Of all the celebrity sightings made during the World Series’ long-awaited return to Canada over the weekend – Drake, Eugene Levy, Allesia Cara and, of course, the Jonas Brothers – it’s possible Colonel Sanders created the biggest stir of them all.

The brand’s longtime mascot and cultural ambassador had a prime seat behind homeplate during Game 2 on Saturday night at Rogers Centre – just above and to the right of the back catcher from the pitcher’s vantage point – in an opportunistic promotional play by KFC Canada and its agency of record Courage.

The Colonel’s appearance sparked speculation online about who was behind it, adding to the mystique, which was part of the plan, according Courage founder and co-CCO Dhaval Bhatt.

“It really couldn’t have gone better in terms of the amount of interest and the amount of conversation that it generated,” Bhatt tells strategy.

The appearance was part of KFC Canada’s larger “Dinger” promotion, which renames the QSR’s “Zinger” sandwich to nod to George Springer and the colloquialism for home runs. Bhatt says the idea came together remarkably fast – with the “Dinger” name change developed last week before a ticket for the Colonel was obtained in the 48 hours before Game 2 – after Toronto clinched its World Series spot on Oct. 20.

“That’s part of the magic of how we work with KFC, in that everybody moves so fast,” Bhatt says. “We’re talking a few days right before Game 1 when the idea was shared with clients. And from there, it was like, ‘Hey, we love it. Let’s do it.'”

Within two days, KFC Canada updated in-store signage, digital assets and out-of-home placements with assistance from IPG Mediabrands’ Team Accelerate on the media buy. Narrative is handling PR support. The brand also introduced a “Free Dinger” app promotion, offering fans a complimentary sandwich with a $1 purchase the day after each Toronto Blue Jays home run during the series.

Then came the game-day twist. By pushing the button on a few favours, Bhatt says Courage and KFC managed to secure prime seats for the Colonel right behind home plate, making him visible for nearly every pitch. The Colonel had been sent to events like Winnipeg Jets playoff games and Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors games in the past but never has he featured so prominently on such an important telecast.

“It’s one of those ideas where you go, ‘What’s the bare minimum we need to make it happen?'” Bhatt says. “Once we had that figured out, you go for it. And in this instance, we found, I would argue, the absolute perfect seats.”

While the campaign was conceived and led by KFC Canada, Bhatt says the brand’s U.S. teams are well aware of the idea and watching its success unfold in real time. He wouldn’t say whether a similar appearance can be expected for the coming games in Los Angeles.

But for KFC and Courage, the activation underscores the strength of the Colonel as a brand asset, one that continues to deliver cultural relevance across markets and moments.

“Honestly, end of the day, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones,” Bhatt says. “We always say, you’ve got to light little fires everywhere and it sort of catches on. Our plan was always to have something that rolls out through the series. And one feeds into the other, and some of it catches on.”