• Nation's Restaurant News, Tuesday, October 5, 2010 10:46 AM

Popeyes' "Love that Chicken" ad and event campaign that touted a taste test in which its Louisiana Kitchen fried chicken bested KFC's Original Recipe had a significant impact on how consumers perceive the quality of the brand, according to research from YouGov BrandIndex.

Mark Brandau reports that Popeyes' quality score rose from 14.6 on Aug. 31 to 27.4 on Oct. 1 as a result of the campaign, which included TV commercials, a celebration in New York's Times Square and the www.popeyesbeatkfc.com microsite. The perception gap between KFC and Popeyes was cut from 17 points to 3.

The brand's "buzz" scores also rose during the period. "That's all a good combination," says BrandIndex svp Ted Marzilli. "If you're increasing buzz, people are taking note of the campaign and the message is sinking in. Satisfaction scores going up tend to imply that people have actually gone to the stores and had a good experience."

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