Chick-fil-A and Casanova/McCann Take Its Cows Into Lowrider Culture with “Cowrider”

Chick-fil-A and Casanova/McCann are bringing the brand’s iconic cows into lowrider culture with “Cowrider,” a creative platform designed to connect with the Hispanic community through one of its most recognizable cultural expressions.

The idea was developed by Marlene Venero, Creative Director, and Jonathan Castillo, Creative Director at Casanova/McCann, as part of Chick-fil-A’s efforts to build a stronger presence within the Hispanic market by exploring the subcultures, traditions and creative codes that shape the community.

For Venero and Castillo, lowrider culture offered an opportunity to move beyond stereotypes and highlight its artistic and cultural significance.

“Lowrider culture is often misunderstood or associated with negative stereotypes, but it is really about art, identity, expression, pride and history that has been passed down through generations of Hispanic families,” the creative team explained.

The campaign transforms the traditional lowrider into a “Cowrider,” bringing Chick-fil-A’s signature cows into an environment deeply connected to Hispanic culture. The approach also allowed the brand to maintain the humor and personality associated with its cows while creating a more culturally relevant story.

Bringing authenticity to the idea
A key part of the execution was ensuring that the campaign reflected the culture authentically rather than simply using its visual codes.

The team worked with members of the actual lowrider community, including real lowriders, owners and talent, and incorporated real vehicles and environments into the campaign.

That approach was particularly important given the challenge of creating work that felt both disruptive and respectful to the community.

“We wanted to go beyond creating something that simply looked cool. We wanted to portray a subculture that is already there and reflect it in a way that feels true to the people who are part of it,” the team said.

The response from the community became an additional indicator of that connection. The commercial was shared in Facebook lowrider groups, while members of the community began circulating the work and engaging with the campaign. Chick-fil-A also brought the initiative into real-world lowrider events, further connecting the brand with the community beyond the advertising itself.

From cultural insight to creative expression
For Casanova/McCann, the collaboration was highly driven by the exchange of perspectives between the agency, Chick-fil-A and the teams with knowledge of the Hispanic market and lowrider culture.

Understanding the cultural codes was essential to developing an idea that could feel relevant while still preserving the distinctive humor and personality of Chick-fil-A’s brand.

The result also represents an evolution in the brand’s approach to the Hispanic market, moving toward more specific cultural stories and communities rather than treating Hispanic audiences as a single, homogeneous group.

“Cowrider” builds on that approach by using a familiar element of Chick-fil-A’s identity—the cows—and placing it within a cultural environment where the brand can create a new point of connection.

For the creative team, the campaign demonstrates how brands can use cultural specificity as a starting point for ideas that are both entertaining and meaningful, while giving communities an opportunity to see themselves represented.

At the center of the execution is a simple transformation: a lowrider becomes a “Cowrider,” and Chick-fil-A’s cows become part of a culture that celebrates art, tradition, family and identity.