Popeyes Sells $72 Sandwich for $1.49

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Sometimes if you want something to sound much better than it actually is, you sort of highlight and exaggerate the effort that went into making it. As part of a campaign that aims to position Popeyes as Louisiana Kitchen where "great tasting food requires slow, careful preparation," some twisted logic is employed to make that point clear.

In a new commercial for the brand, "Chef Ed" approaches Popeyes customers to explain how much time went into making the chain's $1.49 loaded chicken wrap. Because the chicken in the wrap was marinated for 12 hours, Chef Ed says the $1.49 wrap should really cost $72 based on a $6 per hour labor costs. Where the logic gets fuzzy is the assumption it takes any effort at all for chicken to soak in sauce for 12 hours. Does Popeyes pay employees to stare at the chicken for 12 hours? Is that part of the marination process?

OK, OK so there are preparation and refrigeration costs but still. Is having a dude side up to your table randomly to tell you your lunch should have cost 48 times what you paid for it really the best way to sell a chicken sandwich?

by Steve Hall    Aug-27-08   Click to Comment   
Topic: Bad, Campaigns, Commercials   

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Comments



Comments

My immediate reactions would be:

(a) what the hell am I doing in Popeye's?

(b) letting their chicken sit for 12 hours at unknown temperatures under the supervision of minimum wage employees can't POSSIBLY be sanitary

(c) if I wanted to concentrate on how a fast food place actually PREPARES the food I'd probably never eat anywhere ever again

(d) they really should pay their people more

(e) how do I get out of here?

Posted by: B on August 27, 2008 12:45 PM

I forgot:

(f) How stupid is a company that hasn't heard of faster, safe, and more efficient ways of marinating/flavoring meats?

Posted by: B on August 27, 2008 12:51 PM

(g)Why would they let the young man who supervises the 12hr marination process @$6/hr also be the employee to head up the company's brand marketing strategy?

Posted by: Mac on August 27, 2008 1:13 PM

I wanna chicken sammich and some waffle fries...FOR FREE!

Posted by: Unforgivable on August 27, 2008 1:38 PM

I don't know why Chef Ed thought he needed a calculator to help demonstrate his point with those two. They were Asian.

Posted by: bogusky's feathered pubes on August 28, 2008 10:05 AM

How cute, shoving a calculator in front of two Asian faces. -.- geez

Posted by: Chris on September 9, 2008 1:15 AM