US Ad of the Day: Popeyes embraces its New Orleans origins in new ‘nonsensical’ ad

That’s why Popeyes created ‘We don’t make sense, we make chicken’ – an ad campaign that celebrates the brand’s Louisiana heritage by returning to the historic French Quarter. The ad spotlights many iconic features of the city, from its street musicians and Mardi Gras festivities to its wrought iron balconies.

Then, a Popeyes ambassador brings forth the unifying force between NOLA and Popeyes: both embrace the nonsensical. “New Orleans don’t make a lick of sense to most people: a big city built below sea level that throws logic out the window and beads to strangers,” she says. “And our chicken is no different: a fast food restaurant selling fried chicken that takes 12 hours to marinate. That makes no sense – but it does make delicious.”

The spot was created with Popeyes’ new agency of record, McKinney. The spot willl launch digitally in May, while out-of-home and television executions will unveil nationwide in June.

“At first glance it might not make sense to hand batter and bread our chicken in a quick-service environment, but if you were to remove our traditions, then you would remove the heart and soul, crunch, and culture of the brand, Sami Siddiqui, president of Popeyes North America, said in a statement. “The techniques we use that make the least amount of sense are what help us to stand out the most, and I am proud that this new campaign captures that point.”

Credits:

Agency: McKinney

Production agency: Cylndr

Production company: Iconoclast

Audio: Lime Studios

Interested in creative campaigns? Check out our Ad of the Day section and sign up for our Ads of the Week newsletter so you don’t miss a story.