2026 Winner

With its All-Pickle Menu, Popeyes needed to reach true pickle obsessives, so it turned to Fortnite as an unexpected data source. The campaign identified players using the “Big Dill” pickle skin as a high-intent audience, effectively turning character selection into a behavioural targeting signal. Partnering with GoodGamers, the brand built a virtual Popeyes inside a popular game mode, accessible only to those players, where riddles and environmental clues sparked community buzz. To convert interest into action, players shared proof of their visit on X to receive real-world coupons, closing the loop from virtual identity to physical purchase. In four days, the campaign drove 17.1M engagements, attracted more than 720,000 players and 617,000 minutes spent in-game, alongside 3.5M organic social views.

Credits

Omid Amidi Co-CCO, McKinney
Lyle Yetman Co-CCO, McKinney
Caleb McMullen Associate Creative Director, McKinney Canada
Hussein Rumaithi Associate Creative Director, McKinney Canada
Melanie Wallace Account Director, McKinney
Pam Mills Account Director, McKinney Canada
Adhish Jawalkar Account Manager, McKinney Canada
Paddy Mangunta Group Strategy Director, McKinney
Macarena Marcos Strategy Director, McKinney
Warren Goodwin, Editor, CYLNDR Studios (Toronto)

Agency: McKinney Canada
Production: CYLNDR Studios
Client: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Audio: Grayson Music
Developers: GoodGamers