In 2002 McDonald’s did something it had never done before: it lost money. After decades of growth, the chain was facing a prolonged sales slump, criticism of its food and an image that felt dated. It needed more than a new menu item. It needed a new voice.
Fourteen agencies, one German phrase
McDonald’s invited 14 major advertising agencies from around the world to pitch. The idea it liked best came not from its U.S. agencies but from Heye & Partner, a longtime McDonald’s agency based in Unterhaching, near Munich, and part of the global DDB network.
The line was written first in German: “ich liebe es,” roughly “I love it,” which became “I’m lovin’ it” in English. The casual, first-person phrasing mattered. Instead of McDonald’s telling customers what to feel, the slogan sounded like something a customer would say.
The jingle
A slogan that would run in many languages needed a sound that worked everywhere. McDonald’s took the English line to a music production firm, Mona Davis Music, where Tom Batoy and Franco Tortora created the short “ba da ba ba ba” hook that ended every ad.
The song version was produced by the Neptunes and is credited as written by Pharrell Williams, Batoy, Tortora and Andreas Forberger. It was sung by Justin Timberlake, then one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Timberlake released “I’m Lovin’ It” as a song in November 2003, before McDonald’s publicly revealed the connection, which helped the tune spread as music rather than as an ad.
Years later, in June 2016, rapper Pusha T claimed he had created the jingle. His rap vocals do appear on the first ad to use the hook, though official credits name other writers, and he said he was paid on a one-time basis without royalties.
A global launch
“I’m Lovin’ It” was McDonald’s first global advertising campaign. It was unveiled to the company in Chicago on June 12, 2003, launched to the public in Munich on September 2, 2003, and reached the United States on September 29. The U.S. version was a multi-agency effort, with commercials by Heye & Partner and DDB Chicago helping bring the work to its final form.
“‘I’m lovin’ it’ campaign is a new way of connecting with our customers,” said Bill Lamar, the chief marketing officer of McDonald’s USA, when it launched.
Why it lasted
- It was short and portable. Three words and five notes work in any language and any format, from TV to radio to a drive-through sign.
- It sounded like the customer. The first-person slang made the brand sound relaxed rather than corporate.
- It launched as pop culture. Releasing the song before revealing the McDonald’s link let people hear it as music first.
- McDonald’s stuck with it. Most slogans are replaced within a few years. McDonald’s has kept this one since 2003, and consistency turned the jingle into a signature.
Legacy
McDonald’s had used many slogans before, from “You deserve a break today” onward. “I’m Lovin’ It” has outlasted them all and is one of the longest-running slogans in fast food. For a brand that started the campaign in crisis, the five-note sound became as recognizable as the Golden Arches.