Popeyes calls truce to chicken sandwich wars with nugget launch campaign

Dive Brief:

Popeyes will promote the launch of its new chicken nuggets with a campaign entitled "We Come In Piece" that includes elements across digital, print and out-of-home (OOH), per details emailed to Marketing Dive. The chain's chicken nuggets are now available in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
As part of the campaign, The Popeyes Foundation purchased the cash equivalent of 1 million nuggets — both their own and from competitors McDonald's, Wendy's, Chick-fil-A and Burger King — in gift cards which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana. The company will also match up to $25,000 in guest donations to the nonprofit.
"We Come In Piece" seeks to end the so-called "chicken sandwich wars" that began when Popeyes launched its buzzy offering in 2019, shifting from the contentious tone that has characterized most chicken sandwich marketing by Popeyes and its rivals. Popeye's AOR Gut and media agency Horizon Media worked on the new campaign.

Dive Insight:

Popeyes' "We Come In Piece" seeks to promote the QSR's new nugget offering by ending the chicken sandwich wars that have persisted since its chicken sandwich launch in the summer of 2019. With a tagline of "We come in piece — 8 piece," the restaurant chain is shifting gears from the contentious marketing tone that has been typical of the chicken sandwich wars.

The chain is also hoping to have the same success with its nuggets that it saw with its sandwich. The launch of the sandwich generated over 21 billion media impressions and the company sold more than 200 million chicken sandwiches in its first year, CMO Bruno Cardinali said on a media call. Cardinali attributed the brand's success to the product quality and timely, relevant marketing campaigns.

"The campaign is...very timely, very relevant [and] fixed to a cultural moment, an iconic moment, that happened in America two years ago," he said on the call. "We're tapping into that cultural moment, and really delivering something that...really puts Popeyes in the center of the conversation."

With its donation of 1 million nuggets — both its own and those from competitors — and the matching of guest donations to Second Harvest Food Bank, the brand can include a purpose-driven element that echoes the peaceful tone of the new campaign.

That tone is counter to the one formerly embraced by Popeyes and its rivals, including McDonald's and KFC. Notably, Burger King made donations to the Human Rights Campaign for every Ch'King menu item sold during Pride month in June. The deal was applicable "even on Sundays," likely a shot at Chick-fil-A, which is closed on Sundays and has a history of donating to anti-LGBTQ charities.