Role:
Year:
Team:
Digital Designer, Researcher
2024
Sharron Lou, Samantha Frankel, Isa Lozano
Overview
Popeyes wanted to reconnect with Gen Z and bring back the hype around the Chicken Sandwich. We leaned into a very real Sunday struggle: Chick-fil-A is closed, and the Sunday Scaries are in full effect. This insight opened the door to position Popeyes as the solution for both. The chicken sandwich became The Hero Sunday Needed.
Press:
Process
Problem:
Once a viral hit, the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich was starting to lose popularity with Gen Z. With nearly half of its customers over 45, Popeyes needed to win back a younger audience.
Our Deep Dive Research Framework:
Dive Into Gen Z Psychographics & Culture
Identify Whitespace Opportunities
Develop a Compelling Brand-Building Narrative
We surveyed 30+ Gen Z respondents, digging into their eating habits, Sunday routines, and sense of humor. We synthesized these insights to help us map out common patterns and created a clear Gen Z persona.
Gen Z Flavor Cravers Are…
The Most Anxious Generation Yet: 18 to 28-year-olds say their average stress is a 6 out of 10, compared with a 3.4 among people ages 65 and older.
Especially Anxious for the Start of the Work Week: 75% of Gen Z said they have the first-day, back-at-work jitters.
Turning to Social Media and Food to Cope: 54% of Gen Z admitted to excessively using social media or doomscrolling while trying to deal with anxiety.
And Gen Z’s anxiety was reported to be even worse on Sundays.
91% of Research Respondents Experienced Sunday Scaries.
What Are the Sunday Scaries?
What Were the Main Causes of Sunday Scaries?
Identifying Opportunities: Chick-fil-A’s Sunday Closure Created an Opening for Popeyes.
Chick-fil-A is the leading competitor in the chicken sandwich market.
Chick-fil-A's closure on Sundays leaves hungry customers seeking alternatives, creating an opportunity to turn the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich into a Sunday favorite.
Solution
We designed a holistic digital campaign aimed at making the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich more appealing to Gen Z. This included a Sunday "Scary Hour" promotion in partnership with DoorDash, contextual in-app offers, and digital marketing touchpoints that encouraged engagement.
Insight: On Sunday, two awful things happen for Gen Z.
1. Chick-fil-A is closed
2. The Sunday Scaries
Big Idea: Let the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich be The Hero Sunday Needed by leveraging Gen Z culture.
In-App Contextual Rewards
Popeyes X Door Dash Sunday "Scary Hour” Promotion
Digital Advertisements
Digital Brand Partnerships
IRL College Campus Activations
Reflection
This project challenged me to think beyond individual touchpoints and consider how cultural insights can shape an end-to-end experience. Looking ahead, I would focus on defining clearer success metrics and iterating based on experience testing and conversion data.
