Bringing comfort through flavor during the emotional highs and lows of March Madness.
Popeyes via McKinney
CLIENT
Quick Service Restaurant | VCU Brandcenter Sprint Live Client (Winning Team)
TYPE
The Ask
Create a TikTok strategy that boosts Gen Z’s Popeyes wing consumption during March Madness.
The Pitch
The "Five Sauces of Grief" campaign targeted Gen Z consumers by associating each of Popeyes' five signature sauces with the emotional stages fans experience during March Madness. Although Popeyes has been serving their New Orleans-style chicken since 1972, they’ve recently experienced extra love from the younger generations.
In 2019, their new chicken sandwich sold out in just 2 weeks due to a Twitter/X war with its rival chicken sandwich: Chick-fil-A. The debate drew in millions and created viral content and free publicity—all thanks to Gen Z. According to Apex Marketing, the social media debate generated $65MM in equivalent ad revenue for Popeyes. Popeyes gained more followers on Twitter/X in a single week than it had in two years, scoring that new, tech-savvy, younger audience. But this wasn’t a one-time thing.
Popeyes continually capitalizes on this momentum by launching new, buzz-worthy items that appeal to Gen-Z’s adventurous eating habits, like their Cajun Flounder Sandwich in 2022.
“Younger generations are more obsessed with food than ever.”
— Nikki Freihofer, Strategy Director at The Culinary Edge
And with Gen Z’s collective disposable income of $360 billion annually, maximizing revenue lies in converting this massive block of consumers.
Deliverables
TikTok Strategy
Custom Illustrations
Custom TikTok Filters
Influencer Partnerships
Media Plan
Content Creation
The Challenge
With so many brands and restaurants competing for attention, we set out to cut through the noise and make Popeyes’ wings and sauces not just another fast-food option, but a must-have that became a staple in their tournament routine. To measure success, we would track how much brand engagement is boosted through likes, shares, and comments, as well as wings & sauce sales during the March Madness period compared to other months and QSRs.
But Gen Z is savvy and skeptical of brand marketing. They won’t engage with content just because it features a name or logo they recognize. Studies show that they value quality and authenticity above all.
To make an impact, content must be fun, memorable, and interactive. [Source: National Retail Federation]
The Brief
March Madness is not only a sports event but also an intense emotional journey for fans, paralleled by the five stages of grief.
Licensed psychologist and professor of neuropsychology, Dr. Eric Zillmer states that although March Madness losses can seem silly to some, fans coping with a team loss truly do mimic the five stages of grief:
01
Fans are in denial when their favorite team loses.
02
Fans get angry when they lose their most promising bets.
03
Fans bargain, hoping they’ll redeem themselves later on, pleading with their favorite players.
04
Fans are depressed, realizing they have to take the loss.
05
Fans finally accept their loss.
90% of Gen Z sports fans use social media to consume content.
Popeyes would become the wing by their side through all 5 stages…with their five sauces.
Over 63% of global sports fans report feeling a strong emotional connection to their favorite team. [Sources: The Philly Voice, Sports Pro Media] By tapping into these emotions, which run much higher during March Madness, Popeyes' wings act as comforting companions throughout the tournament's ups and downs.
The Big Idea
A great campaign is a great story. March Madness isn’t the story of one champion but of 63 losers. We created a winning story — and a winning campaign for Popeyes that targeted not one team, but all 63 that lost, maximizing revenue by turning losses into wins.
Introducing…
"Wings For The Other 63."
We created a TikTok-focused strategy that paired each stage of grief with a unique wing flavor, engaging fans in a relatable narrative and fostering brand interaction through innovative digital content and a custom dance challenge.
Execution
We launched a series of TikTok activations, including influencer partnerships and interactive content, encouraging fans to express their stage of grief with a corresponding wing flavor, leading to an emotionally impactful, share-worthy social media presence.
Personify the Popeyes Brand into Another March Madness Fan
We altered the Popeyes mascot, Poppy, to take various positions to match the emotion in each stage of grief through TikTok ads that connected directly to those grieving their March Madness losses. By joining fans in their grieving, Popeyes and its mascot are personified into another watcher right by fans’ sides throughout the entire tournament.
Stage 1: Denial – Start a Movement by Rating Fan Reactions
Fans know their team has lost, but it’s easier to just deny it.
What is important about social engagement, similar to denial, is early reaction.
Popeyes commented on fans’ TikTok reactions to their teams losing and dueted their videos with flavorful expressions and fiery reactions—just like Popeyes’ ghost pepper wings that resemble the first stage of grief. Ryan rated reactions on a scale of 1 to 6, boosting engagement per user and expanding reach by rewarding (rating) participation.
Stage 2: Anger – Make Popeyes’ TikTok a Place to Come Together for March Madness Anger
After a loss, fans run hot—just like Popeyes’ signature hot wings, which resemble stage 2: anger. Fans likely have some choice words to say and we sought to make Popeyes’ social media platforms the go-to place to say them. Done through TikTok content that invited fans to comment on their NCAA hot takes, perfectly on theme with the hot wings…
Popeyes’ TikTok became a safe space for fans to express their anger, turning each flame of emotion into a form of engagement.
Stage 3: Bargaining – Contribute to the Ongoing Dialogue with Real Interviews
Fans make deals in their head when they want their team to win. “Ooh, I’d give up my 2005 Toyota Camry to see my team win!” Popeyes was there to sweeten the deal with Honey BBQ wings that resembled stage 3: bargaining.
Through relatable man-on-the-street interviews asking fans what they’d be willing to give up to see their team win, we brought the candid, human, bargaining element of March Madness to life with real people.
Engagement was further incentivized with the best replies winning a 6-piece order of Honey BBQ wings.
We found that record-high levels of engagement with man-on-the-street interviews on TikTok were due to a few factors…
[Source: No Good]
Stage 4: Depression – Meet the Consumers Where They Are
Fans are sad and grieve the loss of their team long after it happens.
Consumer psychology, now more than ever, shows that they wouldn’t go outside and get some fresh air when they’re depressed.
They’d indulge in what’s good, like Popeyes’ garlic parmesan wings, which resemble stage 4: depression. That’s why we created an interactive TikTok filter of Popeyes’ garlic parmesan wings that resembled tears (with Poppy crying at the bottom, once again joining them in their grief!) and a call to action to order garlic wings to soften the blow.
Stage 5: Acceptance – Drive Brand Loyalty & Win Hearts with Strategic Partnerships
Fans will eventually make it to the end: acceptance. Their team has lost, and just like Popeyes’ Sweet n’ Spicy wings, it will sting at first but get sweeter with time. We set up strategic influencer partnerships and influencers associated with specific losing teams.
They sent out Popeyes chicken wing sympathy bouquets to their teams to help them cope with the loss, creating delicious, viral-worthy moments all on their own with their grieving, fan-filled audiences (also OUR audience!).
Outcome
With only four days to create the entire campaign, we won the Brandcenter Sprint.
Our campaign broke through the clutter of brand promotions, positioning Popeyes’ wings as an important part of fans’ March Madness grieving rituals and tournament narratives on social media.
Looking Ahead – Maximizing Campaign Impact
Expand the Popeyes TikTok campaign’s reach and influence, evolving it into a staple element of March Madness culture among Gen Z.
Establish Popeyes not just as a go-to meal during the tournament, but also as a brand that deeply understands and resonates with the Gen-Z audience.
Explore new, creative ways to engage with fans, integrating interactive elements and user-generated content to further solidify Popeyes’ position in the fast-food and digital marketing landscape, boosting engagement and sales.
Takeaways & Learning
Shock sells on social media, and we cut through the noise by doing the opposite of what other brands were doing. Our client was pleased that we positioned Popeyes (and Poppy) as a fellow sports fan & ally to make a wide yet deep impact on the majority who had lost during March Madness.
My Role
Project Management, Timeline Development, Background Research, Strategic & Creative Ideation, Deck Design
The Team
Caitlin Kreinheder (AD)
Hannah Kent (XD)
Jack Franco (CW)
Max Warren (AM)
Ora Watanatham (AM)
Sarah Hardin (AM)