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KFC opens a pawnshop where fans can exchange anything gold for chicken
- Thea Chippendale
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Key Takeaways
KFC New Zealand opened The Colonel’s Liquid Gold Exchange, a pawnshop-inspired pop-up created to launch its limited-edition Liquid Gold dipping sauce.
Visitors could exchange anything gold, regardless of its financial value, for a complimentary pack of KFC Tenders and the chance to try the new sauce.
The Ponsonby store opened for two days only, with everything handed over set to be donated or recycled after the activation.
Special PR created the experience, supported by an interactive street poster from PHD Aotearoa and wider social, out-of-home and above-the-line creative from Bastion Aotearoa.
A chocolate wrapper, an old trophy or even Grandma’s false gold tooth might not earn you much at a traditional pawnshop, but for two days in Auckland, any of them could be exchanged for KFC.
To introduce its limited-edition Liquid Gold dipping sauce to New Zealand, KFC opened The Colonel’s Liquid Gold Exchange, a pawnshop-inspired pop-up where visitors could trade anything gold for a complimentary pack of Tenders and the chance to try the sauce. The item didn’t need to be made from real gold or hold any financial value, with fans encouraged to search through their drawers, cupboards and jewellery boxes for the most unusual gold-coloured objects they could find.
The campaign was created by Special PR, with the exchange opening at 177 Ponsonby Road on 4 and 5 September, with four three-hour trading sessions held across the two days. Each person could make one exchange while stocks lasted, and all the objects handed over were set to be donated or recycled after the activation.
Why KFC chose a pawnshop to make an everyday dipping sauce feel more valuable
Once KFC had decided to treat Liquid Gold as something worth trading for, a pawnshop provided a familiar environment in which that exchange could take place. People already associate these stores with bringing in unusual possessions and having them valued, although the joke here was that KFC removed the valuation process entirely and treated every gold-coloured item in exactly the same way. The setting also gave the launch a more developed physical identity than a conventional sampling stand. Counters, gold signage, exchange windows and shelves filled with surrendered objects could all contribute to the impression that visitors were entering the Colonel’s own trading store.
How the interactive street poster connected KFC’s advertising with the physical
The Colonel’s Liquid Gold Exchange only traded for two days, but the campaign surrounding it gave people several additional ways to discover the idea. Special PR developed the activation and led its experiential, media relations, creative and content elements, including an exclusive event for media and influencers ahead of the public opening. Through that preview, journalists and creators could experience the exchange, try the sauce and capture their own content from inside the shop. The collection of gold objects and the interactions taking place across the counter also provided more visual details to work with than a traditional photograph of the product alone.
Meanwhile, PHD Aotearoa extended the exchange onto the street with an interactive poster covered in removable gold objects. Passers-by could tear an item directly from the advertisement and take it to the shop, meaning they didn’t have to return home and search for something before participating. The poster therefore served a practical purpose within the campaign as well as promoting the pop-up. It provided people with the exact item they needed to take part, creating a clear journey from encountering the advertising to completing an exchange.
How the strange objects brought into the pawnshop created more stories around the launch
As each visitor arrived with a different item, the exchange naturally created a range of reactions and content opportunities, allowing KFC, influencers and participants to document everything from the initial reveal to the moment they received their chicken. The loose rules also left people wondering what qualified as gold and whether anyone might surrender something genuinely valuable, while the pawnshop setting gave those interactions a clear visual backdrop. This follows KFC’s similarly playful Australian launch, where people named Duncan were invited to try the sauce in a nod to “dunking”, although the New Zealand activation uses the Liquid Gold name to give the product a new story for a different market.
Why The PR Insider loves it
What we really like about The Colonel’s Liquid Gold Exchange is how KFC has developed one simple product name into a connected experience, spanning the pawnshop setting, the objects brought in by visitors and the advertising directing people there. Asking fans to find something gold made the launch more participatory than a standard sampling event, while the interactive poster carried the idea onto the street by giving passers-by something they could take directly to the shop and exchange. Together, these elements turned an everyday menu addition into something people could engage with before tasting it, showing how one central idea can be adapted across a physical activation, outdoor advertising and social content without losing its connection to the product.
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