Popeyes increases ROAS by 680% with programmatic strategy
Reaching the right customers at the right price
Since entering the UK in 2021, Popeyes—the quick-service restaurant chain specializing in Louisiana-style fried chicken—faced intense competition and struggled to reach customers. They partnered with StackAdapt and used a strategic bid optimization and targeting strategy to boost awareness and drive in-store traffic, resulting in over 45K conversions and an award-winning campaign recognized for its innovation in AI-powered advertising.
Serving up awareness and conversions
Although Popeyes had the right creative assets, they needed a programmatic partner to serve ads to the right customers. To drive conversions, Popeyes leveraged StackAdapt’s full menu of features, allowing them to fine-tune their targeting and ad placements for maximum engagement. Here are some of the tactics they used:
Custom Targeting
Used StackAdapt’s Browsing Audiences and Page Context AI to target users interested in relevant topics, such as “fried chicken.”
Bid Optimization
Implemented strategic bid goals and made real-time adjustments to maintain a CPC of £0.91 and improve campaign effectiveness.
Pixel Tracking
Leveraged StackAdapt’s proprietary pixel to track online sales, assess ad performance, and measure return on ad spend (ROAS).
Award-winning programmatic strategy delivers affordable CPC for QSR
Through its partnership with StackAdapt, Popeyes cooked up a data-driven programmatic strategy to deliver ads to the right audiences. The campaign’s AI-driven approach helped StackAdapt earn the 2025 Programmatic Impact Award for Best Use of AI in a Campaign by AdExchanger.
Celebrated for its creative use of targeting, the collaboration between StackAdapt and Popeyes is a testament to how AI-powered programmatic can drive meaningful growth, even in the most competitive markets.
“Partnering with StackAdapt transformed how we reach and engage our UK audience. Their programmatic expertise allowed us to deliver ads to the right customers at the right time, exceeding our goals for impressions and conversions—all while staying within budget.”
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