With 20+ years of branding, marketing and business management experience, Bruno Cardinali is the Global CMO of Oakberry, the world-famous açaí bowls and smoothies’ brand that has on a stellar run since its foundation. Anchored on a unique brand positioning, and remarkable brand activations and collabs with key global properties such as Aryna Sabalenka (world’s #1 tennis), BWT Alpine F1 Team, US Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open, Formula 1 Miami and many other sporting events and properties, the brand is set to continue to accelerate its expansion.
Previously, Bruno served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen when he oversaw all functions of Marketing for the Popeyes brand, including advertising, media, guest insights, digital marketing, menu innovation as well as sales planning and business intelligence. Bruno has led the brand turnaround and success, namely leading the launch of the famous Popeyes Chicken Sandwich, which broke industry records and sparked the unforgettable “Chicken Wars”, a cultural phenomenon cultivated by strategic marketing initiatives that saw guests flock to Popeyes restaurants to try the Chicken Sandwich, driving an unprecedented sales increase for the brand and a repositioning of the QSR industry as a whole.
Beyond the Chicken Sandwich, Bruno transformed the Popeyes brand from inside out, with a new brand positioning, new visual identity and especially with innovations and marketing campaigns that have positioned Popeyes as a cutting-edge brand in pop-culture and social media and hence was elevated to a strong national QSR player.
Some of the new products and promotions that keep Popeyes at the center of cultural relevancy include the launch of Chicken Nuggets and campaigns like “Tendies 4 Y’all”, “Love That Look from Popeyes”. His keen-eye on what’s happening in society and pop-culture help him create campaigns that resonate with guests and build brand love.
In 2019 Bruno was named Adweek’s top 50 most influential industry executives and in 2021, he was honored in Ad Age’s 40 Under 40 for his contributions to the marketing and advertising industry. In this same year, his team’s work won several industry recognitions, including 9 Cannes Lions, 5 Effie Awards, and 4 Clio Awards.
Prior to joining Popeyes, Bruno was the Head of Marketing in Latin America for Burger King, Popeyes’ sister brand, where he led other award-winning campaigns like “Traffic Jam Whopper” in Mexico. And before joining RBI, Bruno held several marketing roles at Unilever in Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and United States for nearly 15 years. Bruno graduated from FAAP, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with a degree in Advertising & Communications.