The Story Behind It: The Big Game Advertisement with Popeyes CMO, Jeff Klein
In case you missed it, we aired our first-ever Big Game commercial. What better way to celebrate this moment than with some Q&A from the brains behind our ad, Jeff Klein, Popeyes Chief Marketing Officer.
Why was this the right time for an ad in The Big Game?
We launched our Wings platform in late November and since then, the product has been incredibly well received. We wanted to leverage the biggest advertising stage to highlight a product that has once again shaken up the QSR industry. Over 100 million people watch the game - it is a primetime platform for us to highlight our new Wings, raise awareness and encourage trial. Yesterday is notorious for being the biggest day for wings consumption, where an estimated 1 billion wings are consumed each year. Now that we’ve crashed the Wings game, this was the perfect opportunity to leverage a massive stage to keep the momentum going.
What story were you hoping to tell in the spot?
We tested a few different concepts before landing with this one. Many people can’t believe that Popeyes didn’t have wings on the menu - it doesn’t make sense - so we wanted to play off that. The spot tells the story of Howie, played by Ken Jeong. He cryogenically froze himself 52 years ago waiting for the best-ever wing to be created. Jeong is then unfrozen to discover Popeyes has permanently launched Wings in five delicious flavors – along with many other changes from 52 years ago, including drones, self-driving cars, electric scooters, and new hybrid dog breeds. We wanted our ad to be the perfect amount of funny, yet effective, and we think we hit that nail on the head.
Why was Ken Jeong the perfect fit for this ad?
His humor and infectious energy helped bring the storyline to life in an entertaining way, making this commercial a lot of fun to watch. Beyond that, Ken has a personal connection to Popeyes. He did his medical residency in New Orleans, where Popeyes was born, and would spend late nights after a shift treating himself to Popeyes. Fun fact, Ken was so excited about the spot that his dog Mocha even makes a cameo.
How does your Super Bowl strategy support the brand's marketing strategy for the year?
Our Super Bowl commercial is the kickoff for our year-long marketing playbook. We're telling the world that Popeyes is about bold moves and big flavors, and we will continue to show up in new and unexpected places throughout the year.
What is Popeyes next "big moment"?
While I cannot quite share that with you yet, I will say, we are just getting started here. Just because we were late to the wings game, does not mean we won’t win. We are continuing to bet big on wings, as well as continuing to develop new offerings for our brand. 2024 is going to continue to be our year.
Let us know what you thought of our commercial on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!
