REEL MINNEAPOLIS

Perdue takes on Buffalo Wing royalty

By Reel 360
January 27, 2026

Few foods dominate the Big Game like chicken wings. In 2025 alone, Americans devoured more than 1.47 billion wings, according to the National Chicken Council. That cultural truth sits at the heart of Perdue’s latest campaign, “The Next Best Wing,” created with Colle McVoy, which smartly leans into the tension between convenience and tradition at football’s biggest feast.

And if you’re going to make a claim about wings, there’s only one place to do it. Buffalo, N.Y. The birthplace of the Buffalo wing is a city where opinions are strong, loyalties run deep, and culinary heresy is not taken lightly. Rather than trying to outdo the city’s legendary wing joints, Perdue chose a more self-aware approach. The brand launched a citywide takeover designed to argue that its Air Fryer Ready Crispy Wings may not replace Buffalo’s barroom classics, but they just might earn a seat at the table.

The campaign is anchored by a 60-second hero film, supported by 30-, 15-, and 06-second cutdowns, shot documentary-style in local bars and at tailgates. Die-hard wing loyalists share their unfiltered opinions about Buffalo’s most sacred food. Watch below:

One spot, titled “Crazy,” ends in true Buffalo fashion when a local launches himself off a pickup tailgate through a folding table, embracing the city’s infamous “mafia” energy with a literal bang.

Perdue enlisted a cast of Buffalonians and New Yorkers with deep ties to the city, including hometown football player Joe Andreessen, to weigh in. No one dares claim Perdue’s wings are better than Buffalo’s best. Instead, each interaction builds toward a carefully calibrated conclusion: these are the next best wing.

“With ‘The Next Best Wing,’ we didn’t try to out-Buffalo Buffalo,” said Dave Fransen, executive vice president of earned creative at Colle McVoy. “We set out to earn a spot alongside the legends. Acknowledging Perdue wings might only be ‘The Next Best Wing’ in Buffalo might seem self-effacing, but in reality, there is no city more iconic for its passion for wings. We’re proud to take second place in Western New York, because we know if we can make it there, we’ll make it anywhere.”

The humor lives in the friction. Perdue’s respectful pursuit of credibility clashes with locals who refuse to crown anything new. In that tension, the brand finds its positioning sweet spot. Perdue’s wings aren’t here to overthrow the legends. They’re here to stand among them.

The tongue-in-cheek but genuinely respectful campaign rolled out across billboards, transit ads, and even a full-page spread in The Buffalo News.

“This was a concept that, once we saw it, energized us because it made so much sense,” said Jody Hallman, vice president of integrated marketing at Perdue. “‘The Next Best Wing’ strikes a perfect balance between humor and credibility as a tongue-in-cheek take on Perdue’s place in wing culture. And if Perdue’s Air Fryer Ready Crispy Wings can hold their own where wings matter most, they’ll deliver at any Big Game spread.”

Additional social-first spots roll out alongside the full campaign began January 26 across CTV, out-of-home, and social platforms, including Meta and TikTok. “The Next Best Wing” marks the latest work from Colle McVoy and Perdue since the agency became the brand’s creative AOR in 2022.

CREDITS:

BRAND: Perdue