With the College Football Playoff Championship game on Jan. 11 and the NFL playoffs around the corner, KFC is hoping to capture consumers’ attention on social as they tune in for the most important matchups of the season.
Next week on Jan 4., KFC will launch its Kentucky Fried Football Challenge on Instagram. The branded football video game, created with the help Wieden + Kennedy, features over 30 animations and needed 35 Instagram accounts to finish.
George Felix, Director of Advertising for KFC U.S., told AdWeek that the company “wanted to create a unique gaming experience that combines everyone’s love of football, fried chicken and social media. The Kentucky Fried Football Frenzy uses Instagram’s native features in a creative and hilarious way that hopefully entertains fans for hours on end.”
According to AdWeek, consumers will be guided through a series of instructions on KFC’s Instagram account, starting with a “Start Here” tab before selecting what play they want to run. They’ll then be able to see how far they’ve moved the ball down the field, with the end goal of scoring a touchdown.
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Similar to KFC’s gamification marketing strategy, other brands and teams — like the Jacksonville Jaguars — have leveraged branded video in an effort to keep fans engaged, drive a deeper following and capitalize on the lead-generation tactic. At the start of the season, the Jaguars reintroduced JaguarsArcade.com to create a pinball video game with corporate partner Anheuser-Busch/Bud Light.
Earlier this month, the Detroit Pistons also announced the launch of a video game, becoming the first professional sports team to use interactive video technology to engage its fans. Through the online gaming experience, individuals can now compete one-on-one with a handful of Detroit players.
“As you look at the game of basketball, and specifically if you look at the NBA, fans are connected to our game not only when they come to The Palace to watch our guys, but they’re being connected throughout all of the different ways they engage with media,” said Charlie Metzger, Pistons Chief Marketing Officer. “So, this is an opportunity whether you’re in New York, Chicago or Shanghai, you’re going to be connected and sharpen your skills against the Detroit Pistons.
“The opportunity is really to connect with people on their terms. If they’re not at a game, what else can we do to connect with them? This really sparked our interest, and the fact that there’s no console and you can play it on your phone, laptop or desktop, that made it even more interesting to us.”