McDonald's Attempts to Woo Millennials With a SXSW Food Truck

In an attempt to appeal to pun-loving millennials, McDonald’s is bringing a "Fry-Fi" food truck to SXSW, according to a Medium post by chief digital officer Atif Rafiq. This is the first time the fast burger chain has sponsored the tech/film/music conference. With the truck, McDonald’s aims to "provid[e] consumer convenience," bringing french fries and wireless internet together for the greater good of the world, or something like that.

In his Medium post, Rafiq explained McDonald’s goals for SXSW:

As a business, we’re always putting our emphasis on the customer, and want to improve the SXSW experience for everyone. We’re planning to showcase how we’re using digital to enhance the consumer experience, and naturally add true value and reduce the inherent frictions for attendees that inevitably occur because of the event’s sheer size.

As noted on the list of SXSW party permit applications released by the city, the truck will presumably be found on 313 Red River Street. In 2009, they released an ad campaign promoting free wi-fi as depicted by their french fries.

McDonald’s is taking its super sponsor role seriously by ramping up its footprint. There will be the McDonald's Lounge, offering coffee and streaming content, along with salon sessions and hackathons. The franchise will also host startup pitch sessions.

In trying really hard to understand youths today, the burger chain trotted out selfie payments, chorizo burritos, build-your-own burgers, and even giving Ronald McDonald a hip new makeover.