Friday, October 1, 2010

I'm No Longer Lovin' It

     The Golden Arches are one of the most recognizable corporate logos in the world.  Everyone knows that when you see a giant yellow "M" on the side of a building or towering in the sky over the highway that a cheap greasy and unhealthy yet tasty cheeseburger could be in your future, if not then certainly a bathroom break.  It's tough to think of a company that has penetrated as many markets as much as McDonald's.  Nike, perhaps Apple or IBM, but there aren't many.  Even automobiles, with the various European companies, fail to share the same presence on the worldwide stage.  It's hard to go anywhere these days and not see a McDonald's.  And where there is a McDonald's, there are McDonald's commercials.

     You've seen them or heard them, and most likely at one point or another, ignored them.  And at the end of every commercial you hear the jingle followed by the slogan either sung, or spoke, or just scrolled across the screen.  Although, depending on who you ask, the slogan on jingle that comes to mine will be different.  Why?  Because in the U.S. alone there have been 36 slogans used by McDonald's since 1960.  That's an average of .72 slogans per year.

     Here is a list of all the slogans used by McDonald's in the U.S. and the years it was used and, when available, a link to a commercial utilizing that slogan:

     Granted, some of these slogans were used as compliments to the main slogan, like the "Smile" series.  But still, that is a lot of slogans!  Try to think of another company that has 3 famous slogans that you can think of... go ahead, try it............................... Time's Up!  You can't!  Even Geico, who is known for having dozens of different ad campaigns still has the same slogan: "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on your car insurance."  Which makes me wonder why a company who averages 1.4 slogans per year has stuck with the same one for such a long time. "I'm lovin' it" has been blaring on our television sets for seven years.  SEVEN YEARS!  For those of you keeping track, it's been around over nine times longer than the average McDonald's slogan!  And it's perhaps the worst one.

     I remember reading an article in the newspaper in 2003 when they introduced the new slogan.  They cited their "hope to appeal to the younger generation" by making the slogan look and sound hip.  On top of that, the commercials would feature rap and hip hop music recorded by (then) current and popular musical artists.  Justin Timberlake recorded the song in the commercial linked above.  I understand that it is important to get the next generation on board for your company earlier rather than later.  But this is a little absurd.  First off, let's take a look at the whole premise of the campaign, they aren't necessarily appealing to EVERYONE in the younger generation, just those that talk in slang words like "lovin'" (while many of us in every age bracket do) and those that like hip hop and rap.  That counted me out from the minute I saw the first commercial.  Granted they have toned that back quite a bit, and now they gear the ads more to the heart of the slogan and how much people love McDonald's.

     And let's face it... people LOVE McDonald's.  So why do you feel you need to appeal more to the younger generation.  Tell a child that you're going out to dinner and that they get to pick.  I'm willing to bet on it that nine times out of ten any child will emphatically say McDonald's.  Kids love Happy Meals.  And if you happen to have a McDonald's PlayPlace near you, then I'll move that up to 10/10.  So being that McDonald's has secured every generation that can be considered "younger" from age 3, why do they need then gear their ENTIRE ad campaign to that generation when they hit 12-15?  Any middle school or high school that allows students an open campus for lunch almost guarantees that if a McDonald's is nearby, most students will go to McDonald's before Wendy's or Arby's or KFC.  The only one that might present a challenge in Burger King... but even then.  Now, to eliminate bias, I'm an Arby's and Burger King man myself, but there is always a time when McDonald's seems just right... that is when I happen to eat fast food.

     And now, after McDonald's is taking more and more heat for the health issues associated with their food, thanks to the movie Super Size Me, one would think that a slogan that encourages illiteracy would be quickly ushered out the door.  Granted the ' after "lovin" implies that it is purposely misspelled but still, what five-year-old will recognize that!  I'm actually kind of surprised that no one has jumped on this after all of the heat the American education system has been taking lately.  But we won't get into that.

     I just think that it's time for McDonald's to once again change their slogan.  When this ad campaign was first announced it was headline news.  I remember reading it in the newspaper... on the front page!  When was the last time something as small as an ad campaign made the front page?  When was the last time McDonald's (as a corporation) made the front page?  Probably more often than I'm recalling, but that's not the point!  The point is, wouldn't you want to once again create the same buzz?  Announce a new ad campaign that will do so!

     So why is McDonald's, a company that is close to averaging one slogan per year, hanging on to a slogan that is quickly dating itself to be early 2000s?  Well, it was their first global ad campaign, so yes it would be more difficult to change everything worldwide.  But it's McDonald's they have as big of a supply of cash as they do "all beef" patties - endless.  And their stock price has been climbing since 2003, yet hasn't split since 1999.  And no, I do not personally think that this slogan has single handedly led the stock to improve, but I'm sure someone in the upper echelon of Ronald McDonald's court does.

     So what should the new McDonald's slogan be?  I can't answer that.  If I could I would be a very rich man.  My suggestion would be something that sounds environmentally friendly or something healthy-ish.  Something that, without the use such illiterate words as lovin', livin', givin', or drivin', encourages humanity to be more gooder and read and write more better, before illiteracy sweeps the nation!

I'd be remiss if I didn't include a video of the greatest McDonald's commercial ever.  (Followed by the remake and the Canadian equivalent):





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