Szechuan showdown.
The original 1998 Promotion.
In simpler times of 2017, the resurrection of McDonald’s Szechuan dipping sauce - originally promoting the 1998 debut of Disney’s Mulan - led to unprecedented hype, and ensuing riots when supply fell far short of demand.
Rick and Morty follows a grandfather-grandson duo’s adventures through time and space, reminiscent of (a more foul-mouthed and nihilistic) Back to the Future.
In season three, episode one; “The Rickshank Rickdemption”, Rick traverses his own memories in order to remember the legendary condiment, and later reveals that his ultimate life mission is relocating this Szechuan sauce.
Good intentions.
Grossly overshadowing original co-branding with Mulan, an un-official partnership was established through fans’ petitions. McDonald’s paid attention; sending Justin Roiland (co-creator of the show) a themed PR package, with a tease - that a “few lucky fans” may also get to sample the condiment. This was only a taster of the chaos to come.
On the surface, the collaboration promised advantageous returns. The impressive viewership of Rick and Morty (averaging 2.5 million viewers under 35 in North America - Adalian 2017) bore striking resemblance to the most prolific consumers of McDonald’s - millennials (Morgan Stanley for Business Insider 2015). McDonald’s often collaborating with pop culture giants, there would have been little cognitive dissonance in a co-branding venture between the two.
Keller 2003, p. 599.
However, it was too much of a good thing when the restaurant finally stocked the sauce, in a one-day limited-edition run. Keller’s model for Secondary Brand Associations can show this overlap between customer base, and the miscalculation of existing brand awareness.
Holding high resonance with both the food chain and the show, customers felt they were entitled to their piece of the phenomena. There was a sense of community and trust in the store to provide the experience of their inter-dimensional dreams.
The incident.
Reports from the 7th of October, 2017, illustrate apocalyptic chaos. Hundreds of disillusioned fans left, outnumbering the mere 20 packets some stores had. Worse than this, videos of riot-like altercations and allegations of abusing staff left a sour taste in the mouth of onlookers.
The promotion could be viewed as successful where both brands gained exposure, the sauce selling out almost immediately across North America. However, the relationship, for the most part, ended in tears. Customers threatened to boycott McDonald’s, and the event added to an already growing view of Rick and Morty’s fans as being toxic.
Tweets from unsatisfied customers. (Click to enlarge.)
This customer had sacrificed a Comic-Con ticket to wait in line for the sauce, according to Business Insider.
Turn back time.
A thorough assessment of the fanbase would be necessary before another release. The product was made scarce to manufacture exclusivity, but this led to anger, disappointment and re-sale price gouging. To accurately cater for demand, the sauce should be stocked for a few weeks - or months - or even made a permanent menu item.
Rick and Morty is an M15+ rated show, and unable to officially co-brand on McDonald’s material, lest the company lose equity as a family-friendly establishment. The original 2017 promotion was also conducted without the consultation of the show’s creator. Newly released advertising shows obvious references to Rick and Morty, also without official IP.
A side-by-side of Rick and Morty and McDonald’s recent promotions.
Following the disaster, McDonald’s reached out to fans on Twitter. McDonalds could (instead of more awkward allusions to the show) continue this un-official form of communication with fans. With the approval of the Rick and Morty team, co-branded social media tie-ins could:
1. Work with show creators, voice actors and artists to create authentic content corresponding to new sauce drops.
2. Prevent further miscommunications where McDonald’s may attempt to make contact with current pop-culture.
And so, the fantasy would live on, without leaving either party in a pickle.
References:
Lutz, A 2015, ‘Millennials are telling a big lie about McDonald’s’, Business Insider Australia, viewed 14 May 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/millennials-go-to-mcdonalds-the-most-2015-3
Adalian, J 2017, ‘Rick and Morty Is Now the No. 1 TV Comedy Among Millennials’, Vulture, viewed 14 May 2020, https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/rick-and-morty-is-now-the-no-1-tv-comedy-among-millennials.html
Keller, KL 2003, ‘Brand Synthesis: The Multidimensionality of Brand Knowledge’, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 595-600.
Taylor, K 2017, ‘Police had to deal with angry crowds after McDonald’s bought back Szechuan McNugget sauce', Business Insider Australia, viewed 15 May 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/mcdonalds-szechuan-mcnugget-sauce-backlash-2017-10?r=US&IR=T