The Popeye’s chicken sandwich that captured the attention of the world this summer returns to the restaurant’s menu this Sunday.  How did the sandwich make its way into the spotlight?  Marketing faculty at UNO Lisa Palumbo says much of the hype can be traced to Popeye’s use of social media.

“Whoever runs their social media is pretty savvy about getting attention, especially of the younger generations who are inclined towards sharing things that are funny, especially their Twitter,” said Palumbo.

The sandwich’s return on a Sunday seems to be a direct shot to the bow of Chick-fil-a, whose is closed on Sunday.  Palumbo says good-natured jabs are trendy in marketing.

“This is kind of a whole new tack on it to do this sort of good-natured ribbing. It can backfire for you if you’re being nasty, but they are not really being nasty, they are just sort of joking, so it’s going over really well,” said Palumbo.

Palumbo says the item’s national disappearance due to running out of sandwiches ultimately adds to marketing buzz around the restaurant, despite the loss of sales.

“They lost a lot by not having it available.  However, is that going to hurt them, in the long run, going forward?  I don’t think so because the feedback was so positive for the sandwich.  Overwhelmingly, people seem to prefer the Popeye’s sandwich,” said Palumbo.

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