McDonald's Didn't Come Up With 'I'm Lovin' It' — Here's The German Company That Did
McDonald's Didn't Come Up With 'I'm Lovin' It' — Here's The German Company That Did
Michelle WelschSat, September 19, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC
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As catchy as the accompanying jingle might be, McDonald's tagline "I'm Lovin' It" wasn't the result of some massive American ad agency or a flash of inspiration from a corporate executive. Instead, a small German agency known as Heye & Partner came up with the idea in 2003. A floundering McDonald's was looking for a global marketing campaign that could spark business and set up a competition among 14 international advertising agencies to see who could come up with the best idea. Heye & Partner's pitch took the German phrase "Ich liebe es," which translates to "I love it," offering a phrase that could be easily translated into various languages without changing the meaning.
Next, Mona Davis Music, a German production house, composed a jingle that took the words and set them against a snappy melody that can now be easily recognized around the world. Though the exact melody was kind of an accident, as a tired vocalist improvised the sound during a late-night studio session, the team decided to roll with it.
Read more: 9 Burger King Facts Everybody Should Know
An idea with lasting appeal
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With both jingle and tagline finalized, McDonald's tapped Justin Timberlake to record a full-length pop version of the song, co-written by hitmaker Pharrell Williams. The result was leaked on purpose, without any mention of McDonald's, before McDonald's complete campaign was made public. This reverse-engineered strategy helped create buzz before any connection between the song and the company was made clear, and the idea worked.
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McDonald's first launched the campaign in Germany since the concept originated there. Since McDonald's is operated through franchises, the company's decision to run the same advertisements worldwide to create a unified brand voice was a new, yet targeted decision. Sales both in the United States and globally saw an incredible spike following the rollout, with a $680 million and $1.8 billion increase, respectively, in the year after the campaign's release. Decades later, "I'm Lovin' It" has held fast as the longest-running tagline in the company's history. While many companies make choices that reflect local markets, this international marketing strategy shows that a single message that focuses on feeling can resonate with generations of consumers.
As for Heye & Partner, the small advertising firm went on to do more work with McDonald's. They also landed campaigns with some other heavy-hitters, including Greenpeace, BMW, Bosch, and New Balance, winning several awards for their work.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Source: “AOL Money”
