Why is this work relevant for Media?

Since his creation in 2018, KFC's owned IP, Colonel KI, had become the hottest KOL of League of Legends, the world's most popular eSport. However, because of this popularity, as each year's tournament arrived, fans had come to expect more and more from KFC and the Colonel. So in 2021, KFC took a whole new approach. Tapping into heritage sports media - collector cards - KFC created the first ever eSports industry collector cards to unite all of China's fans, branded under Colonel KI - an entirely new, KFC-owned media that was logistically and financially viable as a meal gift.

Background

Back in 2018, KFC created Colonel KI (KFC-AI) – KFC’s AI persona in-game for predicting League of Legend winners. The algorithm in the form of Colonel KI was capable of giving out real-time predictions on who would win a match based on game stats. The AI predictor proved to be so highly accurate that fans went crazy for it, and it became League of Legends’ “Paul the Octopus” IP owned by KFC. Each year, gamers had come to expect more from the pioneer Colonel. In 2021, the World Championships of the globe's No. 1 eSport, League of Legends, were relocated from China to Iceland just one month prior to its start. Millions of Chinese fans’ interaction with the tournament was suddenly limited to online, while the move also pitched fans of the four participating Chinese clubs against each other, creating challenges for KFC to appeal to a united eSports audience.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

As the official sponsor of Worlds 2021 and a leading eSports marketer, KFC needed to reverse the negativity between Chinese fans and bring their focus back to a common victory for China. Individuals were actively seeking out communities and offline communication to strengthen their sense of belonging during this unprecedented pandemic. eSports marketing is a ‘field’ that aggregates influence. Only by combining forces from all walks of life and mobilizing online and offline communication channels could the brand amplify its public influence. To encourage fans to rally behind a united front at Worlds 2021, KFC partnered with four of China’s most acclaimed eSports clubs to release Colonel KI Collector Cards, the very first eSports and League of Legends collector cards in existence.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Every card featured a team member from China’s top teams - linking the fan-favourite eSports stars with KFC's beloved owned eSports IP, the Colonel! All 28 card types were blindly mixed together, with limited edition hidden cards featuring the team's pet mascots up for grabs to drive the frenzy. KFC created the Colonel KI Collector Cards to tap into the nostalgia of millennial and Generation Z players, who remember traditional collector cards from early childhood. These cards are deeply ingrained in the collective memory and hold robust emotional value as a social currency, helping to unite the community. Meanwhile, they are produced at a very low cost, making it a perfect fit as a free branded gift that tapped into KFC's IP of Colonel KI to accompany KFC meals. During the tournament, the Colonel’s cards were given away with each purchased KFC meal.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

To promote the release, China’s top teams created content of the cards’ release. Inspired by this, the gamer community exploded with unboxing videos on social, gamers so desperate to get their hands on the full set of the Colonel’s cards that they even began trading the cards online, with cards selling up to $30 USD each! Furthermore, KFC organized offline card exchange events and world championships watch parties in stores, making KFC the go to venue of the championships while also creating a place for Chinese fans to unite together and cheer for China! Finally, to recreate the atmosphere of a worlds ‘home game’ in China, top virtual influencer Asoul, JD.com’s mascot Joy and even KFC’s delivery drivers all joined forces to become the cheerleaders of the event, keeping fans’ spirits high and united!

List the results (30% of vote)

Thanks to the Colonel KI's Cards, KFC was able to unite the divided eSports fans in China, whose solidarity and support fueled China winning the world championships! Only KFC's unique approach to combining the talent of China's leading eSports teams with their owned and beloved IP, Colonel KI, could have achieved this feat amongst at speed and scale amongst China's 480M+ gamer community! Online, gamers generated 310 million topic views and 111,000 topic discussions of the Colonel’s cards, while the gamer’s unboxing videos generated 20x more UGC than any other sponsor – landing twice on Bilibili’s Hot chart! As a result, KFC-related mentions increased 3x vs 2020, crowning KFC as the most mentioned brand by fans for yet another year - all thanks to KFC's branded and owned eSports IP - Colonel KI!