How Emily in Paris 'stealth launched' the Mcbaguette

INTRODUCTION

Unless you have been living under a rock over the past few months, you will no doubt have heard of ‘Emily in Pars’. This hit Netflix show gained millions of fans worldwide & was trending in many countries around the world. Yet beyond the storytelling and drama, was a sneaky brand partnership. One that many joked about but in reality is one of the cleverest brand partnerships I have seen. This is how ‘Emily in Paris’ stealth launched McDonald’s Mcbaguette.

BRIEF BACKGROUND

During the most recent series, Emily's ex-boyfriend announced that he had been promoted to associate Manager of Global Partnerships at McDonald's. And the most pressing issue in his new job? Finding a cracking new agency to launch the new McBaguette (unfortunately, Defiant wasn’t asked). Yet behind this apparent side plot, McDonald’s was sneakily stealth launching the McBaguette to the world. Why is this so genius? Let’s find out

#1 DEEP NARRATIVEThe inconvenient truth is most people don't care about brands, most of the time. They live busy and distracted lives. This should be no surprise when you consider the average human attention span is a mere 3secs and that every day we are exposed to over 10,000 ad messages.

Ref #1: Our lives are more distracted than ever and it has never been harder for brands to grab attention.

The ‘Mcbaguette’ partnership managed to overcome this problem, by placing itself at the heart of a story people cared about. Fans of the show were already deeply invested in the show, it was a lean-in moment, and the brand was embedded deeply in this narrative.

Ref #2: The Mcbaguette was placed at the centre of the narrative, making it easier for the brand to get noticed.

#2 HYPE DROP

Many modern brands are great at one thing in particular...hype. In a world where people can buy anything anytime & anywhere creating a sense of exclusivity can be hugely powerful. How do they do this so well? They hype up a new product, teasing its launch, whilst also limiting its supply. This creates social value for the brand and ensures that those who are lucky enough to purchase the product, share it online. Seen all the photos of people queuing outside of Supreme? It's not an accident, it’s engineered.

Ref #3: In a world of abundance brands such as Supreme have mastered the art of hype, limiting supply & creating social status for those that own it.

McDonald’s did this brilliantly with the 'McBaguette' hyping it throughout the show and launching it as a limited edition. In fact, it sold out in a matter of hours. The sandwich was more like a Supreme drop, than a typical Mcdonald’s release.

#3 OVERLAPPING AUDIENCE

The best way for brands to grow? Engagement? Nope. Brand loyalty? Nope. Reach, every time. What this partnership does so well, is that it’s clever and deliberate in the audience it’s going after. It allows McDonald’s to cleverly reach a younger audience and grow awareness for the new sandwich launch.

McDonald’s used the platform as a clever reach channel, driving awareness and fame with a core younger audience.

Many thanks,

Will Poskett
Founder Defiant