Throughout the course of my life, I’ve seen influencers from all walks of… life.
The Ah Lian influencer. Check.
The Fitness influencer. Check.
The ‘No Clothes To Wear So Bo Bian’ influencer. Check.
The Makeup influencer. Check.
The Eating influencer. Check.
And while I can rant on and on about the different influencers there are, the fact remains that I can only type so much before my editor chews me out for prolonging my introductory paragraph, so I shall just end off by saying that yeah, I’ve seen a lot alright.
Yet, even with my thorough knowledge of the much-maligned influencer industry, I must profess;
I didn’t see this coming.
For somewhere on the horizon, there lies a different breed of influencer that I, for the life of me, could’ve never expected.
A Fast Food Mascot influencer.
And so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ronald McDonald’s and Colonel Sanders, I present the world’s first…
Influencer.
Jollibee
Alright, first things first, I feel compelled to introduce Jollibee’s whole heritage before we break into this whole influencer saga (yes, again).
So for those unaware, Jollibee is actually a Filipino multinational chain of fast food restaurants owned by Jollibee Foods Corporation, with menu items including American-influenced items as well as casual Filipino fare.
And according to Wikipedia, the establishment’s best sellers would happen to be the Yumburger, Chicken Joy, Joy Spaghetti, Jolly Hotdog, Amazing Aloha Yumburger, Burger Steak, Palabok and Chocolate Sundae.
Now that sounds yummy alright, but enough salivating; it’s time to head to the main point:
How in Dumbledore’s beard is Jollibee an influencer?
Now, according to influencermarketinghub.com, the term ‘influencer’ would commonly refer to…
“An individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience. An individual who has a following in a particular niche, which they actively engage with.”
Now, I bet you’re wondering;
How does Jollibee, of all things, fit that bill?
To prove my point, I’ll first have to present one of the mascot’s many ‘non-sponsored’ posts. This.
Dab
“Where’s the influence?”
Well, to see that point, one doesn’t have to look further than the post’s caption, which can be seen as follows:
If you can’t read it, here’s a rough transcript of what went down:
“Throwback to my day at *Scape! After the basketball game, I ventured upstairs where a group of dancers was practising their moves. I love the upbeat mood and energy that is radiating from the youths here! During their break, they taught me a hip hop dance move called dabbing. It looks like we’re sneezing into our elbows, how funny!”
#JollibeeExploresSG — at SCAPE”
Yeah, I can see that dawning expression on your face. Jollibee’s exclamation, surely, is one that resonates with even the most sceptical of Instagram users:
It’s an actual, breathing influencer post that aims to get its fried-chicken-loving fans to dab as well!
And wait, there’s more
To really drive home the point that Jollibee’s mascot has been making a side profit competing with makeup gurus, one just has to look at this plethora of ‘influencer-esque’ posts.
Museum
Transcript:
“I went museum-hopping and found myself at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. Do you know that some of the stamps on display date back to the 1830s? I wasn’t even born yet! I also learned a lot about Singapore’s history through the collections. Before I left, I mailed a letter about my latest adventures in Singapore to my friends in the Philippines. It has been a while since I sent snail mail so I can’t wait for them to receive it!”
#JollibeeExploresSG — at Singapore Philatelic Museum.”
IG-Worthy Finger
Transcript:
“I always thought that my fingers were huge, but look at what I found at Changi Beach Park! My local friends told me that this is an art piece by Lim Soo Ngee who imagines it to be part of an ancient statue that has collapsed. I say it is a good sign for 2019 – the way to go is upwards and to be jolly!” 😄
#JollibeeExploresSG — in Changi Beach.”
Heritage Trail
Transcript:
“Over the weekend, I went for a hike on the Changi Walking Trail. Did you know that there are nine heritage trees in the area? I learnt that these special trees are given their status because of their large size and rarity. I think I can be a heritage icon too, especially after the satisfying Steak & Joy meal at Changi City Point 😂“
#JollibeeExploresSG — at Heritage Trees at Changi Walking Trail.”
Heck, there’s even a fitness-related post from the queen bee herself.
Transcript:
“I made a new friend today and had a ball of a time shooting hoops with him at Scape. He shared with me that this space is dedicated to youth social, recreational, sporting, and community activities. He frequently hangouts with his mates here so I am looking forward to meeting them. Also, being here makes me feel years younger already!”
#JollibeeExploresSG — at SCAPE.”
Watch out fitness influencers, this mascot’s gunning for you.
Even so, is the mascot truly an influencer?
After all, to be a successful influencer, you’ll need to, well, influence people. So the question begets;
Is Jollibee actually influencing people?
To understand this question, we’ll have to scroll down to the comments section. And after constant perusal for a short 5 hours, we’ve uncovered some pretty exciting news.
It seems that Netizens are truly being… influenced.
In the dabbing post, for example, we can see Netizens dabbing frantically. Virtual style.
And on another post, Netizens voiced their intent to uncover the big… ‘finger’ statue.
And to sum it all up, Jollibee was even asked out on a date.
Now if that’s not a perk of being an influencer… I don’t know what is.
Hold on… is it just Singapore’s Jollibee?
After all, the aforementioned posts have all been derived from the local version, and so surely one would question:
“What about the original version, the Phillipino mascot of Jollibee?”
Well, after combing through the original’s Facebook page for hours on end, I’ve discovered that… while the Pinoy Jollibee might not be as ‘fluent’ in captions as its Singapore peer…
It’s at the very least Influencer-like in its poses and ‘portraits’.
Now if that’s not an Influencer family, I don’t know what is. Anyway, hey boss! Wanna make our own influencer family? We can get our own mascot and-
Boss: You like a mascot that much? Go work at Jollibee.
… The weather’s nice today, huh?
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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