Dive Brief:
- McCormick & Company’s mustard brand French’s partnered with artisanal donut maker Dough Donuts to create a limited edition, mustard-flavored donut in honor of National Mustard Day, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Consumers can “taste the tang” for free by visiting one of Dough Donuts' six New York locations only on Aug. 6. French’s on the same day will also make a limited number of the mustard donuts available online for free for shipping nationwide.
- French’s will further the in-person activation by decorating Dough Donut shops with yellow embellishments and mustard donut-themed items, and will release a similar recipe online.
Dive Insight:
French’s isn’t new to experiential marketing as a means to excite consumers, especially on National Mustard Day, having also released mustard-flavored beverages and desserts in years past, and it’s playful move to break into yet another fan favorite food group is no different.
French’s will take over each of Dough Donut’s shops in New York and decorate them to match the brand’s style. Offering an in-person experience to go along with the flavor represents growing efforts to get people together following years of pandemic-related restrictions and the quirky take could bring the humor that consumers are looking for.
The limited-time donut supposedly takes the flavor of a classic glazed donut and Dough Donuts’ own recipe, but is topped with a yellow mustard-flavored coating and yellow mustard crumbles. Partnering with an artisan maker allows French’s to get in front of new eyes, including those who may typically go for more premium products and follows efforts to diversify its consumer base through unique collaborations like with Oscar Blue to create mustard-flavored beer.
To ramp up the effort’s appeal, those in-store can get one mustard donut for free, offering an opportunity to reach cost-conscious young consumers. While supplies last, customers can also get a free pack of two shipped to their home or make it for themselves at home using an online recipe. French’s is also using the hashtag #mustarddonuts to encourage consumers to share their experience on social media.
“We’ve been known to go big for National Mustard Day — with Mustard Ice Cream in 2019, Mustard Beer in 2020, and Mustard Buns in 2021. This year, we’re excited to collaborate with Dough and introduce French’s Mustard Donuts, adding our Classic Yellow Mustard to morning routines,” said Jill Pratt, CMO at McCormick, in a press release.
Similar moves have been made by others to celebrate relevant “national days,” like Applebee’s, which partnered with Winky Lux to create wing sauce-inspired Saucy Gloss and its “Taste My Face” music video in honor of National Wing Day and National Lipstick Day July 29. To celebrate National Avocado Day, Chipotle released a limited-time stock market simulation game, “Buy the Dip,” for the chance to win free crypto or free guacamole.