Posts Tagged ‘Popeye’s’
Really good stereotypers
Recently, I’ve been working on a minority-focused campaign, and it’s done nothing but made me ask lots of questions. Now, for a typical white guy working in the ad industry, I am blessed to both work for a minority-owned firm and have very candid relationships with several black people I work with, which means they will give me nothing but honest feedback on whether or not an idea is treading too close to that mythical line of offensiveness. And for our whole creative team, that’s an invaluable asset. But this process has made me analyze the way other brands flail in their attempts to market to segments by ethnography instead of demography. All that’s to say: I don’t think anybody is getting minority-targeted marketing right.
I really loathe Popeye’s new stuff
Wow. I couldn’t believe the first few Popeye’s spots when they aired recently. I honestly thought I was watching a spot from the 70s when racial stereotyping was the way to go in advertising. Not only is the character portrayal amazingly stereotypical, but it’s also just bad work.
Now, I can easily say that about 10% of my loathing is nothing more than jealousy to work on a brand like Popeye’s, and about 40% of it is the fact that an Austin agency did a horrendous job representing the flavor of New Orleans. For someone who once lived in the Crescent City, I am really disappointed at the rebrand. They aimed incredibly low (fleur-de-lis and saxaphones) to hit people’s trite, hackneyed stereotypes of New Orleans with the brand work, so why would I expect anything less from their tv work? I mean, really, has anybody on that account been to New Orleans other than the Quarter or during Mardi Gras? OK, and the Garden District to see Trent Reznor’s house? There is so much life and culture and color that bubbles out of every stinky sewer, sweaty restaurant and great recipe in that retchedly awesome town that you would think somebody could throw up a red flag and say, “Um, this work is incredibly lame.” It’s like doing a MEGA-DEALS promo for BMW. That’s not how you sell something as awesome as the food of New Orleans. Granted, I kinda dig the tagline, but the rest of the brand is really just lame. Anybody could slap a Church’s, Captain D’s, Long John Silver’s, Chubby’s, etc logo on the work, and nobody would know the difference.
What’s that?
You used orange?
That’s what makes it unique?
Oh, and you slapped a fleur-de-lis all up on it.
Got it. My bad.
The fact is, it’s just over the top, stereotypical, mediocre work. This looks somebody brought in some old hired guns that was passed their prime when Copperplate was in vogue. The tv in particular is just awful. Granted, there’s a nugget of a good idea in there. I can see it, but it doesn’t come out on the screen. Having a “fried chicken expert” in the kitchen of your store is neat. Real neat. Like this one sassy lady cooks all the chicken in all your stores, or at least macro manages all 400 of your corporate and franchisee stores across the country. That seems very plausible. Wait a minute, scratch that nugget comment.
So where does the campaign go from here? Do we get more racial, more trite and more muddled with other fried-centric brands? Or do you focus on the idea that makes Popeyes unique among all QSR competitors: Louisiana, Fast.
And I hate to say this (because PC I am not), but if their agency were at least a minority owned firm (like we are), you could give Popeye’s a pass. But GSDM is definitely not. So good luck, Popeye’s, in cleaning this up. I think you might want to hire a minority firm to step in, clean up your work and prove that you’re not in bed with racists.
But that’s just me, the jealous, New Orleans ex-pat CD who loves good advertising and Cajun food.