Team Whistle linked up with KFC for a social spot leveraging the start of the 2021/2 NBA season starring Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris and his sister Tori (an NCAA college basketball star) enjoying KFC’s recently relaunched chicken sandwich in a backyard swimming pool as they make the most of their ‘Cheat Day’ after shooting some hoops.
The sports media and entertainment company Team Whistle has partnered with quick service giant KFC for a new short film in its online ‘Cheat Day’ video series celebrating the rare occasions when an athlete can indulge in nutritionally questionable foods usually not included in their strict diet regimens.
The five-minute ‘Tobias Harris Ultimate Cheat Day > Pool Hoops & Mini Golf’ spot debuted on 13 October to coincide with the start of the regular NBA season
“The chicken sandwich is freaking good,” says Harris in the spot. “It makes you feel like your mother made a sandwich for you.”
“Given how nicely our values align with KFC’s, we were thrilled to be able to showcase that mutual value set,” commented Corey Radel, VP of brand partnerships at Team Whistle. “It certainly helps that Tobias and Tori are lifelong KFC fans, and that the brand has launched a great product, their Chicken Sandwich, as NBA tipoff buzz is at its peak.”
“We are always looking for unique ways our brand can show up in media, especially in the sports realm,” added Tom Thistleton, Director of Media at KFC USA. “When we learned that Tobias and Tori are KFC fans, we knew that working with them would be a natural fit.”
Thus far, the ‘Cheat Day’ social series has featured a strong team of professional athlete ambassadors including Trae Young, Boban Marjanovic and Lane Johnson and it was previously sponsored by Kraft Heinz’s Devour Frozen Foods.
Comment
Athletes typically stick to committed diets to stay in peak physical shape and with the rigors and demands of an 82-game, seven-month schedule, NBA players have less time than most professional athletes for a special ‘cheat’ meal.
Independent and international research agency COMvergence recently reported that KFC’s US media spend was $170mnthe year ending in June 2021 – of which $51m was spent on digital platforms.
Team Whistle, which was acquired by UK-based live football streaming platform Eleven Sports earlier this year to expand its operations in the US, now boasts more than 2m YouTube subscribers.
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