The Objective
Driving Brand Sales & Love
El Pollo Loco, the nation's leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant, sought to launch their Double Tostada product with a bold marketing campaign. The primary objective was to create buzz around the new menu item via #PolloPartner content all while driving incremental sales and growing brand awareness.
El Pollo Loco aimed to reach their target audience of food-loving, culturally-attuned Gen Zers and expand their awareness by showcasing the unique flavors and versatility of the Double Tostada. By introducing different protein combinations of this fan fave through new double baja shrimp and chicken + shrimp options, the brand sought to stay top of mind and highlight their craveability factor.
The Solution
Later Helps Scale Content Creation Across Platforms
Scaled activations across channels
With scalability a key factor of consideration for the brand, Later Influence has helped them grow their influencer programs beyond just 5-10 creators per campaign. In addition, the brand has been able to streamline content creation outside of just TikTok, expanding influencer activations to Reels and other platforms — which was an integral part of this Double Tostada campaign.
Diverse group of creators
The campaign strategy focused on collaborating with a diverse group of creators across both TikTok and Instagram — including foodies, comedians, and lifestyle bloggers — to create engaging content that would resonate with the brand's target audience.
These influencer partners were tasked with highlighting the Double Tostada's features, such as its craveable taste and signature creamy cilantro dressing. They were also encouraged to get creative with their content, showcasing different ways “to tostada” and emphasizing its appeal to a broader audience. Creators who featured the double baja shrimp option were asked to highlight it especially, calling it out as a brand new addition to the El Pollo Loco menu.
More time for strategy
Later Influence streamlined the campaign management process for the brand team, with Later's Services team supporting everything from influencer sourcing and negotiating to contracting creators to reporting results.
With most of the day-to-day campaign execution covered, El Pollo Loco was able to focus more on other areas of the business. For example, given that El Pollo Loco is a regional brand, the team had time to strategize their campaign budget more effectively to maximize their partnerships with highly engaging mid-tier and local influencers within their specific markets.
The Results
Successful Diversification of Channels + Creators
20
Influencers
39
Pieces of Content
46.7M
Impressions
2.2%
Avg. Engagement Rate
The Double Tostada campaign was a resounding success, exceeding El Pollo Loco's expectations, with video views and engagement rates breaking brand records from a product mix perspective.
This campaign is a prime example of how a well-executed influencer marketing strategy can elevate a brand and drive tangible results. By leveraging Later Influence and a diverse group of influencers, El Pollo Loco was able to not only increase brand awareness but also drive record sales mix and product trials.
The success of the Double Tostada campaign has paved the way for El Pollo Loco to continue leveraging influencer marketing to promote their brand and menu items. El Pollo Loco plans to scale its influencer program by continuing to partner with a wide variety of creators, experimenting with new niches and innovative marketing strategies.
“At El Pollo Loco, we aspire to be at the forefront of culture. Later enables us to partner with diverse voices across platforms to do just that; while also ensuring every dollar is working as hard as possible to drive the best results for our brand and business.”
Gabe Alonso
VP Integrated Marketing & Experience at El Pollo Loco