KFC Turns 'Believe in Chicken' Into a 30-Minute Game Show
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: KFC UK and agency Mother have turned 'Believe in Chicken' into 'Don't Crack', a 30-minute game show with a £50,000 prize, treating owned entertainment as a media channel in its own right.
KFC UK is pushing its long-running 'Believe in Chicken' platform somewhere most fast-food advertising never goes: into long-form branded entertainment. Working with agency Mother, the brand has created 'Don't Crack', a 30-minute game show.
The idea
'Don't Crack' pits 30 superfans — drawn from 50,000 who engaged with the 'How Much Do You Believe in Chicken?' campaign — against temptation for a £50,000 prize and the title of 'Ultimate Believer'. It is advertising built as a show rather than a show interrupted by advertising.
KFC says the 'Believe in Chicken' platform has driven net sales up 6.4% year on year, and grown its TikTok following from 100,000 to 1.8 million in 11 months.
Marketing Minute's read
This is a flagship case of a UK QSR commissioning owned content as a media channel, not a one-off stunt. When attention is the scarce resource, a brand that can make something people choose to watch for 30 minutes has effectively bought reach with creativity instead of cash.
The risk is conversion. Entertainment earns attention, but KFC is already banking a sales lift — the real test is whether half an hour of game show sells chicken as efficiently as a 30-second spot would have.
What brands should take from it
Before copying the format, earn the right to it: KFC built 'Don't Crack' on three years of a consistent platform and a genuine fan base. Branded entertainment works when it extends a distinctive idea, not when it substitutes novelty for strategy.
Quick FAQ
What is KFC's 'Don't Crack'?
A 30-minute branded game show from KFC UK and agency Mother, extending the 'Believe in Chicken' platform, with 30 superfans competing for a £50,000 prize and the title 'Ultimate Believer'.
Is branded entertainment worth it for brands?
It can earn attention conventional ads struggle to buy, but it works best built on a consistent platform and an existing fan base, and it still has to prove it converts to sales.
KFC isn't making an ad, it's making a channel. When attention is the scarcest thing in marketing, a brand people choose to watch for half an hour has bought reach with creativity. But entertainment has to sell — the discipline is making sure the laughs still move chicken. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Owned entertainment can buy attention that media money can't, but only brands with a consistent platform and real fans should attempt it.
Would your brand survive 30 minutes of someone's attention — or do you only have 30 seconds' worth of story?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Creative Review, Little Black Book, Marketing Week.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
