Popeyes has named Bart LaCount as its new chief marketing officer for the U.S. and Canada, per a press release. The executive will lead all marketing efforts and focus on growing traffic and accelerating sales growth for the fried chicken chain.
“Bart brings an incredibly well-rounded marketing background to this role as we look to deepen brand relevance in communities where we are loved and expand relevance where Popeyes should be better known — all as part of the strategic plan built with and endorsed by our franchisees,” said Jeff Klein, president of Popeyes North America, in a statement.
Klein previously served as the chain's CMO before his promotion earlier this year. Before joining Popeyes, LaCount worked at PepsiCo for nearly 20 years, most recently as vice president of international beverages marketing, leading hydration and energy portfolios that included Gatorade, Aquafina, Rockstar and other brands.
In addition, Popeyes has promoted Matt Rubin to the role of chief digital officer for the U.S. and Canada. The executive will oversee digital and technology teams around digital growth and guest experience. Rubin was most recently vice president of digital for the chain and took on the responsibility of the restaurant technology team a few months ago.
LaCount's appointment is the second QSR industry marketer move in recent weeks, with CMO Mark Shambura leaving Papa Johns for Panera Bread on July 29.
Popeyes parent company Restaurant Brands International last week announced system-wide sales increased 5.0% year-over-year, with Popeyes seeing 4.6% system-wide sales growth, as part of its latest earnings report. The earnings beat analysts' expectations despite short-term consumer pressures facing the entire QSR industry.
Popeyes in June added six flavors of boneless wings to its permanent menu. The move followed the brand's first Super Bowl ad, a spot RBI CEO Josh Kobza said, “proved to be successful driving mass awareness to wings.” The chain last year chose McKinney as creative agency of record after an RFP process and launched the “We Don’t Make Sense, We Make Chicken” campaign to celebrate its hometown of New Orleans.
