Popeyes
14 hours queueing at Popeyes. Worth every minute
We built enough anticipation around five Welsh restaurant launches to keep fans queuing through the night.
The challenge
Opening an American chicken restaurant in Wales is one thing. Making it a moment people talk about and turn up for is another.
When Popeyes began expanding across Wales, they needed more than a launch plan. They needed to earn their place in communities that have no shortage of food options and no obligation to care about a new arrival from Louisiana.
The brief was to make noise, build genuine anticipation, and ensure that every time Popeyes opened a new site, it felt unmissable.
Our approach
Across five launches, we developed a repeatable strategy built on three things: strong PR, smart partnerships and influencers chosen not for their follower counts, but for how well they were trusted in the specific communities Popeyes was entering.
That last point was key. Wales isn’t one audience. Llanelli isn’t Cardiff. Newport isn’t Swansea. Understanding who people actually listen to, and why, is what separates a successful launch from one that goes unnoticed. Our Real Folk Insights informed every influencer decision we made, ensuring the voices we chose were genuinely embedded in the communities we were trying to reach.
For the earlier launches, we built creative partnerships with local rugby clubs and transport companies, tapping into the things Welsh communities already cared about. For the more recent openings, we moved to paid influencer partnerships; always hyper-local, always chosen for cultural fit over reach alone.
Our store opening highlights
Cheers Drive: To launch Popeyes’ first drive-thru in Wales, we paid homage to the Welsh colloquialism of “cheers drive” partnering with Dragon, South Wales’s biggest taxi service. For the first month, passengers could show their driver some love with a free Chicken Sandwich.
The Polson Twins: For the Llanelli and Swansea launches, we partnered with the Polson Twins, local brothers who became internet sensations for their honest, hilarious videos about what it means to be Welsh. Exactly the kind of voices their communities trust.
Fairwater RFC: Tapping into Wales’s deep pride in grassroots rugby, we backed Fairwater RFC with a six-month sponsorship including a cash donation to support the club’s development. Not a badge on a shirt, but genuine investment in the heart of the community.
Newport Bus: For the Newport opening, we partnered with Newport Bus to give away 500 Chicken Sandwich vouchers on tickets, meeting people where they already were. We paired this with an influencer campaign offering free Chicken Sandwiches for three months.
The impact
Across five launches, the work delivered:
- 82 pieces of fully earned media coverage
- For the Cardiff Bay launch, engaged creators had a combined reach of 1,442,322 and produced 27 pieces of content
For the Llanelli opening, fans queued for 14 hours through a dark and cold February night. Some made friends in the queue. Some lost sensation in their fingers and toes, but it was worth it.
Five openings. Five sell-out moments. And a client that comes back to us every time they open a new site in Wales.
Opening a new restaurant, bar or flagship store and need to make a noise?
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