This is the reward you get for helping a brand launch a menu item that becomes a part of pop culture. Miami agency, Gut, has been named AOR for Popeyes, effectively ending a relationship with incumbent GSD&M since 2008.
Gut, founded in 2018 by former DAVID creatives Anselmo Ramos and Gaston Bigio, spent much of last year introducing the insanely popular ( and delicious) Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich. The tasty sandwich not only found a place in the hearts and stomachs of its guest, but became a part of the zeitgeist by instigating “The Chicken Wars” with Chick-fil-A.
While Gut has taken on much of the brand’s creative work and strategy in recent months, GSD&M was behind the tweets directed at Chick-fil-A last summer that prompted the so-called chicken sandwich wars.
According to Adweek, when Burger King’s global chief marketing officer Fernando Machado began overseeing marketing for Popeyes last year (the two are owned by the same company, Restaurant Brands International), he brought Gut on board to help the brand “expand the boundaries of what’s possible” and “create more cool stuff.”
When the sandwich’s popularity led to a two-month shortage, Gut helped Popeyes mark the menu item’s return by bringing it back on a Sunday, the one day of the week rival Chick-fil-A is notoriously closed.
Ramos released this tweet, announcing the move.
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Earlier this year, Gut had a bit of fun by comparing Popeyes’ color scheme with Beyoncé’s new activewear collaboration with Adidas. The agency created a Popeyes-themed clothing line in response and sold the apparel online via a dedicated website until it was sold out.
“Our favorite part of working with Popeyes is our aligned ambition,” Ramos said in a statement. “We all want to do work that shapes pop culture and gets shared and talked about, otherwise what’s the point. With Popeyes as a client we have no excuses for not doing great work. They’re fast and, most importantly, they’re brave.”
Gut has offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and São Paulo.
