Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is celebrating National Biscuit Day on May 14 by launching a series of biscuit-themed eCards across its social media channels and offering consumers a free buttermilk product with purchase, proving that shareable mobile cards are an optimal strategy for raising awareness of promotions or sales for food marketers.

The restaurant chain will be launching the eCards on its Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook channels, giving consumers a chance to celebrate their affinity for the popular Buttermilk Biscuits. Guests will receive a free biscuit with each purchase on May 14, with the brand rolling out additional mobile-optimized cards and giveaways for 100 days, until National Biscuit Month in September.

?National Biscuit Day is to biscuits what Valentine?s Day is to love,? said Melanie Barichivich, manager of social and digital marketing at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Atlanta, GA. ?Since our guests have told us time and time again how much they love our biscuits, what better way to reward them than with a free biscuit on the greatest day of the year ? National Biscuit Day (May 14th) and treat them with the same romantic intent accomplished in a mobile-friendly, fun and engaging way. 

?With that in mind, we created the Legendary Biscuit Experience microsite (popeyes.com/biscuits) where fans can send, share and post our e-cards across social channels and learn more about Popeyes Biscuits.?

Tapping holidays
Popeyes is leveraging the upcoming National Biscuit Day to spread awareness of its items, namely its Buttermilk Biscuits which are nearly as synonymous with the restaurant as its fried chicken offerings.

?While it may be the right incentive for customers who already frequent Popeyes, and it may be a differentiating factor when choosing between them and another fried-chicken brand ? I want to see Popeyes put their butter where their biscuits are and offer me something more,? said Nancy Ly, digital account executive at global public relations and digital agency Grayling, San Francisco, CA. ?How about biscuits for life?

?I?d like to see a bit more oomph to take it to the next level in raising awareness among the competition, especially considering most fried-chicken chains also sell biscuits. For retail brands to get noticed in the hugely competitive social media world, they need to go above and beyond traditional marketing methods.?

Consumers can visit popeyes.com/biscuits to view the eCards, all of which are mobile-optimized. Users may click on their preferred card to see a list of shareable options, including posting to Facebook and Instagram, and sending via email.

Examples of eCard catchphrases include ?Take this biscuit as a symbol of my love for biscuits,? ?Are you free to hang out today? I?m free, I?m a biscuit? and ?My love of biscuits is surpassed only by my love of free biscuits.?

While Popeyes is running the free biscuit promotion on May 14, the brand is also celebrating 100 Days of Biscuits with new shareable eCards and giveaways of 15 biscuit-themed products each week through September, which is National Biscuit Month.

Winners of the prizes will be selected via Twitter and Facebook.

Mobile outlook
More food and beverage marketers are turning to mobile to post easily shareable mobile coupons, emojis or eCards in a bid to receive the widest consumer outreach possible. As consumers are frequently on their smartphones, even more so when searching for a nearby place to eat, this is a sound strategy.

?The eCards build upon the popularity of other highly viral, millennial-friendly consumer fast-food chains in the digital space like Taco Bell and Denny?s, which both have upwards of 200k and 1.5 million Twitter followers, respectively, and have caught the media?s eye time and time again,? Grayling?s Ms. Ly said.

This past March, fellow restaurant chain Jack in the Box extended the life of a record-setting 80-foot-tall coupon and brought it to consumers across the country through the power of mobile, showing how even a live event can be turned into a mobile offer (see story).

Popeyes? campaign could be bolstered even more if the brand decided to add a commerce element to the eCards. If users were offered the chance to receive a free food item for every designated amount of shares on social media they completed with the eCards, it would likely drive more sales and pick up even more traction on social media.

Beauty brand Sephora experienced a digital gifting revenue growth rate that was eight times faster after its integration with prepaid commerce solution CashStar Commerce, proving that offering the capability on standalone mobile applications can ramp up gift card sales (see story).

?We know that our consumers, both QSR and specifically Popeyes guests, are people on-the-go,? Popeyes? Ms. Barichivich said.

?We lead with a mobile-first strategy because our guests are continuously connected to their world through their mobile device, so it is extremely important we provide them fun, interactive experiences through the same channels and platforms they use to interact with the world and their peers.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York