How Popeyes Turns Cultural Moments Into Measurable Sales

In this week's Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Brittany, Creative Editor at ADWEEK, speaks with Bart LaCount, SVP and CMO at Popeyes, and Joe Maglio, CEO at Cheil Agency Network, about how Popeyes became a cultural force. They explore balancing viral marketing with consistent sales, using social listening to spark unexpected collaborations, and scaling brand assets into impactful campaigns. The conversation highlights rapid experimentation, consumer co-creation, and embracing polarizing ideas to stay relevant, while also examining how partnerships, personalization, and AI are reshaping customer experiences in a competitive QSR landscape.

What You'll Learn:

• How to monitor social listening at scale to identify co-creation opportunities
• Why QSR demands simultaneous execution of "brand overnight and sales overnight."
• The pickle takeover framework for leveraging brand equity into cultural moments
• How to operationalize a two-way cultural conversation
• The strategic role of partnerships in amplifying brand reach beyond additive value
• How generative UI and personalization will reshape QSR ordering while maintaining operational feasibility

About the Guests:

Bart LaCount is the SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, bringing over 20 years of strategic leadership, including 18 years at Pepsico. He also has extensive experience across food and beverage categories, ranging from CPG to quick-service restaurants. Bart has developed deep expertise in navigating competitive, fast-paced markets where innovation cycles are shorter, and consumer engagement happens in real time.

Joe Maglio is the CEO of Cheil Agency Network, a collective of leading creative, production, and media agencies including McKinney, Iris, Attention Arc, CYLNDR Studios, and Barbarian. In his role, he oversees the performance of each agency while leading a cross-functional network team spanning finance, operations, HR, and growth, ensuring both creative excellence and business performance across the organization.

Guest Resources:

• Bart LaCount on LinkedIn
• Popeyes Website
• Joe Maglio on LinkedIn
• Cheil Network Agency Website

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