Paris 2024 Olympics was the biggest stage in the world. For athletes. And for brands. 84 official partners invested $1.2 billion to be part of the Games. McDonald’s wasn’t one of them. So how do you join the Olympic conversation without being a sponsor?
On August 10, during the France–USA basketball final, Stephen Curry hit three-pointers back-to-back and led his team to victory. A few hours later, McDonald’s France posted on Instagram. One image. One product. A curry sauce. With the line: “For obvious reasons, we’re thinking of removing this sauce.”
One French post sparked a global conversation.
A non-sponsor brand outperformed official partners.
