• Country: France
• Company: CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS
• Client: McDonald’s
• Sector:  FMCG (Food & Beverage)
• Media: Linear TV, digital video, social media, in-app activation, in-store
• Time period: 4 months (September – December 2024)

Background

Hot Ones is a popular interview show concept in which well-known personalities answer in-depth questions while tasting progressively spicier hot sauces, creating a mix of entertainment, authenticity, and challenge. The French version of the show is hosted by Kyan Khojandi, a very well-known French actor, screenwriter, and comedian, notably recognised for the series Bref. Adapted from the original American format, Hot Ones France features long-form, candid interviews that stand out for their tone, cultural relevance, and strong digital reach. The show has become a reference in branded entertainment and youth-oriented media in France.

Case Description

CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS with TBWA, Publicis Media Content and Starcom France transformed the viral Hot Ones talk show format into a tangible product launch for McDonald’s, creating three exclusive spicy sauces sold in French restaurants. The campaign featured a special branded interview with rapper Naza (French hip-hop artist) and host Kyan Khojandi (that garnered 1.8 million views, while extending the Hot Ones challenge experience through TV sponsorship, TikTok activations, an interactive McDo+ app game, and in-store elements – turning a TV format into a multi-platform activation that drove over 600 million impressions.

Hot Ones had become a pop culture phenomenon in France thanks to the popularity of the host. CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS and its partners, identified this as an opportunity to bring this experience from screen to store, partnering McDonald’s to address their key target audience. The creative challenge was making the connection tangible: how do you turn a TV show about spicy wings into a product people can actually buy and experience everywhere in France?

CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS and their creative studio La Factory orchestrated the launch of three exclusive sauces with escalating heat levels: Hell Piñata (10,000 Scoville), Thaï-Toi (70,000), and Embrasse-Moi (210,000). The centerpiece was a special Hot Ones branded content episode featuring rapper Naza, which CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS distributed across their TV and digital platforms. The innovation lay in extending beyond the interview itself – CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS coordinated withs its partners, a multi-platform activation including TV and digital show sponsorship starting a teasing campaign, a special interview, and five weeks of sauce availability with continuous engagement drivers.

To make this format even more interesting, the show was turned into an interactive challenge. The McDo+ app featured a quiz game where participants could test their spice knowledge. TikTok challenges invited users to recreate the Hot Ones experience with the McDonald’s sauces, generating user-generated content under #McDoxHotOnes. In restaurants, point-of-sale materials and physical game cards connected customers to the Hot Ones world. CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS and its partners coordinated strategy across TV, digital, social platforms, and retail touchpoints, aligning McDonald’s objectives with the show’s DNA.

Unlike standard sponsorships that simply place logos around content, CANAL+ BRAND SOLUTIONS created a “culture-first partnership” – the brand became part of the Hot Ones experience both on screen and in real life.
The campaign demonstrated how combining entertainment IP with gamification and multi-platform storytelling can extend a TV format into a tangible brand experience.

Campaign Results

The campaign exceeded expectations. The branded interview featuring rapper Naza generated over 1.8 million views, while social amplification and user-generated content drove more than 1 million interactions and 600 million impressions across platforms. The TikTok challenges became an unexpected viral driver, with consumers recreating the Hot Ones spice challenge experience using McDonald’s sauces.

In-store activations and the McDo+ app challenge extended the experience beyond screens, boosting participation. The multi-platform approach proved effective in connecting entertainment IP with gamification to deepen consumer engagement.
McDonald’s was satisfied with the cultural relevance of the activation, noting how the partnership transformed an entertainment format into a brand experience that worked across screens, social media, apps, and physical retail spaces.

Source: egta.com