KFC (fried chicken giant), in England, has literally “hired” its fans as the protagonists of its new show. The chain and the Mother agency have launched a preview Don’t Crack on KFC’s YouTube channel on September 30, as reported Designrush. The TV show-length series follows 30 UK ‘superfans’ through four escalating tests of devotion, with £50,000 and the title of Ultimate Believer up for grabs.
50 thousand candidates applied
Over 50 thousand people applied to participate in Don’t Crack. Among the 30 selected there are no professional actors, but ordinary people with completely ordinary professions: a doctor, a policeman, a driver and so on. The competitors will have to face four surreal direct elimination tests, designed by prominent television producers: ranging from blindfolded obstacle courses to challenges with laser viewers to test concentration, up to the finale in which the two survivors will have to try to cry on command inside giant nests. All under the strict control of an official TV judge, hired to guarantee the absolute regularity of the game.
To directly appeal to its customers without intermediaries, KFC inserted a QR code in all the content of the campaign, collecting almost 10 million scans. A strategic choice – Designrush points out – which intercepts the new habits of the English public, who today watch YouTube mainly from the living room screen with viewing times now identical to traditional television.
A huge return for KFC
The operation not only aims to provide light entertainment, but creates a real “engaged” community: the tens of thousands of excluded people are transformed into active spectators ready to comment on each episode and debate the judges’ choices. The return for the brand is “huge and measurable”: half an hour of spontaneous conversation on social media, a strong sense of belonging among fans and a record leap in advertising awareness, which has never been this high since 2013.