NYC Witnesses the Unveiling of Highdive
Highdive Expands to New York City, Strengthening Ties with KFC and Other Clients
Highdive, the Chicago-based creative agency, has taken a significant step in its growth strategy by opening a new office in New York City's SoHo district. The new office, located at 56 Greene Street, officially opened in August 2025, and is set to support Highdive's work for KFC and potentially other clients.
The expansion is led by Steven Fogel and Doug Fallon, who have joined Highdive as executive creative directors. Both Fogel and Fallon previously held positions at Ogilvy New York, and bring a wealth of experience from their successful tenures, having led creative work for major brands such as AT&T, DIRECTV, HBO Max, Mountain Dew, and Dunkin'.
The new office's primary focus is on KFC, for whom Highdive won the account in the fall of 2024 and recently launched a multi-year brand campaign. The campaign aims to boost customer engagement amid strong category competition, as rival chains like Wingstop grew consumer spend by 41% year-over-year in 2024.
Despite the tough competition, KFC's same-store sales rose 2% in Q2 of 2025, according to Circana, marking a notable improvement from the 4% year-over-year decline in consumer spending in 2024.
Highdive's move to New York is part of its aggressive growth strategy, which has seen the agency achieve double-digit growth every year since its launch in 2016. With over 130 employees, Highdive is now looking beyond Chicago for talent, with Lally, a representative from Highdive, stating that New York allows them to look beyond Chicago for talent.
The new office in New York is modeled on Highdive's early Chicago days and is just big enough to meet current needs. However, the agency is also hiring for several creative roles, including creative directors, with flexibility on location, indicating that the New York office may expand to support other accounts over time.
The opening of the New York office is not the only milestone for Highdive. The agency recently extended its relationship with MSC Cruises following a Super Bowl campaign, and its longstanding work with State Farm was nominated for an Emmy. An editor's note states that the story has been updated to reflect that the New York office will not only support KFC, but the agency’s full client roster.
Highdive's new office in New York City is expected to secure a significant amount of capital for the agency, as it aims to provide finance for its growing business and support its work with KFC and other clients. The agency's ambitious growth strategy has already proven successful, with double-digit growth every year since its launch in 2016, and the expansion to New York City is a testament to this growth.
