Popeyes hires McKinney as creative agency of record

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken has selected McKinney as its creative agency of record following a fast-moving review.

Popeyes put its account into review in February and at the time named McKinney its temporary agency on a six-month project basis. During that period, the shop proved to Popeyes it was the right choice for the long term, said Jeff Klein, Popeyes chief marketing officer.

“McKinney comes to us with an incredible depth of retail experience and a reputation for producing creative that helps drive the business,” Klein said in an email interview. “They have a real understanding of who we are and who our customer is, and they have demonstrated that to us in the last few months. We’re excited to embark on this next chapter and welcome a fresh set of eyes on our iconic brand.”

Klein declined to disclose other agencies that pitched.

Gut was Popeyes’ previous creative agency. It officially claimed Popeyes’ creative account in 2020 after working on the chain's marketing alongside GSD&M. 

The appointment of McKinney reunites the agency and the CMO. Klein joined Popeyes last year after three years as CMO of Little Caesars, where he also worked with McKinney.

McKinney will continue to serve as Little Caesars’ agency of record, according to Joe Maglio, McKinney’s CEO. “We worked with both brand teams to ensure there is no conflict,” he said in emailed remarks.

Influencer and creator capabilities

For Popeyes, McKinney will cover brand strategy, creative development and creative production across all channels. The marketing strategy will lean into many of McKinney’s strengths, Maglio said, including influencer and creator capabilities, which McKinney added via the acquisition last year of August United. “This really resonated with Popeyes,” Maglio said.

Popeyes is a well-loved brand whose work starting the chicken sandwich wars in 2019 demonstrated it had the ability to drive culture. But there is more work to be done, said Klein.

“We have repeatedly demonstrated Popeyes’ ability to permeate pop culture and have all the tools to build a world-class, iconic brand,” he said. “All of our marketing work needs to advance our brand narrative and be at a scale where people see it and engage with it.”

Look back: Popeyes tries to restart the chicken sandwich wars

Klein said new work from McKinney would arrive in late spring, and highlight Popeyes’ New Orleans base.

“New Orleans is in our DNA at Popeyes and we will continue to highlight our roots, heritage, delicious food and what makes us unique—our chicken—in our marketing,” Klein said. “Our first work together will pay homage to our roots in a unique and purposeful way and we’re looking forward to unveiling it this spring.”

“We want to lean into what makes the brand so special, highlighting its New Orleans roots and delicious food,” Maglio said in a press release. “This is truly an opportunity to demonstrate our prowess and live our purpose: unleashing untapped potential for brands.”

Popeyes spent $194 million on U.S. measured media in 2022, according to Vivvix, including paid social data from Pathmatics. For all of 2021, Popeyes spent $195 million on measured media.

Popeyes, which is owned by Restaurant Brands International, saw slower sales growth than its sibling brands Tim Hortons and Burger King last year. Speaking to investors in February, Patrick Doyle, Restaurant Brands International’s executive chairman, called Popeyes an “extraordinary brand,” but one in need of less complex kitchens that he said slowed service.

A brand equity campaign will aim to help franchisees meet their daily sales goals, the agency and brand said.

The account will be led out of McKinney’s office in Durham, North Carolina, with support from team members in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Phoenix.

The win continues a hot streak for McKinney, which won creative agency of record duties for Blue Diamond Growers, Puma running and Indivior, along with project work with Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Natural Light, over the last year. McKinney Health launched last year and grew from six employees to over 40 in a matter of months.