Popeyes Makes the Best Out of a Bad Situation With Funny 'Bring Your Own Bun' Campaign

Popeyes’ trendy chicken sandwich may be out of stock for a while, but the brand isn’t giving up on the buzz just yet. Now, the chain is inviting customers to "BYOB – Bring Your Own Bun.”

According to a recent tweet, Popeyes is encouraging customers to order a 3-piece meal and make a sandwich with their own bun. To promote the idea, the brand has released a video showing perplexed customers grappling with the idea.

While the marketing stunt is obviously a bit tongue-in-cheek, customers aren’t too happy. One user even brought up the chain’s recent beef with Chick-fil-A, tweeting, “Popeyes is asking you to assemble a chicken sandwich at home like IKEA furniture. Wow. Chick-fil-A would never.” Another Twitter user took it one step further, saying, “This is the worst marketing I’ve ever seen.”

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time a QSR chain has tried to turn a supply shortage  into a marketing stunt. In February of last year, KFC took out ads in newspapers showing an empty bucket after running out of chicken at 900 restaurants in the UK.

Still, besides selling out, the Popeyes sandwich was one of the most successful fast-food product launches in recent memory. The franchise generated $65 million earned media value in the first two weeks after the launch, according to Apex Marketing Group, and even doubled its average store traffic.

While QSR and fast casual franchisors learn how to deal with shortages, perhaps Popeyes is setting a good example—as the old saying goes, "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

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