Fast food chain, Popeyes, made a smart move on Tuesday night, signing a D-II college football player to a NIL deal who went viral for Popeyes-related reasons 10 years ago.
You must have come across that kid before. No matter for whatever reason you use the internet, it is nearly impossible for anyone to not come across this hilarious kid who became a “meme template” ever since.
The player, Dieunerst Collin, also known as “The Popeyes meme kid”, is a freshman offensive lineman at D-II Lake Erie College.
On Sunday, Collin took to Twitter and requested that his followers visit his Instagram account and repost his recent post while tagging Popeyes. The social media post caught the attention of Popeyes and they responded to Collin with a quote tweet reading, “Let’s get that bread(ing)”
The story of the “Popeye Kid”?
In 2013, Collins was featured in a Vine (RIP) video in which a stranger told him he looked like Vine celebrity TerRio. The moment happened to be inside a Popeyes restaurant and Collins gave a side-eye, confused look at the camera in Popeyes. That video went viral and the moment is frequently used still in photo and GIF form across the internet.
Fast forward 10 years, Collin is now a D-II football player that won a New Jersey state championship with East Orange High School in 2021. And now he has a NIL deal with Popeyes, after going viral for a Popeyes moment as a nine-year-old. This is an interesting and exciting way Popeyes has found to connect with the younger generation through social media, by leveraging the power of a viral meme.
Popeyes has been expanding its product line and is pushing its way into new markets. The company’s focus on younger generations and its digital marketing strategy has been paying off, with it reported that over the last year, the company’s revenues have grown by more than 20%. This NIL deal with Collin is a creative and unique way for Popeyes to connect with the younger generation and it will be interesting to see how this partnership develops.
