Australia’s original chicken shop, Red Rooster, is betting big on social-first marketing in 2026, appointing Kill Boring Dead as its social agency partner in a move designed to push the fast-food brand further into culture – and further away from safe, polished advertising.
The appointment signals a deliberate shift away from traditional broadcast-led thinking toward platform-native, culturally driven social content designed to drive both attention and ROI, as the brand looks to stay relevant in an increasingly creator-powered media environment.
A social-dominant reset for a legacy brand
Announced as the first move in a new “social-dominant chapter” for 2026, the partnership is designed to help Red Rooster rethink how a legacy fast-food brand shows up in feeds, timelines and culture – leaning into realness over polish and ideas built for social, not retrofitted from TV.
Kill Boring Dead, known for its irreverent, challenger-brand energy, has already begun embedding itself inside the business, including hosting a Festival of Creativity for the Red Rooster team – a strategy day featuring drag performers, puppies and a taco truck.
It was less boardroom, more brainstorm… and that’s kind of the point.
Together, the two are moving beyond static content calendars to a model in which social is treated as a high-impact marketing channel, not a downstream distribution tool.
“Australia’s original chicken shop is officially done playing it safe”
Red Rooster CEO Sam Bragg
For Red Rooster CEO Sam Bragg, the decision reflects a deeper appetite to break from category conventions – particularly at a time when younger audiences increasingly engage with brands through TikTok, Reels, and creator-led storytelling rather than TV ads.
“Australia’s original chicken shop is officially done playing it safe, and this is just the beginning,” Bragg said.
“As we look to the future, we want our marketing to be as brave and bold as the brand itself, and while traditional media will always be part of our media strategy, we are excited about engaging new and loyal customers in a different way.
“Kill Boring Dead get culture, they get social, and they’re not afraid to challenge conventions. This partnership is about backing creativity, embracing risk, and showing up in a way that feels real, not rehearsed,” Bragg concluded.
From content to culture
Kill Boring Dead CEO Marcus Willis framed the opportunity as one of cultural ownership, not just content output.
“Reds is an iconic Australian brand with a huge opportunity to own culture in a way most of their competitors won’t. They’re hungry to be brave, to move fast, and to put social at the centre, not the sidelines.”
And yes, this is the agency that measures commitment in pineapple fritters.
“Even our Experience Lead, Shanice, got a tattoo of a pineapple fritter and the Reds logo, and yes, I’ve promised her free fritters for life. These are the kinds of KPIs we take seriously.
“In this game of chicken, Red Rooster’s not flinching. They’re flooring it,” Willis concluded.
There’s a wink in the tone – but the strategy underneath is serious. Social isn’t being treated as a bolt-on. It’s being positioned as a core brand platform for storytelling, experimentation and community building.
A 2026 roadmap built around feeds, not formats
The appointment is the first step in Red Rooster’s deliberately disruptive 2026 marketing roadmap, with more announcements to come.
The partnership is live now, with the first campaign expected to launch in Q1 2026 – giving the industry its first real look at what a fully social-native Red Rooster might feel like in market.
And in a category still dominated by glossy TVCs and promo-driven messaging, that could prove to be the real disruption.