#inspiration-free
Now and then, on the way home and to meetings, I pass the group of flowers and candles on the pavement parked on Randlesdown Road in Bellingham (London). These flowers and candles are in memory of a young boy, Jay Hughes, who was murdered outside the local Morley’s Chicken in November 2018. The killing was one of many over a two-week period. This ‘inspired’ the government to start a campaign warning kids about the dangers of knife crime.. in chicken shops (over 200 were part of the campaign). It was in fact, uninspiring, lazy and desperate, with many people accusing the government of stirring negative sterotypes of black people. My guess is that the campaign also had no positive impact on the knife crime epedemic either.
KFC: Modern Warfare
Fast forward to last month. I was browsing through my instagram and I came across an image which I couldn’t quite register. You know, like one of those pictures of two famous people that hooked up, that no-one would ever guess. However it was so intriguing that I had to look further into it. You guessed it – it was Colonel Sanders, of KFC – the company you always use as a case study for why you’re never too old to be an entreprenuer (apparently he was in his 70s). In the picture, Sanders was holding a chicken leg in one hand and PS4-looking controller in the other. The boomer of all boomers was kicking it with the Gen Z’s!
After following ‘KFC Gaming’ on Twitter and Instagram, I discovered how they had spent the last few years engaging with the gaming community. whether its from creating an AI commentator to predict League of Legends games to interactive content over social media. KFC Gaming’s follower count is 54k but that number should rise fast, since the content is as engaging as other accounts, like 433 (who have 25 million IG followers). This can do no harm for thier brand and shows that they are trying to understanding a part of their audience, that are gamers. While some critics would say that KFC sponsoring games creates a negative stereotype, fast food chains sponsoring other sports (like football) has been a norm for decades. The work KFC is doing (mainly in America and China) can be learned from and applied in the UK, where 37 million people play games.
Outside the Box : Where Morley’s and co. fit in
Following the ‘knife crime chicken-box campaign’ in London, one of the defences given was that chicken shops and fast food chains were the best way of reaching and connecting with potential perpetrators. Gaming is a much better way of connecting with the youth, regardless of race and gender. Its a positive activity and appeals to their interests. While there doesn’t have to be a ‘Morleys Gaming’ or ‘Dixie eSports’, these chicken shops can, for example:
- co-sponsor events in which kids and teens can primarily play games (like a FIFA tournament) and secondarily have access to other services (mentoring, skills workshops etc)
- have special offers where those that buy a meal can enter a prize draw to play with a well known gamer or YouTube influencer (KSI for example)
- sponsor a well known gamer or YouTube influencer to do a streaming marathon to raise money for a community (knife crime victim, community centre etc.)
What these examples do is they open up possibilities indirectly. That person or clan who gets to the quarters finals of the FIFA tournament (Point 1) may stop by the careers section or be inspired to go into an area of the gaming industry thats exciting. This could kill two birds with one stone, considering the lack of diversity in gaming and esports (another blog post for another time). Point 2 does more for the brand than the community but can be included with 1 as an add-on. As for Point 3, streamers Click Crew raised over $300k for three charity providing relief from the Australian wild fires – so it can be done. Even chicken-related videos can get views (Hot Ones, Chicken Connoissuer etc).
These are just examples, but all three are utilising chicken shops in a better way and would be a good companion (or replacement) to the ‘put the knives away’ campaigns.
No Box : Where the UK fits in
The UK esports and gaming scene is unique to the US, China and other countries. Even though in one of my last posts I compared esports to Hip hop, UK esports could learn something from Grime, a unique sound which started local and has its own identity. Grime started from pirate radio (an innovation), from people (many of those black Britons) who wanted to improve their situation in life (and did). As we face problems with knife crime or black murders or class inequality, we need to approach these solutions with an open and innovative mind. So – to all the Chickens… Morleys, Dixie, Kennessey, Sams and the rest.. lets talk ideas… over 2-piece meal.
J.
JayNotes 