds’ Hot Honey Crunch Fried Chicken – one of the brand’s most popular menu items – but with a narrative twist. “The Birds & The Bees”, a tongue-in-cheek, adults-only parody picture book cheekily explores the “origin story” of Hot Honey chicken via two star-crossed lovers: Chris P. Chicken and Hot Honey. Styled in the nostalgic tone of the classic Golden Books genre, but reimagined for grown-ups, the book is part How I Met Your Mother, part Where Did I Come From?, part Romeo & Juliet.

Says Sam Bragg, CEO, Red Rooster: “Hot Honey has cemented itself as one of our most loved menu items, but we know there are still plenty of Australians yet to try it. To capture attention of new customers, and satisfy the cravings of Reds devotees, we knew this campaign needed to be fresh and unexpected.

“Rather than rolling out just another TVC, we decided to lean into culture and storytelling, and ‘The Birds & The Bees’ provides the perfect way to create buzz, spark conversation, and engage customers in a more playful, shareable way. It’s a great way to have some fun with the brand and satisfy our customer’s chicken cravings at the same time.”

Produced with AI illustration tools – a first for both Red Rooster and Leos – the project was a fully collaborative process, from concept to script to artwork, ensuring the finished product carried the brand’s uniquely irreverent “Red Rooster-fied” tone of voice.

Says Michelle Walsh, Creative Director, Leo Australia: “We set out to do something a QSR brand hadn’t done before – use parody publishing as a campaign platform. It allowed us to show off the product in a way that was cheeky, culturally relevant, and distinctly Reds.

“We’ve added some spice to the classic ‘birds and the bees’ story, writing an adults-only picture book about the conception of Reds’ Hot Honey chicken. In our case, the bird is a crunchy piece of Reds’ fried chicken named ‘Chris P. Chicken’ and the bee is a jar of sauce known as ‘Hot Honey’. With the assistance of AI tools, we crafted a story about these two lovers, who overcome great odds to make Reds’ most deliciously saucy offering yet,” she explained.

“The campaign is a great example of how brands can use AI to elevate creativity. By taking something as unexpected as an adult’s only picture book and bringing it to life with AI illustrations we have delivered a fun, distinctive idea, in record time that will cut through and get noticed.”

The digital book is available free via Red Rooster’s merch shop, while actress and musician Casey Burgess (former Hi-5 star) will amplify the story with a read-aloud performance across Red Rooster’s social platforms. The campaign is further extended through online video, digital, PR, creator content plus a first-time unique charity partnership with Red Nose Australia. Limited printed copies will be used for content and giveaways.

This year’s Hot Honey campaign also comes with a meaningful fundraising element. Tomorrow Thursday – 28 August – Red Nose Day – Red Rooster will donate $1 from every Hot Honey Satisfryer Box sold nationally to Red Nose. The initiative connects to a cause that supports Australian families through life-saving research and programs and demonstrates how Reds balances product promotion with authentic purpose-driven marketing.

Hot Honey campaign runs for six weeks from today, August 27.

Download the“The Birds & The Bees” book

Client: Red Rooster
Lisa White, Head of Marketing, Red Rooster
Stephanie Gardner, Brand Manager, Red Rooster
Stella Katsaros, PR & Communications Manager, Red Rooster

Creative Agency: Leo Australia
James Walker-Smith – Chief Client Partner
Shae Jones – Group Business Director
Max Reiser – Business Manager
Tommy Cehak – Executive Creative Director
Michelle Walsh – Creative Director
Bill Scheggia – Copywriter
Lewis Catalano – Art Director

Production:
Dan Meyers – Head of Multimedia Operations at PXP
Nicole Marshall – Executive Producer at PXP
Emily Suine – Integrated Producer at PXP
Cindy Kuoch – Senior Experiential Designer at PXP
Gab Viera – Senior Partnerships Manager at Prodigious Play
Declan Clow – Content Creator at Prodigious Play