Young drivers were already terrifying enough, battling phone addictions threatening to take focus at every turn. Now Red Rooster will now be adding hands full of hot chips to the fraught equation with its new campaign. 

The campaign, named PLate Up, entices drivers who have recently acquired their Ps and Ls to Red Rooster’s drive-thru for a free piece of chicken. The newly-motorised individuals will need to sign up for Red Rooster’s loyalty program. The free chicken can be claimed by entering the code ‘PPLATE’. Red Rooster also sees the patient parents or instructors in the passenger seat. By signing up and using the ‘LPLATE’ code, the learner’s courageous passengers will get a deal on a Big Red’s Feast. 

PLate Up

The campaign, which is in partnership with NRMA, was created via whiteGREY. It is “reclaiming an Australian rite of passage by diverting young Aussie drivers into Red Rooster drive thrus with the lure of free fried chicken for a whole year.” 

Once an Aussie gets a P plate, one of their first stops is evidently to a drive-thru. This is a tradition which warms my American heart. Red Rooster just wants to make sure it’s Red Rooster’s drive-thru. 

 “We wanted to tap into that significant time in a young person’s life – we wanted to be there when they got their driver’s licence and spread their wings,” says Ashley Hughes, director of marketing at Red Rooster. 

“With the support of whiteGREY, we created a campaign that acknowledges the trials, tribulations and excitement that comes with getting your Ps. What better way to celebrate than with the best fried chicken in the country? At Red Rooster of course!”

However, Chad Mackenzie, CCO at whiteGREY (and the villain of this story) admonishes enterprising American brands encroaching on this tradition. “It seemed such a shame to see a moment in one of Australia’s greatest rites of passage fall to the big American chains,” says Mackenzie. “This campaign puts our beloved Red Rooster at the heart of this iconic milestone. It rewards drivers and teachers for all the effort put in.”

As an American, I’m offended (you’re shocked). But as a patriot, I suppose I can understand his desire to keep things homegrown. 

If you’re a new driver, make sure to sign up for Red Rooster’s new campaign and hit the road, Jack.