People so easily hit that reorder button on delivery apps that they’ve become sleepwalking wingers. To shake them out of their wing stupor, we showed them there’s a new, better wing option in town. The chicken wing category is steeped in competition and Popeyes is a newcomer with lots of credibility in flavor and chicken, but is a challenger when it comes to wings. We set out to increase broad awareness and drive trial of our newest offering.

After 52 years, Popeyes was excited to finally tell the world it has wings worth the wait. Nobody embodied this absurdly long wait quite like the hero of our Super Bowl spot, who froze himself in the 70’s so he could be unthawed when the world had finally crafted the perfect wing.

Popeyes new wings are worth the wait. And it’s a good thing because one wing fan in particular waited fifty years for this moment. Our wing lover from yesteryear, empathetically portrayed by Ken Jeong, asked to be awakened from a cryogenic deep freeze only when a better chicken wing was invented. Popeyes wings fit the bill, and he loves them. He loves them so much he brings them with him on his journey to learn all about this wonderful new world. We tag along on his wide-eyed journey to discover self-driving cars, labradoodles, and drones. And all the while, he loves those chicken wings from Popeyes.

Reality > Expectations.

The Eyes:

The :30 version ran during the Super Bowl to the tune of 130 million viewers and amassed 6,469,248,087 impressions, reported. Ken Jeong teased the spot to fans on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon – a top-rated late night show in the US.

The Love:

iSpot’s Ace Metrix ranked “The Wait is Over” as the #7 most likable ad of the Super Bowl and it was covered on AdAge, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.

USA Today and The Washington Post Online picked up the :60 version, which garnered 3.9 million views on YouTube to date.

The Record-breaking Sales:

Sales were up 30% from the norm on Super Bowl Sunday. Product awareness grew from 36% to 41% among wing eaters (Morning Consult). Popeyes became the #3 QSR wings seller nationwide in less than three months from launch.