Ad Testing: Popeyes' Super Bowl 2024 TV Spot 'The Wait Is Over' Featuring Ken Jeong

In this article, we analyzed Popeyes' Super Bowl 2024 teaser TV spot 'The Wait Is Over,' featuring Ken Jeong, focusing on viewer responses and the ad's effectiveness.

The recent Popeyes advertising campaign showcases a humorous TV spot titled 'The Wait Is Over,' where actor and comedian Ken Jeong humorously depicts a 52-year cryogenic freeze to await the perfect chicken wings. Premiered during Super Bowl LVIII in January 2024, the campaign spans TV, online, and social media platforms, including YouTube, to reach a broad audience. Developed by the McKinney agency, this campaign aims to promote Popeyes' new chicken wings in an entertaining and memorable way.

This article delves into the detailed results of our ad testing, focusing on key aspects like emotional response, uniqueness, relevance, and purchase intention, with a spotlight on differences across demographic groups.

The ad: Popeyes’ 'The Wait Is Over'

After spending more than 50 years frozen waiting for a better chicken wing, Howie, played by comedian Ken Jeong, is finally defrosted with the arrival of Popeyes' new wings. Curious about how the world has changed since 1972, Howie embarks on a journey. With his Popeyes wings in hand, he explores modern conveniences like e-scooters (which he struggles to drive), robotic vacuum cleaners, and self-driving cars that let him enjoy his crispy wings from the passenger seat. Howie's most thrilling discovery is that he can have his beloved Popeyes delivered straight to him by a fleet of drones.

Research Methodology

Our analysis begins with a detailed look at the methodology, incorporating deeptrue's Advertising Test: a meticulously designed online survey targeting internet-savvy individuals aged 18 to 59 across the USA. With a balanced gender and age distribution and a sample size of 300 respondents, the study's findings offer representative insights into the advertisement's reception.

Ad Testing Results from Survey

Likability

The overall likability of Popeyes' 'The Wait Is Over' Super Bowl TV spot is very positive, with the majority of respondents expressing a favorable opinion of the commercial. The likability ratings were exceptionally high: 80% of viewers liked the commercial. This strong positive response indicates that the ad has effectively resonated with the target audience.

Notably, male viewers rated the commercial even higher, with an 84% likability rating, compared to 75% among female viewers. The likability ratings were consistent across all age groups, with viewers aged 50-59 showing an 81% likability and the 18-29 age group at 78%, demonstrating a broadly appealing ad.

These high likability ratings, particularly among male viewers, highlight the commercial's success in capturing and retaining viewer interest, thereby enhancing its overall impact.

Open-Ended Responses on Likability:

• Humor: A significant number of respondents found Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' funny and appreciated the comedic elements. Comments such as "It was funny", "The humor in it", and "I like the comedy" highlighted the ad's success in using humor to engage viewers. This aligns with the emotional response data, where laughter and happiness were prominently reported.‍
• Actor/Cast: Respondents liked the actor, particularly Ken Jeong, and appreciated his performance in the ad. Feedback like "Ken Jeong is hilarious", "I love the actor Kim and Popeyes is delicious", and "I love the cast" underscored the positive reception of the cast's involvement, enhancing the ad's overall appeal.‍
• Product Appeal: Many respondents were interested in the product being advertised, especially the new chicken wings. Comments such as "The product in the ad is the best thing", "Popeyes now has wings", and "The food and flavors I seen" indicated a strong interest in the advertised product, highlighting its attractiveness.‍
• Storyline/Concept: The storyline and overall concept of the ad were appreciated by the viewers. Remarks like "The storyline", "Everything, the entire concept like the frozen person idea", and "It was creative" reflected the positive reception of the ad's narrative and innovative concept, contributing to its likability.‍
• Visuals/Graphics: Respondents liked the visuals and graphics used in the ad. Feedback such as "The graphics", "The visuals", and "Modern and cool and trendy" praised the visual appeal of the commercial, noting its sharp and attention-grabbing aesthetics.
• Entertainment Value: Viewers found the ad entertaining and engaging. Comments like "It was entertaining", "I thought it was very unique and humorous", and "It's fun and very upbeat" highlighted the entertainment value of the ad, making it enjoyable to watch.

The combination of humor, strong cast performance, product appeal, creative storyline, visual appeal, and entertainment value made Popeyes' 'The Wait Is Over' TV spot a well-liked advertisement.

Emotional Response

The emotional response to Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' was overwhelmingly positive, with the majority of respondents feeling happy (51%), amused (45%), and excited (41%). These reactions are pivotal for creating impactful advertising, suggesting a strong connection between the ad's content and viewer enjoyment. Ken Jeong's humorous portrayal and the whimsical storyline were significant factors in evoking these emotions. Additionally, the creative concept of a man rediscovering the world with Popeyes chicken wings resonated well with the audience, enhancing the ad's emotional appeal. This positive emotional feedback highlights the ad's success in capturing viewer interest and boosting brand recall.

Uniqueness

An impressive 81% of participants found Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' to be unique and different from other ads they had seen. This distinctiveness can be attributed to the ad's innovative approach, blending humor with an imaginative storyline featuring Ken Jeong as a man defrosted after 50 years. The uniqueness of the ad stands out in a crowded media landscape, making it more memorable to viewers.

Notably, viewers aged 50-59 rated the ad as unique and different at an even higher rate of 88%, highlighting its particular appeal to older demographics.

The effective use of creative visuals and a compelling narrative underscores the ad's success in capturing attention and setting itself apart from more conventional advertisements. This ability to stand out is essential for ensuring the ad's message resonates with a wide audience.

Relevance

The relevance of Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' to its target audience shows a strong overall connection, with 75% of respondents finding it relevant.

Notably, relevance scores were highest among the 50-59 age group, with 78% rating the ad as relevant, compared to 71% in the 18-29 age group. This suggests that while the ad resonates well across all age segments, it particularly strikes a chord with older viewers.

Additionally, 75% of female respondents and 74% of male respondents found the ad relevant, indicating balanced gender engagement.

Purchase Intention

The purchase intention for Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' is notably strong, with 70% of respondents indicating they are likely to visit the restaurant based on the ad.

This positive response is slightly higher among males, with 74% expressing purchase intention compared to 66% of females.

Age-wise, the 30-49 age group showed the highest purchase intention at 72%, while the 18-29 and 50-59 age groups were close behind at 67% and 68%, respectively.

Clarity and Message Transfer

The clarity of the message in Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' was remarkably high, with 89% of respondents stating that the message "Popeyes finally has wings" was clear. This clarity was consistent across various demographics, with 90% of male viewers and 88% of female viewers understanding the message. Age-wise, the 18-29 age group had the highest clarity at 91%, followed closely by the 50-59 age group at 90% and the 30-49 age group at 88%.

These results demonstrate that the ad effectively communicated its core message across all major demographic segments, ensuring that the launch of Popeyes' new wings was well understood by the audience. The high clarity rates underline the ad's success in delivering a straightforward and memorable message.

Brand Fit

The brand fit of Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' was highly rated, with 81.5% of respondents finding the ad suitable for their impressions of Popeyes.

Male and female respondents rated the brand fit equally, with 82% of males and 81% of females finding the ad suitable for their impressions of Popeyes.

Age-wise, the 50-59 age group rated the ad as the best fit, with 85% finding it suitable, while the 18-29 and 30-49 age groups rated it at 80% and 81%, respectively.

These findings suggest that the ad resonates well across different demographics. This high level of brand fit indicates that the ad effectively communicates the essence of Popeyes, reinforcing positive brand impressions and appealing broadly to its audience.

Brand Impact

The brand impact of Popeyes' TV spot 'The Wait Is Over' is predominantly positive, with 73 of respondents indicating that the ad improved their perception of the brand.

This positive shift is more pronounced among male viewers, with 76% reporting a favorable change, compared to 69% of female viewers. Age-wise, the ad had the strongest positive impact on the 18-29 age group, with 75% feeling more positive about Popeyes after viewing the ad, followed by 72% in the 30-49 age group and 71% in the 50-59 age group.

These findings suggest that the ad successfully enhances the brand's image across a wide range of demographics, with particularly strong effects among younger and male audiences. The overall positive brand impact highlights the effectiveness of the ad in reinforcing and improving consumer perceptions of Popeyes.

Conclusion

The Popeyes Super Bowl 2024 TV spot was highly successful in terms of likability, emotional reaction, and engagement. The humor and Ken Jeong's performance resonated well with viewers. The ad showed strong potential to drive purchase intentions, though maintaining its engaging nature without being too lengthy will be crucial for maximizing impact. Overall, the ad received a positive reception.

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