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When mistakes happen, it’s often easiest to look away, forget them, or sweep them under the rug. But after the negative comments about McDonald’s pistachio ice cream flavor two years ago, we decided to acknowledge the mistakes, apologize, and ask for a second chance.
For McDonald’s Slovenia, we created a campaign that is more than just a promotion for a new ice cream. It’s a story about second chances about how everyone deserves a second chance. Even our Pistachio 2.0.
Two years ago, Pistachio disappointed many—what was supposed to be a refined Italian flavor turned out to be anything but. Some even described it as tasting like pumpkin seed oil. Instead of stepping back, we took a different approach with the client: we listened to the criticism, laughed at the comments, and after two years, McDonald’s introduced a new recipe. In the creative concept, we openly acknowledged last year’s mistakes and asked for a second chance.
Meet Pistachio 2.0 – the personified ice cream that apologizes, sends a text (or several) at 2 a.m., and asks for a second chance across all advertising channels. Shameless, full of charm, and with a coastal accent. All just so McDonald’s fans would give it another shot.
All creative executions led to the 080 30 30 phone line, where Pistachio 2.0 apologizes, sings apology songs, and as a gesture of reconciliation, gives away free ice cream for a whole year.
The reactions were quick: McDonald’s social media channels were flooded with confused and amused responses. That same day, the organic post about the “pistachio drunk texts” made it to the front page of Slovenian Reddit.
The campaign also lived where last year’s criticism was the loudest: on TikTok, Instagram, the McDonald’s app, and even on the radio. Pistachio 2.0 apologized everywhere—read last year’s comments and promised that this year it’s truly awesome!
We also involved an influencer who had criticized the pistachio flavor in his video two years ago. We publicly invited Blaž Berlec on Facebook to give Pistachio another try. The result? Blaž was genuinely surprised, tried the pistachio again, and an organic, unpaid post was born. This time, he liked it!
Pistachio 2.0 is more than just a new flavor—it’s proof that even a large brand can take a step back, listen, and then honestly tell its fans: “You were right, the flavor wasn’t the best, but here’s a completely new version of the recipe.”
That’s where the power lies: knowing how to admit a mistake, turn it into a story, and show fans that they were right. And that’s how Pistachio 2.0 became the best-selling promotional topping in McDonald’s history.