In 2022, clients tasked us with announcing the app-exclusive return of the cult-favorite menu item, Szechuan Sauce.
We knew that past Szechuan sauce returns had fans running to collect the unique packaging. So we leaned into this behavior by treating the return like an exclusive sneaker drop, paired with 5 limited-edition packages that spelled out “SZ-EC-HU-AN”.
Additionally we partnered with Community to give fans the opportunity to receive exclusive updates + insider details by texting the person who runs the McDonald’s account directly. Once the drop was announced, we blasted our social with updates for our fans and even had a billboard in Times Square showcasing the reveal.
The social-led campaign became the brand's most cost-efficient app download campaign, had a reach of 420 million across all channels, ranked as the 2nd highest app guest counts per day ever (1st for 2022), , and led to half of locations to sell out in the first 2 days.
