MCDONALD'SMcDonald’s needed to repair its reputation after a limited
re-release of its Szechuan Sauce went sideways, angering fans around the country.
So we convinced them to tell the story of what went wrong.
In the style of an extremely serious true crime podcast.
I scripted and hosted The Sauce while working as an associate creative director at Studio@Gizmodo. (Yes, that’s my voice!) This project was a collaboration between Onion Labs, Studio@Gizmodo and McDonald's. It features interviews with McDonald's executives and chefs, passionate Rick & Morty fans, and one guy who just really, really loves McDonald's Szechuan Sauce.
Listen to the full episodes here:
Episode 1:
Good Intentions
Episode 2:
The Szechuan Sauce Riots
Episode 3:
Making Amends
RESULTS:
The Sauce was featured in the New York Times.
NYT writer David Yaffe-Bellaney dove into the world of branded podcasts for his article titled “Welcome to McDonald’s. Would You Like a Podcast With Those Fries?”
The story features The Sauce as a branded podcast success story, and I was lucky enough to be quoted alongside some very smart people leading the podcast industry.
The Sauce also won the People’s Choice Award Webby in 2019.
And we generated tons of earned media across the internet:
“The podcast’s three episodes — “Good Intentions,” “The Szechuan Sauce Riots,” and “Making Amends” — take a few pokes at mystery/true-crime podcasts such as ”Serial” and “S-Town,” as host Catherine LeClair gravely digs into the furor surrounding the consequential condiment.”
— c|net
“McDonald’s worked with the Studio@Gizmodo and Onion Labs on the podcast, which made its way into the iTunes 100 podcast chart, peaking at number No. 94 less than 24 hours after its release.”
— Adweek
“The show comes with the facetious billing of an “investigative series,” a tongue-in-cheek posture reminiscent of The Onion’s recent stab at lampooning the true crime podcast genre, A Very Fatal Murder.
— Nieman Lab