The archive · PR & Stunts · Marketing decision · 2024
McDonald's France pulls its Curry sauce after Stephen Curry beats France — Eurobest GP
After Stephen Curry sank France in the Olympic final, McDonald's France joked it was pulling its curry sauce — billions of impressions, no paid media.
McDonald's France · DDB Paris
What it had to solve
The Paris 2024 Olympics had 84 official partners paying around US$1.2 billion for attention, and McDonald's France was not one of them. On 10 August 2024 the USA beat France 98–87 in the men's basketball final, with Stephen Curry hitting four three-pointers in the final three minutes — a national letdown on home soil.
How it works
McDonald's France entered Paris 2024 as a non-sponsor while 84 official partners paid about US$1.2 billion for attention. On 10 August 2024 the USA beat France 98–87 in the Olympic basketball final, and Stephen Curry's four three-pointers in the final three minutes decided it — leaving France with silver on home soil.
A few hours later, McDonald's France posted a photo of its Classic Curry dipping sauce on Instagram, with text that translates as 'For obvious reasons, we are considering removing this sauce' and the caption 'for 4 years minimum.' It was a joke in reaction to the game, the brand told TODAY, and it required nothing but an existing product picture.
The joke went worldwide: over 23,000 likes on Instagram in the first day, replies in French and English, and global press coverage. The agency counts more than 2.5 billion impressions with no paid media (the AACC records over 2 billion), and the stunt earned the Eurobest 2024 Social & Influencer Grand Prix plus a Bronze, with 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Clios following in 2025.
Why it lands
- It inverted sponsorship logic: instead of buying Olympics airtime, the brand reacted to the exact moment the entire country watched.
- The joke stayed in character — a French brand 'punishing' the player who beat it by removing his namesake sauce — so it felt native rather than forced.
- The pun needed only a sauce packet and a caption, so it could ship within hours with zero production or media cost.
- By joining the national mourning with humour instead of ignoring it, the brand won affection, not just visibility.
What it did
The post drew more than 23,000 Instagram likes within a day and became a worldwide conversation: case files count over two billion impressions (the agency says 2.5 billion+) with no paid media, giving a non-sponsor more talk than official Olympic partners. It won the Eurobest 2024 Social & Influencer Grand Prix plus a Bronze, and took 2 Silver and 1 Bronze Clios in 2025.
What you can take
When you can't buy the moment, join it in character: an instant on-brand joke with no production cost can earn a non-sponsor more attention than brands that paid for the stage.
Since then
Global media from TODAY to Marca covered the post within days, and the single meme became the campaign's case study. The AACC file lists later prizes including Cannes Lions 2025 (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze), a One Show 2025 Gold Pencil and 2 Silver plus 1 Bronze Clios, making the stunt a reference for real-time, sponsorship-free Olympics marketing.
Sources
- Eurobest announces its Grands Prix, Special Awards and Young Creatives Competition winners for 2024
- McDonald's France jokes about pulling curry sauce after Steph Curry leads US to victory
- McDonald's France — Curry sauce (case study)
- Olympic Curry — AACC Prix
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