Read more about Videos
Nonetheless, this joy was to be cut short when another news was released following the viral video: “Chicken Republic Sacks Two Security Guards Dancing On Duty.” The video clip which has gone viral apparently got to the management of Chicken Republic and they weren’t pleased. Hence, the reason for the sack. The news drew mixed reactions. Some commended the action of Chicken Republic stating that it was unprofessional for people employed to secure an establishment to dance while on duty. Those who commended the actions of Chicken Republic felt that principles remain principles. And with no emotions attached, it was unprofessional for security guards to play on duty. Imagine the military dancing on duty. While others slammed Chicken Republic for their action. One of such people is digital marketing expert, Mayowa Adenekan who condemned the actions of Chicken Republic. According to him on Twitter: “Chicken Republic, Your marketing and PR Team has failed you woefully if they were unable to convince you that leveraging on the trend of the security guys dancing was good for marketing. At, Chicken Republic, we are always happy and cheerful, visit us today to light up your day. This should have been adopted.” Several social media users applauded Adenekan’s thoughts while still slamming the restaurant for sacking workers who were only showing that they derive joy in working as security guards at the company. This action didn’t go down well with many social media brands marketing experts who believed that the guards did a free PR for the restaurant. In a time when running a PR and social media branding cost millions, many felt that Chicken Republic misused the opportunity to promote their brands. For starters, Public relations (PR) refers to managing how others see and feel about a person, brand, or company.
Sign up to the Connect Nigeria daily newsletter
In a 21st-century business world, sacking your staff for dancing, and by extension, marketing your brand can be unthinkable if it gets to the ears of social media users. Twitter known for its jokes and toxicity can “drag” your brand until it is de-marketed. This media dragging got Chicken Republic to issue a statement stating that they weren’t responsible for the sack; that it was the security firm that did sack them. Other reports stated that Chicken Republic denied sacking them. On the other hand, the fortunes of the boys have changed for good as the viral video and news boosted their followership from 100 to 48,000 followers. Also, several restaurants are seeking to employ them. For a lot of businesses in related and non-related services, there are a lot of lessons learned from this Chicken Republic Security Guards saga. Brands must be careful how they project their brands on social media and learn how to take advantage of viral videos to push their brands. In as much as discipline is demanded in the workplace, when it becomes severe it can become counterproductive. The trend today is that workplaces can use play and entertainment to push their PR. If corporations want to boost their brands in the 21st century, creating workplace fun videos and making them go viral is the best way to go. Finally, Chicken Republic sacking them was harsh. A suspension would have been better if they want to maintain corporate discipline. Or Chicken Republic would have spun the situation around to create content about how they create a happy workspace, especially in this era of new media and branding Here is the link to the viral video:
Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com