POPEYES | THAT LOOK FROM POPEYES | 2020
Not a Knockoff—It Sold Out Before the Original Did / POPEYES "THAT LOOK FROM POPEYES"
A few days after Beyoncé's new apparel line sold out instantly, fans online were buzzing about one thing: "wait, this looks just like Popeyes' uniform." Popeyes took that and sold the real thing, exactly as it was, on their own online store.
The problem
In January 2020, Beyoncé announced a new Ivy Park apparel line with Adidas, and it sold out immediately. But people online quickly noticed that the maroon and orange color combo looked just like Popeyes' uniform, and it instantly became a topic online.
The insight
If you already own the real thing that inspired the look, why not just sell it with confidence? Before the buzz died down, GUT recreated Beyoncé's team's campaign photos almost exactly, offering the real uniform to fans who'd missed out on the original. Speed was everything.
The idea
They recreated Beyoncé's campaign photos shot for shot, using actual Popeyes employees as models. For fans who'd missed their chance, they sold the real uniform—the very thing that had inspired the look—on their online store. They pulled it off just days after the original collection sold out.
What happened
The uniforms sold out multiple times, each time just as fast as the original collection had. The campaign won Gold, Silver, and Bronze at Cannes Lions, and also picked up a Silver Pencil in the Direct Marketing category at The One Show.
Afterthought
Not a parody, not a tribute—just "actually, we're the original." And the proof is the uniform employees wear every single day. That's an almost unbeatable case to make. The best part of this whole idea isn't even really advertising—it's just telling the truth.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2020
