Case Study

How McDonald’s created ‎#FritesPotatoes, a new product based on customer Tweets

Key results

1M
unit sales

20.69M
campaign impressions

15K
Tweets posted containing the #FritesPotatoes hashtag

In June Twitter France held a #BestofTweets award ceremony celebrating great creativity. The 'Client' prize was awarded to the McDonald's (@FritesPotatoes) for its ‎‎#FritesPotatoes campaign. This used Twitter Insights to launch an unexpected product. The campaign was produced by the agencies DDB° Paris and OMD.

The opportunity

The ‎#FritesPotatoes product was created following experiences of French McDonald’s customers that were shared on Twitter as they questioned whether they have fries or potato wedges with their burger. Having to choose between these two products is a real dilemma. To resolve the debate, McDonald’s fulfilled every indecisive person’s dream and launched ‘Frites-Potatoes’, a carton containing both fries and potato wedges, in every one of its restaurants in France.

The strategy

By announcing the arrival of the ‘Frites-Potatoes’ on 1st April, the McDonald’s strategy played heavily on people’s doubts: was it just another April Fool’s Day joke, or would ‘Frites-Potatoes’ really be available in restaurants? For one week, the brand behaved as if it was a joke. Then, the night before the product launch, McDonald’s revealed that ‘Frites-Potatoes’ would indeed be available to buy – but, to ensure high demand, for four days only.

Best practices

1. Start with a customer insight

McDonald’s recognised a popular topic of conversation amongst their customers early on: how do you decide between fries and potato wedges?

2. Join the discussion prior to launch

The brand joined the conversation by responding to Tweets in the fries/potato wedges debate. McDonald’s also enabled its customers to express their opinions via a conversational card, which encouraged people to use the #FritesPotatoes hashtag.

3. Make a big splash

The brand used the power of First View and Promoted Tweets to spark engagement, and maximise impact. This helped McDonald's generate earned media and extend the reach of the campaign.

Tags
  • Quick Service
  • Case Study
  • France
  • Launch Something New

The success

The campaign enjoyed impressive results: during the April Fool’s Day marketing weekend McDonald’s sold 1 million portions of #FritesPotatoes.

15,176 Tweets used the hashtag #FritesPotatoes, leading to 20.69M impressions and 201K profile visits. A total of 57% of the people engaged were linked to the April Fool’s Day campaign. 

“Twitter played a major part in our success, enabling us to create and nurture conversations around the #FritesPotatoes topic.”
— Mélanie Pennec, Creative Director for DDB Paris

“The ‘Frites-Potatoes’ campaign stemmed from applying an insight to real life. We’re very proud to receive the first #BestofTweets prize, a strong indication of the success of our campaign. We’re equally proud that we knew to listen to our customers and offer them something new.”

Maurizio Biondi, Marketing Director for McDonald’s France

Solutions used

Launch something new with video

Break through and raise awareness – fast. Reach your audience at the right moment: when they’re most receptive to ads.

Promote your brand’s story

Share your brand’s story and stay top-of-mind. Get customers to take action and join conversations.

Related content