McDonald's Revamps "I'm Lovin' It" With New Video Ad

As the chain tries to revitalize its "I'm lovin' it" tagline, the "Archenemies" video, created by Leo Burnett, focuses on love, though ignores the elephant in the room: nutrition.

McDonald’s has launched a new video as part of its ongoing efforts to refresh its “I’m lovin’ it” tagline.

The ad, called “Archenemies,” was created by Leo Burnett, and features fictional rivals making peace. In it, Freddy Krueger spears three chicken nuggets with his razor claws and gives them to Jason. A Cheesehead shares his fries with a Bears fan, and Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the East pose for a selfie. In the background, Mozella sings about how love is endless.

“For the last 10 years, everything we’ve done can be summed up with three words: ‘I’m lovin’ it.’ It sits at the heart of our tag line, at the heart of our business. We are reigniting the lovin’ that’s been at the heart of the brand since the very beginning,” explains Deborah Wahl, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s.

The commercial is reminiscent of “Wonderfilled,” the 2013 video in which Oreo depicted sharing cookies with the Big Bad Wolf and a vampire. While “Archenemies” has gotten flak for being too similar, Greg Jarboe, president of SEO-PR, takes more issue with the disconnect between the video’s message and the brand’s overall identity.

“Once upon a time, back in the 1950s, a snappy jingle got people to go buy your product,” Jarboe says. “These days, there has to be an element of authenticity. What you’re selling has to be perceived as good and in the food market, that means healthy.”

He adds that “the brand image is zigging, while the reality is sagging.”

McDonald’s has fallen out of favor in recent years, particularly among the Millennial generation. Over the summer, the world’s largest fast-food chain made an attempt to turn its deteriorating image around, announcing that the menu would be revamping, and that its customer service and social media presence would be improved.

“Lately the balance of lovin’ and hatin’ seems off. Who better to stand up for lovin’ than McDonald’s?” says Wahl.

Jarboe thinks that while the new campaign is catchy, McDonald’s should have followed in its Canadian counterpart’s footsteps and focused on the elephant in the room: the chain’s nutritional content.

McDonald’s has an “Our Food. Your Questions.” section on its website where readers can submit questions. In 2012, McDonald’s Canada started taking to YouTube to answer some of the more controversial questions, such as do Egg McMuffins use real eggs and is the beef really treated with ammonia?

The fast-food chain recently started publishing similar videos, featuring Grant Imahara, who is best known as a Mythbusters host. The videos are slowly gaining traction; the most recent one, which addresses what McNuggets are made of, has been viewed more than 5 million times since being published on December 8.

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Whitepapers

US Mobile Streaming Behavior
Whitepaper | Mobile

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

5y

US Mobile Streaming Behavior

Streaming has become a staple of US media-viewing habits. Streaming video, however, still comes with a variety of pesky frustrations that viewers are ...

View resource
Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups
Whitepaper | Analyzing Customer Data

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics for Media Groups

5y

Winning the Data Game: Digital Analytics Tactics f...

Data is the lifeblood of so many companies today. You need more of it, all of which at higher quality, and all the meanwhile being compliant with data...

View resource
Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its people
Whitepaper | Digital Marketing

Learning to win the talent war: how digital marketing can develop its peopl...

2y

Learning to win the talent war: how digital market...

This report documents the findings of a Fireside chat held by ClickZ in the first quarter of 2022. It provides expert insight on how companies can ret...

View resource
Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy
Report | Digital Transformation

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Experience Economy

1m

Engagement To Empowerment - Winning in Today's Exp...

Customers decide fast, influenced by only 2.5 touchpoints – globally! Make sure your brand shines in those critical moments. Read More...

View resource