Y’All – Popeyes made a hot sauce with Megan Thee Stallion and it’s our Reel Ad of the Week. But the QSR and hot performer didn’t stop there. Popeyes announces a HOT collaboration with Grammy Award-winning musician, entrepreneur, and now Popeyes Franchise Owner, Megan Thee Stallion, as they introduce a new sauce, Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce, and co-branded merchandise, as part of a limited-edition collection.
Ownership matters.
Developed by Miami-based GUT, the promotion began October 19th. Hottie Sauce has now been spicing up the iconic Chicken Sandwich and the brand’s new Nuggets in the U.S. and in 14 countries around the globe. This marks the first time Popeyes will release a new variation of its iconic Popeyes Chicken Sandwich.
Megan worked closely with the Popeyes culinary team to develop the exclusive Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce, which flaunts a sweet, yet bold flavor with a hint of spice, inspired by Megan’s sassy personality. Made with honey, cider vinegar, and Aleppo pepper, the Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce adds a perfect amount of heat to complement the authentic Louisiana chicken recipe fans know and love.
To bring this one-of-a-kind collaboration to life, Popeyes and Megan Thee Stallion shared a tease of their music video-style short form film here. This Western-inspired project features Megan’s alter ego, Tina Snow, as the bandit, stealing her Hottie Sauce and Megan chasing it from her hometown of Houston to Popeyes hometown of New Orleans to secure her sauce.
True fans will notice the attention to detail with an appearance by Megan’s French Bulldog 4oe, nail art by the one and only Coca Michelle, visual effects that tap into her love of anime by McFlyy, and costumes by Zerina Akers. Watch below:
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“I’m appreciative of Popeyes commitment to empowering Black women and look forward to opening Popeyes Restaurants,” said Megan Thee Stallion. “Teaming up with Popeyes is such a milestone in my journey and evolution as an entrepreneur. I’ve always been a fan of the Popeyes brand and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join the brand and help create the new Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce for their line-up.”
“Popeyes one-of-a-kind partnership with Megan Thee Stallion goes well beyond the average marketing collaboration. We are unifying two pop culture icons, and Megan’s innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial vision is at the core of everything we’re doing. For the first time ever, we are changing our famous Chicken Sandwich to add a sauce that was custom-made with and for Megan. We are launching three new lines of merchandise designed by Megan to capture her one-of-a-kind style. And, more than that, we are thrilled to welcome Megan to the Popeyes franchise family and look forward to working closely with her over many years as she begins her journey as a restaurateur.” added Sami Siddiqui, President of Popeyes Americas.
The Bigger Picture
As part of the larger collaboration, Popeyes and Megan will be making a six-figure donation to Houston Random Acts of Kindness, whose mission is to promote empathy and compassion while encouraging selfless concern for the welfare of others in the Houston community.
The first collection of Popeyes x Megan Thee Stallion merch, Thee Heat, includes bikinis, long sleeve shirts, hats, tumblers and Popeyes chicken tenders plush dog toys. Two additional merchandise releases will be available throughout the month of November. Fans can sign up at TheeHottieSauce.com to receive updates & notification about upcoming drops. Creative partner Harper & Scott found inspiration for this collaboration from Megan Thee Stallion’s famously fiery personality, dynamic presence and her bold individual aesthetic.
“What can we say – we wanted to create the HOTTEST partnership of the year” says Bruno Cardinali, Chief Marketing Officer for Popeyes. “We have a lot in common with Megan Thee Stallion — from our southern roots, to our shared love for flavor with a lot of spice, she embodies the proud, spirited, joyful and big-hearted personality we embrace with our food and heritage,” says Bruno.
CREDITS:
CLIENT: Popeyes
- Bruno Cardinali, Chief Marketing Officer, North America
- Paloma Azulay, Global Chief Brand Officer, RBI
- Ryan Robertson, Global Head of Marketing
- Patricia Pieranti, Head of Marketing Communications
- Chris Lyn-Sue, Brand Marketing, Global
- Andrea Dufford, Senior Manager, Brand Communications
- Morgan Wilkinson, Senior Manager Brand Communications
- Emily Ciantra, Senior Manager Public Relations and Brand Communications
- Daniela Chamorro, Marketing Communications Manager
AGENCY: GUT
- Anselmo Ramos Creative Chairman, Founder
- Paulo Fogaça COO, Partner
- Carmen Rodriguez Chief Client Officer, Partner
- Ricardo Casal ECD, Partner
- Juan Javier Peña Plaza, ECD, Partner
- Fernando Ribeiro, Chief Strategy Officer, Partner
- Danny Alvarez, ECD
- Guido Fusetti, Head of Art
- Alexandra Velasco, Director of Communications
- Eliana Ferrer, Creative Director
- Jeff Hodgson, Creative Director
- Samantha Lemoine, Social Creative Director
- Tom Francesconi, Creative Director
- Willow Ennen, Art Director
- Andrew Gonzalez, Art Director
- Nefari Steele, Content Manager
- Christopher Williams, Social Strategist
- Stephanie Carrasco, Content Creator
- Nadia Lynch, Content Creator
- Rebecca Miranda, Junior Designer
- Cristina Cornejo Ayala, Creative Manager
- Junia Parodi, Creative Manager
- Pablo Rosas, Director of Strategy
- William Ramos, Social Strategy Director
- Tierney Riccitelli, Junior Strategist
- Renata Neumann, Head of Production
- Ale Marie Odriozola, Senior Producer
- Amber Peña, Producer
- Stephanie Schmalbach, Social Producer
- Jennifer Rangel, Account Director
- Emily Zangen, Account Supervisor
- Jamal Smith, Account Supervisor
- Kristy Garcia, Social Project Manager
- Bennett Bennett, Creative Strategist
ROC NATION / MEGAN TEAM:
- ARTIST, Megan Pete
- MANAGEMENT, Travis Farris
- MANAGEMENT, Sam Riddle
- PUBLIC RELATIONS, Whitney Tancred
- SECURITY, Mike Madelon
- SECURITY, Leo Pili
- SECURITY, Anthony “Tone” Bray
- ROC NATION, Daniel Kinney
- ROC NATION, Maddie Eggers
- HAIR STYLIST, Kellon Williams
- HAIR ASSISTANT, Justin Hedrick
- MAKEUP ARTIST, David Velasquez
- MAKEUP ASSISTANT, Jose Yanez
- STYLIST, Zerina Akers
- STYLIST ASSISTANT, Christian Barberena
- TAILOR, Karine Gasparyan
- NAIL STYLIST, Michelle Nguyen
- BTS, Emilio Garcia
- DRIVER, Igor Mikhaylets
- TOUR MANAGER, Reneeka Rae
PRODUCTION:
- Kajal, Director
- Fuliane Petikyan, Executive Producer/Producer
- Luis Perez, Director of Photography
- Sherman Johnson, Director of Photography (FOOD)
- Juliana Zanon, Line Producer
- Farah Khadjetourians, Production Supervisor
- Dafna Harrison, Associate Producer
- Lillian Barboza, Asst Prod Supervisor
- Daniel Alonso, Asst Prod Supervisor
- Joy Hubbard, B Unit / Socials Producer
AD DEPARTMENT:
- 1ST AD, Valentina Carmona
- 2ND AD, Francisco “Pancho” Useche
- 2ND 2ND AD, Solange Gonzalez
CAMERA & SOUND DEPARTMENTS:
- STEADICAM OPERATOR, Renard Cheren
- 1ST AC – A CAMERA, Roberto Ballesteros
- 1ST AC – B CAMERA, Abdiel Thorne
- 2ND AC – A CAMERA , Sean Lunski
- 2ND AC – B CAMERA , Jennifer Galipault
- VTR, Jeromimo Terife
- ZOOM, Alexander Cristofoli
- DIT, Daniel Garcia
- CRANE OPERATOR, Per Ricardo Blasco
- CRANE TECH, Marcus Mayoral
- SCRIPT SUPERVISOR, Melinda Taksen
- SOUND MIXER DAY 2, Andres Ochoa
- BOOM OPERATOR, Rae Brown
- BTS/SOCIAL SHOOTER, Gianni ” Bugsy” Rodriguez
GRIP & ELECTRIC DEPARTMENTS:
- GAFFER, Nicolas “Chachito” Donadio
- BB ELECTRIC / DRIVER, Carlos Perozo
- 3RD ELECTRIC, Nelson Sanchez
- 4TH ELECTRIC, Josh Gallagher
- 5TH ELECTRIC, Kai Morbey
- KEY GRIP / Gen driver, Pedro Navarro Jr
- BB GRIP DAY 2 / DRIVER, Pedro Navarro Sr
- 3RD GRIP, Tomas Delgado
- 4TH GRIP, Mauricio Jose Gomez
- 5TH GRIP / Truck Driver, Juan De Marziani
- 6TH GRIP, Johy Garcia
ART DEPARTMENT:
- PRODUCTION DESIGNER, Natalie Falt
- ART DIRECTOR – MIA, Harper Hellams
- ART DIRECTOR – LA, Juan Ramal
- ART COORDINATOR , Danny Pinzon
- SET DECORATOR, Kim Pierce
- LEAD CARPENTER, Eric Tiefenbach
- CARPENTER, Blaine Sweickowski
- SET DRESSER/TRUCK, Ryan Stone
- SET DRESSER, Gabriel Rodriguez
- SHOPPER, Jilanna Allison
- GREENS, Robert Kopp
- FOOD STYLIST, Sasha Rodriguez
- FOOD STYLIST ASST, Joseph Perez
- FOOD STYLIST ASST, Matt Clifton
- HOME EC TRUCK DRIVER, Jonathan Burgos
- HOME EC TRUCK PA, Jorge Garcia
VANITIES:
- STYLIST, Ann-Marie Hoang
- STYLIST ASST, Kim Nguyen
- STYLIST – MIA, Jordan Perez
- STYLIST ASST, Synida Perez
- SEAMSTRESS/ASST , Samantha Mullins
- HMU, Keema Chang
- HMU ASST, Morine Stewart
- MAKE-UP, Jackee Beard
- NAIL STYLIST, Brittni Ruggiero
COVID COMPLIANCE / CREW:
- COVID COMPLIANCE OFFICER, Dennise Perez
- COVID COMPLIANCE ASST, Lissette Mejia
- COVID COMPLIANCE ASST, Farid Jamid
- NURSE LOC 1, Beatriz
STUNTS / ANIMALS:
- STUNT COORDINATOR, Chick Bernhard
- HORSE WRANGLER, Dennis Devaugh
- ANIMAL WRANGLER, Stacy Marino
PRODUCTION SUPPORT:
- LOCATIONS, Barbara Breves
- LOCATION ASSISTANT, Douglas Dasilva
- VFX SUPERVISOR, Bradley Crawford
- VFX SUPERVISOR, Noah Sterling
- HUMANE SOCIETY REP, David Carroll
- SET MEDIC (D2), Wilfredo Gonzalez
- CRAFT SERVICES (D2), Nena Bonn
- CRAFT SERVICES ASST, Dana Wald
- PROD TRAILER DRIVER, per Cesar Nieto
- STAR TRAILER 1 DRIVER, per Cesar Nieto
- KEY PA, Shannon Pak
- PA/ RIDER / RUNNER, Rosangel Espinoza
- PA / SET, Maria “Tati” Haack
- PA / SET, Hector Perez
- PA/ SET, Yazy Ozuna
- PA/ SET, Braxton Jones
- PA/ SET / SHUTTLE, Gerry Laurore
- PA / – BLACK BOX, Alexis Aguero
- PA / Producer’s VAN, George Baez
- PA/ SET, Denisse Simmons
- PA/ SET, Courtney Morgan
- PA/ SET, Nicole Batista
- PA/ SET, Christian Galvez
CAST:
- BODY DOUBLE 1, Sandra Agustin
- BODY DOUBLE 2, Nastassia Friday
- BADDIE SQUAD 1, Ciarra Marie
- BADDIE SQUAD 2, Nicole Cole
- STOLEN SAUCE GIRL, Melisza McPherson
- BARTENDER, Alex Coronado
- COOK, Jamal Stewart
- BURGER GUY, Danny Chung
- WAITRESS, Payton Georgiana
- DUNKING NUGGET, Isabella Tabio
- SALOON EXTRA, Sipiwe Anderson
- SALOON EXTRA, Virginia Alvarez
- SALOON EXTRA, Brett Rivera
- SALOON EXTRA, Jamorris Hill
- HOT MEN OUTSIDE, Claudio Baldizon
- HOT MEN OUTSIDE, Quinten Bernard
- HAND MODEL, Lory Toussaint
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Brittani Cherie
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Dhane Ross
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Marcela Taha
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Sylvia Cooper
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Giovanni Messina
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Richard Woodbury
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Tim Richardson
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Daryl Edwards
- RESTAURANT EXTRA, Isis Carranza
- IN-HOUSE POST (GUT):
- Nicolas Fernandez, Motion Designer / Editor
COLOR: BONCH POST
- EP/Post Producer, Jeff Weidemann
- Colorist/Finisher, Kevin Kim
- Martin Deen, Assistant
- Ethan Lachman, Assistant
- Samantha O’brien, Assistant
EDIT: NOMAD POST
- Editor, Brandon Porter
- Assistant Editor, Zoe Newman
- Post Producer, Ashton Evans
AUDIO: POST BY ANIMAL
- Raul Garcia – Lead Producer
- Paola Altamirano – Re-recording Mixer
- Alberto Farinas – Executive Producer
CROWD MGMT:
Derek Blanks, Image Editor
ANIMATION/VFX: dreambear, LLC
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
- Evan Brown, Dave Gelb
- ANIMATION / VFX PRODUCERS
- Noah Sterling, Kelly Schiesswohl
- VFX SUPERVISOR/ EDITOR
- Bradley Crawford
- Noah Sterling
2D Animation – APUS
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
- Gabriel Bonilla
- GENERAL SUPERVISOR
- Manu Larios
- LINE PRODUCER
- Barbara Rios Tamayo
- ASSISTANT PRODUCER / TRANSLATOR
- Grey Endruhn
- POST PRODUCTION/ VFX Supervisor
- Eduardo “Wawin” Arriaga
- 2D ART DIRECTOR
- Carlos Palacios “Carlz”
- 2D CONCEPT ART
- Diego Diaz
- Danilo Lynes
- Christian Mateo
- 2D ANIMATION
- Christian Jimenez
- Estefano Huaman
- Andre Ruiz
- Melci Asto
- 2D FX ANIMATION
- Manlio Fasce
- 2D INK AND COLOR SUPERVISOR
- Ronny Palomino
- 2D INK AND COLOR
- Victor Arriojas Hedderich
- Lucero ‘Meloo’ Martinez
- Valeria Barrantes Hurtado
- Felipe Melgarejo
- Edward Díaz Ayala
- Ireneko-chan
- Sofía Rodríguez Ruiz
- 2D POST PRODUCTION
- Carlos Fuentes
- Alonso Bello
VFX – DARK FRAME
- VFX SUPERVISOR
- Fernando Campos
- COMPOSITING SUPERVISOR
- Zack Rodríguez Moreno
- CG SUPERVISOR
- Raúl Campos Moloko Plus
- VFX PRODUCER
- Enrique Cantú Garza
- VFX COORDINATOR
- Fabiola Ferreiros Olivera
- 3D MODELING
- Raúl Campos Moloko Plus, Fabiola Ferreiros Olivera
- LIGHTING AND TEXTURE
- Raúl Campos Moloko Plus
- ANIMATION
- Raúl Campos Moloko Plus
- RENDERING
- Raúl Campos Moloko Plus
- COLOR CORRECTION
- Fernando Campos
- ROTOSCOPING AND COMPOSITING
- Fernando Campos, Zack Rodríguez Moreno, Raúl Campos Moloko Plus, Lorenga Sosa
- MATCH MOVING / TRACKING
- Wendy Hernández Ramos
- SYSTEM SUPPORT
- Óscar López, Mauricio Trejo
- Post Production: WAWIN E.I.R.L
- POST PRODUCTION, FINISH AND COLOR CORRECTION
- Wawin Arriagada
- ROTOSCOPING AND COMPOSITING
- Joel Bravo
- ROTOSCOPING AND COMPOSITING
- Kevin Mamani
ALISON BROD MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS:
- Alison Brod, Owner
- Lauren Bishop Jennings, Senior Vice President
- Dara Schopp Helitzer, Director
- Kristin Martinez, Senior Account Executive
- Mollie Birer, Account Executive
- Kate Beeks, Account Coordinator