“Let’s meet at McDonald’s”
There probably isn’t a single person, who hasn’t used this phrase once in his/her lifetime. McDonald’s has been the go-to place for several generations for casual meet-ups, friends’ gatherings, dates, and a birthday party. The popular fast-food joint that started in 1955 has managed to keep up with customer expectations for more than 6 decades. Be it in the lives of students, professionals, or families, McD hasn’t lost its charm amid stiff competition.
Besides the yummy crunches and savories, McDonald’s owes its immense popularity to its advertising campaigns. It created some of the most catchy and interesting slogans over the years. Some were so unique and relatable that people remember them even today. For example,
“You deserve a break today” – the McDonald’s slogan in the 70s made a mark as the fifth-best promotion in the century.
What is the McDonald’s slogan right now?
“I’m lovin’ it”
Created in 2003, this slogan took the company’s brand recognition to a new level. Simple and impactful, the slogan also has a poetic touch, thus immediately connecting to the audience.
Do you wish to know more about McDonald’s slogan history? Jump on in!
McDonald’s Advertising Slogans over the Years
There’s no doubt that McDonald’s slogans had the market by storm over its long run of 69 years. Be it the goofy 80s moon man, or the enthusiastic blonde kid in the 60s, the brand’s slogans have always been in the news for their unmatched creativity.
Let’s go down the memory lane to learn more, shall we?
“Look for the golden arches” – 1960s
MacDonald’s famous Golden Arches logo was created by Stanley Meston in 1953, and it holds its ground even today. In this slogan, the company highlighted the characteristic logo, which is still one of the most recognizable logos in the globe. As you see, the slogan asked its customers to focus on the golden arches, as its brand identity.
“Real Good, and Still Only 15 Cents” – 1960s
Well, even as McDonald’s expanded impressively in 1955-60, all outlets kept their hamburger price the same as earlier – three nickels. As you can see in the above tagline, the brand was quite proud of its generosity, thus flaunting the same in its marketing slogan.
“Let’s Eat Out!” – Mid-1960s
In the mid-60s, there weren’t too many fast-food joints competing with each other. McDonald’s was, thus one of the happening places for date nights. The company recognized this customer behavior and created a slogan that perfectly described their preferences.
“The Closest Thing to Home” – Late 1960s
Now, this McDonald’s slogan seems to connect your mom’s kitchen to the fast food outlet. Right? Well, you’re wrong. The company made this move to advertise its multiple outlets in different locations (one might have been close to your home). But the message got out all wrong, as no one would ever relate its quarter pounder to a home-cooked dinner. It was featured in a newspaper ad with the phrase – “Where Quality Starts Fresh Every Day”.
“You Deserve a Break Today” – Early 70s
When talking about McDonald’s old slogans, this one stands out. It’s regarded as the fifth-best marketing campaign of the century after Nike’s “Just Do It”. This amazing slogan immediately resonated with the millions of McD’s customers, who indeed “needed a break”. McDonald’s delectable fries and hamburgers offered that much-needed break to them.
“Get Down with Something Good” – Mid-70s
The slogan touched a range of diverse customers – from the party-goers to the simple-living parents. “Get Down with Something Good” stood for a relaxing brunch at McDonald’s, as well as a nighttime snacking experience. As a result, customers immediately related to the slogan, thus boosting the brand’s marketing efforts.
“Two All-Beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion, on a sesame seed bun” – Mid-70s
The 1975 commercial of McDonald’s narrated the recipe of one of its popular items – the Big Mac. Soon, all their customers were found humming the tune, thus relating to the brand slogan unconsciously. The jingle became famous, thereby enhancing the brand identity of the fast food joint.
“Mac Tonight” – Mid 80s
Late-night crunches, inspired by this McDonald’s slogan, became a staple for the brand. The goofy Moon man was introduced with this tagline, making the customers go “Awww!” Throughout the 80s, this slogan (along with the creepy moon man) appeared in all of McD’s advertisements, including several drive-through signages.
“Did somebody say McDonald’s?” – Oh yes the 90s!
The famous McDonald’s old slogan appeared in the 90s and created a rampage in all its marketing campaigns. It was meant to revive the brand that suffered a setback due to some poorly designed advertisement campaigns. Ultimately, the company reconnected with the ad agency that handled its ’70s campaigns and asked them to help improve the brand identity. Thus, this simple yet effective slogan that the audience immediately connected to. However, despite its popularity, the slogan lost its ground to the tagline of the new millennium – a slogan that remains to date.
“I’m lovin’ it” – 2003
The McDonald’s slogan introduced in 2003 is the current slogan of the brand. The company didn’t make any further changes to its tagline, as it garnered immense popularity in the new millennium and continues to do so. The tagline is recognized in a jiffy across the globe and immediately associated with the brand.
Another tagline appeared in the marketing campaigns of McD in the early 2000s – “We Love to See You Smile” – but “I’m lovin’ it” was ultimately the winner. It was a full-fledged song performed by Justin Timberlake, which became the brand anthem.
What does McDonald’s Slogan History Tell us About Branding?
So, how was McDonald’s slogan history? Fascinating, right?
Well, here are a few things about branding that you can learn from the fast food joint and its slogans.
Always connect with your audience
If you haven’t noticed already, McDonald’s slogans always targeted the audience. It didn’t make too much effort to directly promote the brand. The slogans focused on customer experience and tried to bring a smile to their faces. The rest was history!
All you need to do is make them smile
Your brand slogans and marketing taglines should be able to make people smile. Hit their minds to release happy hormones, and they WILL remember you lifelong. That’s exactly what McDonald’s did in its branding efforts. All their slogans are quirky, to say the least, and in weird ways, make people smile (or drool, like the Big Mac recipe slogan).
Keep it simple and comprehensive
As slogans appear mostly in brand advertisements, keeping it simple makes it stick to the minds. As it is people have less patience in the digitally-dominated world of today. They seldom watch ads, let alone remember the brand slogans (unless it’s worth remembering). So use simple words and keep it short to increase the chances of impact.
Make it seem like music
One of the key qualities of a good marketing slogan is its poetic nature and musical value. Arrange simple words, like pearls, in a string of poetic music to create an impact. A suggestive phrase often gets ignored, but a musical/poetic one hits the mind, invoking the audience’s curiosity about the brand.
Stop with the direct promotion
When you’re brand building from scratch, you may commit the mistake of being overly promotional in your marketing slogans. Don’t! If you try pushing your brand identity down the throats of your potential audience, they may flee. Control your promotional urges and give them value in the form of fun, music, and happiness. Trust us; you’ll see better results with this approach.
Today, you can get several AI slogan generators online to make your work easier and hassle-free. Create slogans that effortlessly connect your brand with your audience’s expectations and requirements. Your marketing slogans should be more about “Them” than about “You”.
Over to You
McDonald’s slogan history hasn’t been a cakewalk. Some slogans didn’t ring well with the customers and were soon removed. However, the ones that were accepted were not only relatable but also timeless. Brand building efforts should always be subtle yet impactful; underrated yet remembered. The key is to touch the minds of your audience. Once you capture their attention, they will come to you to satisfy their curiosity and may even convert.
So, focus on catching their attention, and everything else will happen just as expected.
Feel free to say “I’m lovin’ it” if you loved this brief note on the slogan history of one of the world’s largest fast food joints.