Kentucky Fried Chicken Indonesia added some sizzle to customer engagement on social media by rolling out a virtual Hot Bucket Challenge on Twitter and Facebook that saw 66 percent of players complete the game.

KFC sought to introduce a mobile marketing campaign that enabled fans to virtually partake in the Hot Bucket Challenge, a competition in which participants are tasked with eating five chicken pieces in the quickest time possible. The brand partnered up with Branded Mini-Games to create a gamification experience to reach consumers who could not make it in-store to join the fun.

?When we evaluate the stats across all our advergame campaigns, mobile platforms are the most popular channel across all campaigns ? 86 percent of consumers are accessing these branded mini-games from mobile devices,? said Danielle Hrin Kuek, producer at Branded Mini-Games, London. ?Naturally, this varies from country to country on which type of platform is most used ? in some countries such as Indonesia, advergame usage in mobile channels can range from 40 percent to 67 percent of users, depending on the brand?s target audience.?

?This is why it is important to use a format that is cross platform compatible,? she said. ?Advergames are ideal in HTML5 format since they are compatible across any device ? mobile phones, tablets, desktop PCs.

?The other useful marketing implication of using a mobile channel is that consumers tend to be out and about when using their mobile and by constantly reminding them of the food brand through repeated plays of the advergame, it tends to become the first brand they think of searching for when they get hungry.?

Tapping social media
Quick-service chains and fast food marketers are perhaps best-suited to leveraging social media to reach younger consumers. In this case, KFC Indonesia opted to leverage Twitter and Facebook to host its mobile game to generate buzz of the Hot Bucket Challenge taking place in-stores, and enable fans to participate on-the-go as well.

Social media users who saw the branded advertisement on the social applications could hit play to begin. Each fan received 30 seconds to move their finger across the screen and virtually control a hand that dropped pieces of fried chicken into the mouth of Colonel Sanders, the KFC ambassador.

A scoreboard on the upper left corner kept track of players? successful tries. Users were then presented with a final score so they could see how they stacked up with other players.

To register for the game, consumers logged in via their Facebook accounts or entered their mobile phone numbers. This enabled the brand to collect valuable personal contact information for future promotions.

Players who enjoyed the game may have been swayed to visit a bricks-and-mortar KFC restaurant to take part in the challenge in-person, and bring friends or family along.

Branded Mini-Games also offered an incentive to the top ten players on social media: vouchers for KFC items to redeem in-store. This likely ramped up game usage, and ensured the winners would make the trek to their local restaurant.

Fueling consumer interaction
KFC?s mobile Hot Bucket Challenge game experienced more than 32,000 impressions, with over 27,000 user engagements lasting more than five seconds.

Thirty-nine percent of fans replayed the game for an average of 10 plays per person, while 66 percent completed the game.

Meanwhile, 36 percent of consumers submitted their contact information through the game, suggesting that brands must offer fun or relevant material if they wish to receive customers? personal data.

More fast food chains are finding that mobile games are an optimal communication channel to leverage, as they provide quick distractions for consumers throughout the day while offering a branded experience and the possibility of winning a prize.

Krispy Kreme found the right ingredients in a branded Facebook app game as it attempted to further mobile engagement among customers in Korea and advertise its new strawberry donuts (see story).

 ?Mobile games are a growing trend ? appealing to casual users even,? Ms. Kuek said. ?Similarly, mobile marketing formats need to evolve as well as keep up with shifts in consumer behavior, to appeal to them in the form of advergames.

?Mobile ads tend to be intrusive and a one-way street with consumers passively viewing the ad. Gamification enables interactivity between the user and the brand, entertaining them in the process and providing them with an immersive, engaging experience.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York