Popeyes - WIng Night In

Popeyes: Wing Night In

Client Category

Food & Beverage · QSR · Restaurant · Challenger Brand

Services Provided

Brand Strategy · Campaign Creative · Social Strategy · Digital Content · OOH Creative · Influencer & UGC Activation · Experiential · Media

Business Challenge

In Canada, wings didn’t belong to QSR.

They belonged to pub culture.

“Wing Night Out” was a deeply ingrained ritual — one that required getting dressed, coordinating friends, commuting to a bar, and fighting crowds. For many consumers, even the best wings weren’t worth the friction.

Popeyes was launching a new wings line into a category dominated not by competitors, but by behaviour.

To win, Popeyes didn’t need better wings.
It needed a better way to enjoy them.

Strategic Insight

Canadians weren’t loyal to where they ate wings.

They were loyal to the ritual.

What people loved about Wing Night wasn’t the pub — it was the flavours, the fun, and the shared moment. But modern life had changed. People wanted indulgence without effort. Great food without the commute.

The opportunity wasn’t to steal Wing Night from bars.
It was to bring Wing Night home.

Creative Solution — Wing Night In

We reframed the entire category.

Instead of competing with pubs, Popeyes created a new ritual designed for modern life: Wing Night In — a platform that made staying home feel like the better choice.

Wings weren’t positioned as a bar substitute.
They were positioned as the perfect companion to real, at-home moments.

Campaign Execution

Ritual Reframing
Creative scenarios showed Popeyes wings elevating everyday moments:

• gaming nights
• couch hangs
• watch parties
• date nights
• solo cravings

Wing Night didn’t disappear — it simply moved inside.

Product-First Visual World
Bold, flavour-forward photography paired with neon-inspired typography created appetite appeal that felt modern, energetic, and unmistakably Popeyes.

Social & Cultural Amplification
The campaign invited participation through #ShowUsYourWings, activating fans with:

• custom AR filters
• flavour-celebration statics
• pro-tip content
• creator-driven moments

A giant 3D wing sculpture became a physical photo moment — designed to turn craving into culture.

Playful Digital Tools
Interactive elements like a “dip selector” helped fans find their perfect flavour pairing, turning exploration into engagement.

Results

• Successfully introduced a new consumption occasion for Popeyes wings
• Shifted wings from “going out food” to anytime, at-home indulgence
• Strong social engagement and UGC participation through #ShowUsYourWings
• Reinforced Popeyes’ ability to redefine food rituals, not just menu items

Wing Night In didn’t just launch wings.
It changed how Canadians thought about them.

Category Takeaway

Categories aren’t owned by products.
They’re owned by habits.

Popeyes didn’t try to out-pub the pub.
It created a new ritual that fit how people actually live now.

For QSR brands, the lesson is clear:
Don’t fight old rituals head-on. Build better ones.

That’s how challengers become kings.