Restaurant Brands International’s Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen has won the Grand Effie at the Ideas That Work: 2021 Effie US Summit & Awards Celebration for #ChickenWars.
The campaign was created by GSD&M with contributing agency, Alison Brod Marketing + Communications.
In a nutshell, Popeyes’ chicken sandwich was introduced with a social media effort that ignited when Popeyes sent a tweet to Chick-fil-A asking, “Ya’ll okay?” The tweet started an online debate between the fast-food chains and their fans, leading to such popular demand for the new sandwich that Popeyes sold out. The unpaid tweets earned Popeyes $87 million worth of media and lead to 13% same-store sales growth and an additional $1 billion in system-wide sales for the year.
“The Effie Awards are truly unique as we are judging work based on effectiveness and the Grand Effie-winning work sets the tone and tenor for work we would like to see more of in the future,” stated Amani Duncan, President of BBH USA and 2021 US Grand Effie jury co-chair. “Popeyes’ campaign rose to the top because of how effectively it resonated in culture and community. Smart, simple, bold and brave were some of the adjectives used to describe the work. One juror said, ‘it takes an authentic commitment to make a lasting impact with a community.’ And we felt Popeyes did exactly that.”
“The Grand Effie represents exceptional, exclusive, and effective marketing strategies and executions in the United States. During judging, we witnessed several amazing ideas that delivered great results,” added Umesh Sripad, chief digital officer, IKEA USA, and 2021 US Grand Effie Jury Co-Chair. “The selection of the Grand Effie winner was undivided – innovation and execution creativity were unblemished, and the results speak for the skill, ingenuity, and vision of the creators.”
The Grand Effie was selected from Gold Effie winners:
- Burger King & INGO Stockholm’s “Moldy Whopper”
- Crayola, dentsumcgarrybowen and Golin’s “Color Yourself Into the World”
- Detroit City Football Club & Lafayette American’s “Bragging Rights”
- Michelob ULTRA & FCB New York’s “Michelob ULTRA Courtside: Game-Changing Innovation Changes the Game”
- Sandy Hook Promise & BBDO New York’s “Back to School”
- The Wild Detectives & Dieste’s “Traveling in the Times of Corona”
- Tinder & 72andSunny Los Angeles’ “Swipe Night.”
The 2021 US Effie rankings:
- Most Effective Agency Offices: #1 BBDO New York #2 MullenLowe US – Boston #3 GSD&M
- Most Effective Independent Agencies: #1 Alison Brod Marketing & Communications
#2 Smuggler #3 Dini Von Mueffling Communications - Most Effective Agency Networks: #1 BBDO Worldwide #2 MullenLowe #3 McCann Worldgroup
- Most Effective Marketers: #1 Restaurant Brands International #2 Procter & Gamble #3 AB InBev
- Most Effective Brands: #1 Burger King #2 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen #3 Sandy Hook Promise
Crisis Response/Critical Pivot category: This category was launched this year to recognise brands that created positive change by effectively pivoting their marketing or business activities in response to significant structural and cultural shifts, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
Two silver and one bronze were awarded in the competition. The silver winners were:
- Bridge Senior Living and Luckie & Company’s “Radio Recliner”
- The Great American Takeout and High Wide & Handsome for “Rallying a nation to save the restaurant industry.”
In the Crisis Response/Critical Pivot category of the Commerce & Shopper Effies, a bronze Effie was awarded to Coca-Cola and Momentum Worldwide for “Uber Eats + Coke + Feeding America Program.”
In Sustained Success, which recognises effective work that has succeeded over three or more years, two golds, one silver and one bronze were awarded;
The gold winners were:
- Crown Royal and Anomaly for “Igniting a Spirit of Generosity”
- E*Trade Financial and MullenLowe US for “Don’t Get Mad, Get E*TRADE.
The silver Effie went to CDW and Manifest Agency for “Build IT and They Will Come,” and a bronze Effie was awarded to Allegheny Health Network and Doner for “#LivingProof over Promises.”
View the full list of winners here.
