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1961
Launched in 1961, “Look for the Golden Arches” was McDonald’s first national slogan. The tagline cleverly used its physical golden arches as a rallying cry to find your next fast-food meal. Architect Stanley Meston designed the iconic golden arches in 1953 to be visible from highways. Over the years, they became one of the most recognizable buildings on the planet. Ray Kroc was aggressively franchising the restaurant while battling with the original McDonald brothers over control of the company. He ended up buying the brothers out for $2.7 million in 1961, the same year this slogan debuted.
1963
In 1963, McDonald’s debuted “Real good, and still only 15 cents,” emphasizing their hamburgers’ quality and cheapness. The chain maintained the 15-cent price point from 1955 until 1967. At the time, the average hourly wage in America was just $2.50, and the slogan influenced folks to count their pennies. By keeping burger prices artificially low, Ray Croc could draw in crowds to McDonald’s. At the time, the company made the majority of its profits through french fries, which cost pennies to produce but sold at premium margins. The pricing promotion ended in 1967 when inflation forced McDonald’s to increase hamburger prices to 18 cents.
1967
After the price change in 1967, McDonald’s introduced the slogan “You, You’re the One.” It came with a catchy jingle designed to appeal to the youth. The full jingle was created by advertising executive Bob Lantz—“You, you’re the one. You’ll have lots of fun at McDonald’s”—airing frequently on television and radio. The campaign helped McDonald’s align the chain with the cultural movements of the late 1960s. The jingle later inspired numerous parodies in comedy sketches and other media.
1971
“You Deserve a Break Today” became one of McDonald’s most influential slogans. Created in 1971 by Leo Burnett, it captured the moment of hard work by teaching consumers to enjoy themselves occasionally. The slogan’s accompanying jingle proved so culturally significant that Advertising Age ranked it the fifth-best advertising campaign of the 20th century. The Partridge Family TV show later incorporated a cover version of the jingle into one of their episodes.
1975
In 1975, McDonald’s introduced its legendary “Two All-Beef Patties, Special Sauce, Lettuce, Cheese, Pickles, Onions on a Sesame Seed Bun” jingle for the Big Mac. The song was recorded with a team of 42 musicians. The jingle helped millions of Americans recite the large slogan verbatim. The song became so popular that McDonald’s later ran contests challenging customers to say it in under four seconds.
1980s
Following the trends of 1980s consumerism, McDonald’s “We Do It All For You” slogan pivoted the brand into a customer-centered operation. The tagline was launched when McDonald’s expanded its menu beyond burgers to include Chicken McNuggets and its iconic breakfast menu.
1984
“It’s a Good Time for the Great Taste of McDonald’s” emerged in 1984 when competition in fast food was heating up. With competitors like Wendy’s and Burger King taking market share, the slogan tried to link McDonald’s food quality with its 24/7 service, claiming that its food was good no matter when you visited.
This campaign coincided with McDonald’s disastrous 1984 Olympic promotion, in which they promised free menu items whenever Americans won medals. That year, the U.S. dominated the competition, winning an unprecedented 174 medals, when the Soviet Union boycotted the games. This forced McDonald’s to give away millions in free food, making it the most expensive fast food giveaway of all time.
1990
In 1990, McDonald’s launched the “Food, Folks, and Fun” slogan, a branding shift to showcase its family-friendly atmosphere. McDonald’s had just launched its breakfast Happy Meals and needed a new campaign to attract children. Ads for the campaign showed both the quality of McDonald’s food and the family fun of dining at their restaurant. The slogan was blitzed on everything from TV commercials to cups and wrappers.
1996
McDonald’s 1996 slogan, “What You Want Is What You Get,” emphasized tailored service. Launched when McDonald’s was dealing with customer satisfaction ratings, this campaign directly addressed growing consumer demands for customization. As part of the campaign, the chain introduced “made-to-order” options that allowed customers to customize their orders in any way they wanted.
The slogan also coincided with McDonald’s Arch Deluxe burger, which targeted adults with sophisticated palates. McDonald’s spent over $100 million on it before quietly discontinuing it.
1997
In 1997, McDonald’s launched the “Did Somebody Say McDonald’s?” campaign. The slogan arrived when McDonald’s was trying to refresh its brand image. Crafted to trigger spontaneous cravings, the advertising strategy proved remarkably effective. The accompanying jingle became so deeply ingrained in the public consciousness that many consumers involuntarily hummed it upon merely seeing the golden arches.
2000
To take on the new millennium, McDonald’s launched “We Love to See You Smile” in 2000. It was introduced during a period of modernized restaurant designs and menu innovations, including the “Made For You” food preparation system. McDonald’s invested $500 million in this new cooking platform to deliver fresher, hotter food.
2003
“I’m Lovin’ It” became McDonald’s longest-running and most popular slogan. It debuted in 2003 to unify the company’s marketing across more than 100 countries. The campaign featured a five-note jingle created by music producers Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes, with Justin Timberlake receiving $6 million to record the vocals—making it one of the most expensive jingle productions in advertising history.
2014
Most recently, McDonald’s briefly introduced its “Lovin’ Beats Hatin’” slogan as part of a positivity campaign meant to counter online negativity. The campaign included the “Pay With Lovin’” Super Bowl promotion, in which randomly selected customers could pay for meals with acts of kindness rather than money.
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