CHICAGO: McDonald’s Corp is gearing up to launch its first global advertising campaign in its 50-year history, at a time when it is facing stiff competition and badly needs ad investments to pay off.
The world’s largest fast food company has high hopes the “I’m loving it” campaign will be hip enough to boost its fortunes.
McDonald’s last campaign, with the “We love to see you smile” voice-over, largely failed to pay off.
While its second-quarter sales did tick higher, competition from Burger King and Wendy’s International remains formidable.
Company executives would not say how much it plans to spend on the new campaign.
In an unusual move for McDonald’s, which has always let US advertising agencies drive its major marketing campaigns, the fast food icon hired a German agency to lead the creative work.
Heye and Partners, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc’s DDB unit, kicks off the campaign this week in Munich with two days of media tours and parties.
Officials at the Oak Brook, Illinois company say the campaign will take a youthful approach to selling fastfood, tying together music, fashion, sports and entertainment.
The “I’m lovin’ it” theme has five common television spots that will air this month in many, if not all, of the 118 countries where McDonald’s operates, according to Larry Light, McDonald’s head of global marketing.
But he said each local market would customise the television spots with its own language and local shots of customers.
A potential partnership with teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake has been reported for weeks, although Light declined to comment on it. – Reuters
Did you find this article insightful?
