What
happens when a restaurant brand stops simply advertising its food and starts
becoming part of the culture its customers enjoy? Well here is what Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru®
at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® thinks.
You
get something a little different from a traditional chicken commercial. You get
music, nostalgia, social conversation, community participation and, hopefully,
a reason for consumers to choose your restaurant.
Church’s Texas Chicken is taking that
approach with its new original Southern hip-hop song and music video,
“Chickahhhn,” featuring Memphis rapper Project Pat and Lil’ Lucky.
From
the perspective of the Grocerant Guru®, this is more than a clever promotional
campaign. It is an example of customer-focused, interactive and participatory
food marketing. Church’s is attempting
to connect its food with something consumers already enjoy: music, cultural
identity, shared memories and entertainment.
That
distinction matters.
Consumers
do not spend their entire day thinking about restaurant brands. They spend time
listening to music, watching videos, sharing social content, talking with
friends and participating in cultural experiences. Food marketers who
understand those behaviors have an opportunity to make their brands part of the
conversation rather than interrupt it.
The
objective is no longer simply to get consumers to see an advertisement. It is
to give them something they want to experience, share and talk about.
The smartest ingredient: Church’s listened to its customers
One
of the most interesting aspects of “Chickahhhn” is how the idea originated.
This
was not simply a marketing department deciding that hip-hop might appeal to
chicken customers. The campaign began with Lil’ Lucky creating his own
Church’s-inspired version of Project Pat’s 2001 hit, “Chickenhead,” featuring
Three 6 Mafia and La Chat.
That
social media moment attracted the attention of Project Pat and Church’s creative
agency, Brunner. Rather than ignore the organic conversation, Church’s recognized an opportunity and
helped turn it into an official collaboration.
Fried
Chicken, Biscuits & Sides+1
That
is an important marketing lesson.
Listen
first. Participate second. Promote third.
Consumers
are increasingly capable of creating brand-related entertainment themselves.
They remix, review, parody, photograph, record and share their experiences.
When a retailer or restaurant recognizes that participation and responds
authentically, it can turn a customer-created moment into a much larger brand
experience.
Church’s
also made several smart creative decisions:
·
Cultural relevance: Project Pat brings
an established Memphis and Southern hip-hop identity to the campaign.
·
Nostalgia: The vintage Church’s logo,
classic cars and throwback styling connect with consumers who remember earlier
eras of the brand.
·
New talent: Lil’ Lucky represents the
emerging creator who helped spark the original conversation.
·
Food identity: The campaign keeps
chicken at the center rather than allowing the entertainment to completely
overshadow the product.
·
Community connection: The brand
positions music as a way to bring people together, extending its relationship
with customers beyond the transaction.
This
is what I call participatory food marketing: creating an experience in which
customers can become part of the brand conversation instead of remaining
passive advertising audiences.
Proven examples: Food brands are becoming entertainment brands
Church’s
is not alone. Several restaurant brands are recognizing that entertainment can
create additional opportunities for consumer engagement.
1.
KFC: Finger Lickin' Machine
2026
KFC
released an original track, “Finger Lickin’ Machine,” with a music video
featuring Colonel Sanders. Importantly, the campaign connected entertainment to
its Value Feast offerings, including $7, $9 and $11 meal options.
This
is a useful example because the music does not exist in isolation. It supports
a specific value proposition and gives consumers something entertaining to
associate with the food offer.
Restaurant
Business Online+1
2.
Wendy’s: Songs to Listen to in a Wendy’s Parking Lot
2026
Wendy’s
released an original emo-style album with songs built around recognizable
restaurant and relationship experiences.
The
strategy is interesting because Wendy’s is not simply placing its logo beside
popular music. It is creating branded entertainment with a personality of its
own. Consumers can discover and share the content without first being
interested in a traditional restaurant advertisement.
EMARKETER+1
3.
Chipotle: From Ground to Sound
2026
Chipotle
partnered with the London Vegetable Orchestra to record an original composition
using instruments made from vegetables featured in its restaurants.
Corn,
peppers, avocado pits, lettuce and onions became part of the musical
experience. The idea connects food ingredients with creativity, sustainability
storytelling and brand recognition.
It
is an imaginative way to make ingredients themselves part of the entertainment.
PR
Newswire+1
4.
KFC and Spotify: Entertainment that can move customers into restaurants
There
is also measurable evidence that music-related marketing can do more than
generate views.
In
a Spotify advertising case study, KFC promoted a free Cinnabon Dessert Biscuits
offer with the purchase of a 10-piece meal. The campaign reportedly generated
85,000 store visits and a 17% lift in in-store visitation, 3.4 times the QSR
benchmark cited in the case study.
That
is an important distinction: this was an audio advertising and promotional
offer campaign, not an original-song campaign. Nevertheless, it demonstrates
how music environments, relevant food offers and convenient purchase
opportunities can work together to encourage actual restaurant visits.
Spotify
Advertising
The
lesson is straightforward: entertainment can earn attention, but connecting
that attention to an actionable food offer creates an opportunity to convert
engagement into sales.
The Grocerant connection: Don't stop at the song
Here
is where I believe Church’s and other restaurant operators can take this
strategy further.
Food
marketing should not end when the music video ends.
Consumers
move between restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, delivery
platforms and prepared-food departments without necessarily thinking about the
traditional boundaries separating those channels.
They
want food that fits their schedules, budgets, flavor preferences and social
occasions.
That
is the Grocerant Niche opportunity.
Imagine
Church’s extending “Chickahhhn” into a complete consumer participation
platform:
·
Social media: Invite customers to
create their own dance videos, food reactions and family chicken-meal moments
using the campaign's original sound.
·
In-store experiences: Host local
Chickahhhn nights featuring regional DJs, community artists and
customer-generated content.
·
Meal bundles: Create family chicken
meal deals that connect the campaign to a clear Price, Time and Flavor
proposition.
·
Hand-Held Marketing: Put QR codes on
takeout packaging, receipts and promotional materials that lead directly to the
music video, playlist or customer challenge.
·
Community participation: Give emerging
local artists opportunities to perform, collaborate and gain exposure through
restaurant-based events.
·
Cross-channel engagement: Make the
campaign relevant to dine-in, takeout, drive-thru and delivery customers, not
just those who visit a restaurant for the entertainment.
The
important point is to give consumers a reason to participate and a reason to
purchase.
A
music video can generate awareness. A customer challenge can generate
participation. A compelling meal deal can generate transactions. A memorable
restaurant experience can generate repeat visits.
These
are different marketing jobs, and the strongest campaigns connect them.
Measuring more than views and likes
Restaurant
executives should resist the temptation to declare a campaign successful simply
because a video attracts attention.
The
real test is whether that attention creates measurable customer behavior.
Church’s
should be evaluating:
1. Video
views, completion rates and repeat listening.
2. Customer-created
videos, shares and organic mentions.
3. QR-code
scans and visits to campaign landing pages.
4. Redemption
of campaign-related offers and meal bundles.
5. Incremental
restaurant traffic and transaction counts.
6. Average
check and repeat purchase behavior.
7. Participation
and engagement in local communities.
There
is also an important distinction between organic engagement and paid media
exposure. A million impressions purchased through advertising are not
necessarily equivalent to a million consumers choosing to share something
because they genuinely enjoy it.
The
objective should be to earn attention, encourage participation and connect both
to a profitable food purchase.
Three Grocerant
Guru® insights
1.
Stop interrupting culture. Start participating in it.
Consumers
don't need another restaurant advertisement telling them how good the chicken
is. They need reasons to connect with a brand emotionally, socially and
experientially. Church’s recognized a consumer-created social media moment and
turned it into an opportunity. That is customer listening translated into
marketing action.
2.
Entertainment earns attention; food delivers the transaction.
A
catchy song may get consumers talking, but the food, price, convenience and
overall experience must close the deal. Connect cultural marketing to meal
bundles, takeout, delivery and family occasions. Remember the Grocerant Guru's
Price + Quality + Social + Portability = Value equation.
3.
The next competitive advantage is consumer participation across channels.
Restaurants,
grocery retailers and convenience stores should all be thinking about how
customers can participate in their brands. Music, creators, social challenges,
local events and interactive packaging can connect consumers to prepared meals
wherever they shop. Don't think in channels. Think in consumer occasions.
The
bottom line: Church’s Texas Chicken has an interesting opportunity with
“Chickahhhn.” It has taken chicken, Southern hip-hop, nostalgia and a
consumer-created social media moment and combined them into something bigger
than a conventional food advertisement.
The
Grocerant Guru® sees this as a reminder that successful food marketing is
evolving. Consumers don't simply want to be marketed to. They want to be
included, entertained, recognized and invited to participate.
The
brands that understand that distinction will have an opportunity to earn more
than a moment of attention. They can earn a place in consumers' conversations,
purchasing decisions and everyday food experiences.
That's
food marketing with a cultural beat and a commercial purpose.
Steven
Johnson is the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice
Solutions®. Foodservice Solutions® identified and coined the Grocerant Niche in
1996 and continues to champion the intersection of retail foodservice, prepared
foods and evolving consumer behavior.
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