I’d like to think I’m not becoming too cantankerous as my generation sails further out towards irrelevance island. I tried to approach NFTs with an open mind in my previous article.
If there’s one thing that’s always irked me though it’s hysteria surrounding new trends. This isn’t a modern phenomenon, it’s timeless. The giddy height of an innovation curve where people start to lose their minds and rational thought goes straight out the window.
We saw this just over a month ago with Binley Mega Chippy.
In case you’ve forgotten already, here’s a recap. The B.M.C is a fish and chip shop in a suburban area to the east of Coventry. It became a seemingly overnight sensation when a song about it ‘went viral’ on TikTok.
Now with a word as bold as ‘Mega’ in your name for something so mundane (apologies fans), there was always a simmering potential for an ironic response. There are traces of this online dating back to tweets in 2009, but Binley Fever didn’t really take hold until it reached TikTok’s fertile ground this year.
Unlike most online hits that exist mainly in intangible domains, Binley Mega Chippy had a physical component; the bricks and mortar that inspired it. This wasn’t as simple as an average TikTok ‘challenge’ you could complete in your bedroom or back garden. To really get stuck in with this trend, you had to make a pilgrimage to Coventry.
And people did, reportedly from as far as France, the US and Australia.
Now this is the point when the knee-jerk reactions begin. Not from the people who rode the wave in the early days as Binley Mega Chippy began to rise in popularity, or even those mad enough to travel there. Those are the purists. I’m talking about the borderline laggards. The bandwagon jumpers who are probably only a week ahead of your Nan learning the song.
The type of people who take to LinkedIn and claim that Binley Mega Chippy is an example of why your company should be on TikTok.
WHY?!
- Please don’t ever use Binley Mega Chippy in a pitch for your business/clients to be on TikTok.
- Binley Mega Chippy Ltd weren’t on TikTok.
- When interviewed, it was pretty clear the owner of the business didn’t even know what TikTok was!
If TikTok flooded with businesses trying to replicate the ENTIRELY AUDIENCE LED success of Binley Mega Chippy, that platform would go the way of Facebook within a couple of years.
And by that I mean, any semblance of a creative community will pack up and find a new platform to inhabit, unfettered by embarrassing attempts by businesses to “join in” (capitalise) on the fun.
Some alternative advice
If we’re going to look to an independent Midlands based business for some inspiration on how to increase our online reach, we need to travel 24 miles north to Leicester.
Leicester Vintage and Old Toy Shop is a mostly second hand, borderline antique store on a side street in the city centre. Just like Binley Mega Chippy, people travel for miles to see it. There might not be any news reports to confirm that, but take it from me, that’s my photo of the shop.
Now that’s not too unusual. My beer tourism has taken me all over the country in search of breweries on far flung industrial estates. As somewhat of a toy collector, I have been known to pop into a shop for a browse if I’m passing. It wasn’t until I discovered a YouTube show produced by the team behind Leicester Vintage and Old Toy Shop though that I began to switch things up a gear.
Take a look at the trailer for Toy Shop on Tour.
The show isn’t too dissimilar to the sort of thing you might find on Dave or one of the many lifestyle TV channels. The production quality isn’t far off either. It made for perfect Sunday night viewing last Autumn and by the Spring, my partner and I had to go out and visit some of the great shops featured from around the UK including, most importantly, their own.
Now whilst the Leicester store doesn’t feature as prominently as others in the show, we’d connected with the two hosts, Joe and Gav.. Joe has a long history as a toy dealer and owns the Leicester store, Gav is a likeminded toy enthusiast who works there.
In addition to Toy Shop on Tour, other regular video content the team produce includes
- A monthly walk through the shop and showcase of new arrivals
- Weekly live and interactive Q+A sessions with fans
- One off specials on particular toy lines or collectors.
As we entered the shop and began to wander around the beautifully displayed collections, (that really feel more like a museum than stock for sale) we could hear other visitors coming in and talking to Gav at the till. Hearing Gav impart his knowledge in background was like being in the midst of a celebrity.
We managed to avoid being too gushy when it was our turn to pay for a handful of Star Wars figures. I could’ve found these on eBay if I’d looked, but I didn’t resent an additional penny I might have paid to cover their overheads. It was worth it to support a business that had succeeded in actually entertaining us with their marketing vehicle. We even bought a t-shirt.
Back to TikTok
If you can find a compelling reason for your business, or your client’s business to be on TikTok, of course it makes sense to. Maybe it’s too obvious to say that marketing isn’t a “one size fits all” game. I think we all need that reminder each time the shiny new thing is cast in front of us though.
The ‘Binley model’ is just setting yourself up for failure. No platform comes with a guarantee of audience engagement. Instead adopt the Leicester approach;
- Find a platform that works best for you, where you have some confidence your audience spends it’s time online
- Collaborate with others like Joe and Gav did with a local filmmaker to produce great content that you own*
- Leave it to your audience to decide what they do with it, just be ready to respond to whatever that is.
*One last reminder. Binley Mega Chippy did not create or own that mass of content. Toy Shop on Tour may only have a fraction of the viewing figures, but the ad revenue received from YouTube will begin to contribute towards a return on their investment.
Toy Shop on Tour returns this Autumn with a road trip to Europe.
Liam Toms 