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Armed with one of the world's top 20 corporate advertising war chests, McDonald's Corp. has introduced millions of consumers to such memorable ad slogans as "You deserve a break today" and "We do it all for you."
It also set the nation to singing in 1974, when countless Americans tried their hands at finishing the Big Mac jingle, "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese...," which was the center of a popular campaign for the chain's signature Big Mac sandwich.
Regardless of the slogan, McDonald's has adhered to one marketing strategy for the greater part of the last 50 years: Be the fun, friendly place for families.
"We were that famous Norman Rockwell family experience," says Larry Light, McDonald's executive vice president and global chief marketing officer.
Since September 2003, however, McDonald's has focused on creating a more modern image with its global "i'm lovin' it" marketing campaign, which features youthful images, hip music and sports and music celebrities.
Still, the 50-year-old megabrand has deep roots with consumers of all ages, many of whom grew up with the chain's Ronald McDonald and the rest of his crew, including Hamburglar, Grimace and Mayor McCheese.
In the early years, McDonald's marketing consisted chiefly of local print advertising, mostly bought by franchisees eager to drive business in their communities.
But in the 1960s, with TV growing more effective as an ad medium and the rapid expansion of the McDonald's system - first in the United States and then in Canada - local advertising was no longer enough.
In 1967 McDonald's launched its first national TV campaign with $3 million pooled by franchisees, who previously relied on commercial time purchased on their local TV and radio stations. A year later, McDonald's hired its first major ad agency, D'Arcy Advertising of St. Louis. The firm created the campaign that introduced Americans to the Big Mac, which had just been launched nationwide. McDonald's later hired Paul Schrage, the D'Arcy media buyer working the account, as the fast-food chain's first senior executive vice president and marketing chief officer. D'Arcy, however, resigned the McDonald's account in 1969 to concentrate on its largest client, Standard Oil.
McDonald's then turned to Chicago ad agency Needham, Harper and Steers - known today as DDB Needham -...