How El Pollo Loco hit over six million views on TikTok

Restaurant chain El Pollo Loco generated over six million views on TikTok with its ‘Abuela Approved’ campaign, a viral hit that deepened its connection to younger consumers.

Why it matters 

TikTok boasts a large Gen Z audience that view short-form videos not only for entertainment purposes, but also for discovering new brands and discovering product information. Successful TikTok campaigns illustrate an understanding of Gen Z habits and how to cater to the granular needs of this demographic.

The details 

• El Pollo Loco had traditionally used channels like TV as part of a multi-generational marketing strategy.
• In 2020, the brand started using TikTok as a way to reach a younger audience that were engaged on the video-sharing platform.
• Launched in 2022, the ‘Abuela Approved’ TikTok campaign was focused around a comedic grandmother known as ‘Head Abuela in Charge’.
• This character voiced her opinions on a wide range of topics, but was consistent in her love for the items on El Pollo Loco’s menu.
• The campaign hashtag generated over six million views.

The big idea

“We brought in the matriarch of all Latino families that can be quite a character and used her to create amazing content for our channels. It did exceptionally well for us, especially with a younger audience” – Gabe Alonso, El Pollo Loco’s VP of Digital Marketing, speaking at AdExchanger’s 2023 Industry Preview conference.