• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, April 6, 2023

Popeyes has selected McKinney as Creative Agency of Record after a competitive pitch.

McKinney, which succeeds Gut as the fast food chain’s creative agency, will cover brand strategy, creative development, and creative production across all channels.

The client said its marketing strategy will lean into many of McKinney’s strengths across social, digital experiences, and sales-driving creative. 

“McKinney comes to us with an incredible depth of restaurant experience and a reputation for producing creative that helps drive the business,” said Jeff Klein, chief marketing officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

The two companies had been working together on a project basis before McKinney was officially named AOR.

McKinney’s new campaign for the client, set to break this spring, is designed to drive brand equity while focusing on daily sales goals in support of the chain’s franchisee network. Creatively, the work will leverage Popeyes’ New Orleans roots and pay homage to the city’s unique culture. 

The account will be led out of McKinney’s Durham office, with support from offices in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Phoenix.

It’s been a busy time for the agency, which launched McKinney Health last year which has grown from an initial six employees to over 40 in a matter of months. The agency recently acquired influencer agency August United, bringing another 60+ employees and enhanced digital capabilities in-house.

Also the agency has been on a new business hot streak picking up AOR assignments from Blue Diamond Almonds, PUMA Running, and Indivior, along with project work with AB InBev’s Natural Light. The agency is now 300+ strong.