When Wayne-Sanderson Farms became the Official Sponsor of the SEC in 2025, dubbing Sanderson Farms the conference's "Official Chicken," the company saw an opportunity to tap into one of the South's most powerful cultural touchpoints: SEC sports. A year later, brand tracking data shows the bet paid off.
The chicken brand was recently named a finalist for the 2026 Chicken Marketer of the Year. This award is sponsored by Rooster, marketing experts rooted in the values of agriculture who help brands unlock growth through insight, storytelling and performance-based solutions.
Find out who will win the 2026 Chicken Marketer of the Year award at the Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July 27-29 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Serving a unique cross section of the chicken supply chain, Chicken Marketing Summit explores issues and trends in food marketing and consumer chicken consumption patterns and purchasing behavior.
Registration is now open.
Chicken and sports just go together
In 2025, Wayne-Sanderson Farms became the Official Sponsor of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), dubbing Sanderson Farms as the “Official Chicken” brand of the SEC.
This aligned the brand with one of the South’s most powerful cultural staples: SEC sports. With deep roots and strong distribution across the Southeast, this sponsorship created an authentic opportunity to embed Sanderson Farms into a passion point that naturally reflects southern identity and pride.
The chicken brand launched a fully integrated, omni-channel campaign designed to cut through the noise and reconnect with SEC fans.
The creative platform, “Chicken and Sports Just Go Together,” featured a charming talking chicken and came to life across a multitude of touchpoints including TV, digital, social, influencer content, packaging, stadium signage and fan experiences such as games, sweepstakes and SEC team-inspired content.
By showing up consistently across the channels SEC fans actively engage with, Wayne-Sanderson Farms immersed the brand directly into southern sports culture — rebuilding emotional connection, increasing relevance and reminding consumers of Sanderson Farms at the exact moments where passion, pride and food intersect.
Metrics for success
According to Wayne-Sanderson Farms, the goal of the campaign was to see if SEC fans noticed our sponsorship and if it impacted how they felt about the brand.
“We recognized that we’re in our rookie season. Year one was primarily about building association with the conference and the other official sponsors. We are already working on bigger and better for the upcoming academic year!” the submission noted.
The results exceeded expectations, raising awareness by 30%, trust by 15%, usage by 15% and worth paying more by 15%, according to a brand tracking study. Additionally, the campaign drove double the digital demand at Walmart, Kroger and Instacart.
Attend the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit
Make plans to attend the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit, scheduled for July 27-29 at the Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Serving a unique cross section of the chicken supply chain, the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit will feature the theme “The Protein Moment.” The one-of-a-kind event explores issues and trends in food marketing and consumer chicken consumption patterns and purchasing behavior.
Registration for the 2026 Chicken Marketing Summit is now open. For more information, go to www.chickenmarketingsummit.com.
