McKinney/Popeyes
*Live Client Pitch* from the Brandcenter Sprint competition
Carli Aldape (AD), Jess Riporti (AD), Grey Walters (CBM), Paris Cipollone (CW), Anna Lyle Collett (XD)
Fun Fact: Between briefing and pitching, we had 4 days to develop our campaign.
Challenger Brand Campaign / Accelerated Strategic Development + Comms Planning
Popeyes has been bringing their signature Louisiana heat to the QSR space for decades, but the latest development is the permanent addition of a highly demanded item to their menu - chicken wings.
After a Crashing The Wings Party campaign and a Super Bowl spot during the NFL season to establish broad awareness for their wings, Popeyes wanted to build on positive momentum heading into March Madness.
Every year during the NCAA basketball tournaments, millions of pounds of wings are consumed with some restaurants seeing wing orders increase by 20-25%. Popeyes has a massive opportunity to not only boost sales but also cement themselves as serious players in the QSR wing space.
But there’s just one Buffalo-sized problem in the way.
Popeyes is stepping into an arena that has historically been dominated by Buffalo Wild Wings. They’ve held a close brand partnership with the NCAA for over a decade, allowing them to run countless ads during games, develop unique fan experiences, and ultimately become the Official Chicken Wing of March Madness.
For Popeyes to be successful, they’ll need to take away center stage from Buffalo Wild Wings during one of their busiest seasons of the year.
THE ASK
Drive awareness and trial for Popeyes wings among Gen Z with a TikTok campaign around March Madness.
THE TURNING POINT
THE TURNING POINT
Popeyes and Gen Z are both proud disruptors of the status quo.
Popeyes describes wings as their “newest permanent addition to the menu, and disruption to the QSR space” – very intentional wording referencing the legendary restaurant’s colorful history of disruption.
They famously started (and many would argue won) the Chicken Sandwich wars in 2019, highlighted by a legendary tweet at their competition: “…y’all good?”
It’s also no secret that disruption is very much a part of Gen Z’s DNA, and there’s been no shortage of articles and reports on how this segment has upended countless industry norms.
They want to do things their way and gravitate towards brands that allow them to do so, especially brands that can show fluency on platforms that are relevant to them like TikTok. Tying together Popeyes and Gen Z with the thread of disruption can be the key to shaking the wing world out of its March Madness status quo with Buffalo Wild Wings.
THE STRATEGY
…y’all thought we were finished?
Calling back to the spirit of the Chicken Sandwich Wars, Popeyes is boldly planting a flag in the ground to show the world that their wings are here to stay. Some people may have thought wings were just a limited item for football season, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. So we’re winging on the madness for the only thing that makes sense during March - Popeyes wings.
Wing on the Madness
Internal Hype Reel
FULL COMMS PLAN
Between the launch and the beginning of March, Popeyes will take Gen Z TikTokers through all levels of the funnel.
The day after the Super Bowl, when the sports world turns to basketball, Popeyes will kick off their TikTok campaign and declare that wings are here to stay.
BUILDING ON BROAD AWARENESS
To further drive awareness of Popeyes’ lineup of five wing flavors and the unique twists of each one, an actual starting lineup will be created. Each wing flavor will be personified as a part of Popeyes’ new Starting 5!
DISCOVERY TO CONVERSION THROUGH COMPETITION
To generate more buzz and start driving wing sales, Popeyes will bring a variety of challenges to TikTok and encourage users to show off how mad they can get for Popeyes wings. Introducing the Pop Your Shot and Cluckcuterie Challenges!
6 wings. 6 shots. Show Popeyes your maddest wingtape for a chance at free wings for a year!
Popeyes will work with trick shot influencers on TikTok like the Hulett Brothers (3.4M followers) and Trixshot (3.9M followers) to kick off the challenge and set the tone for the madness. The offer of free wings for a year will push users to create UGC like the video above.
And for those more into hosting than hooping…
Turning backboards into charcuterie boards. Show Popeyes your maddest Cluckcuterie including Popeyes wings and sides for prizes and rewards!
Popeyes will again work with TikTok influencers like charcuterie expert Orange Table Co. (125k followers) and existing influencer partners like Forks N Flights (12k followers) to set the tone for the madness. Selected winners will receive Popeyes promo codes and gift cards.
LOCKING IN LOYALTY THROUGH TREND FLUENCY
Finally, Popeyes will show Gen Z they can speak their language by leveraging popular TikTok formats to reinforce the RTB’s for their wings and poke fun at competitors. Two formats that were trending when this campaign was made were Things I Don’t Understand and Ins/Outs.
Once March hits, that’s when the madness really cranks up.
RANDOM ACTS OF MADNESS
All through March and during the NCAA tournaments, Popeyes will be sweeping college campuses with mad stunts that are irresistible organic content for TikTok.
Popeyes Orange Fountains
Wingless Wing Contests
Inflatable Invasions
Balls to the Walls
Pop Carpet
Frat Sweepers
POP YOUR SHOT BRACKET CHALLENGE
After a month of collecting entries, Popeyes will announce their own bracket on Selection Sunday with the best Pop Your Shot submissions. TikTok’s voting feature will allow users to choose a winner with voting rounds that move in parallel with the NCAA tournament rounds. Each contestant will receive a Popeyes branded mini hoop with the ultimate champion receiving free wings for a year.
*All of our client judges got one of these mini hoops as a thank you
And it’s only right if Popeyes ends by winging on the madness at both Final Fours.
The Buffalo Wild Wings-NCAA relationship may prevent Popeyes from being an official sponsor at these events, but they can still bring the party to the fans and use them as their messengers.
Roaming food trucks will bring mad pregame parties to spots near arenas and hotel parking lots where fans are staying. Free throw challenges, jazz music, confetti cannons, inflatables, and wings!
Fans will also be able to earn branded Popeyes merch at the food trucks that they can bring into games! Mad collectibles like a “Spicy Call, Ref!” foam finger can help Popeyes get on the Jumbotron and get earned media.
When fans return after games, the food truck parties are even madder than when they left. Whether celebrating or wallowing, wings are always the right answer. And, Everyone Wings With Popeyes.
Debriefing
As the challenger brand coming into March Madness, Popeyes will need to make a little noise to disrupt the status quo Buffalo Wild Wings has long enjoyed. Popeyes has already started laying the foundation for awareness during football season – some would say they’ve been letting things marinate. Now, it’s time to drop that wing in the fryer and get mad.
