McDonald's Unveils New Brand Creative Direction at Worldwide Marketing Conference in Chicago

Continuing with its intent to revitalize worldwide marketing at the Golden Arches, McDonald's today unveiled a new brand creative direction that will be the strategic "glue" for upcoming worldwide marketing and advertising campaigns.

The plan includes a new theme-line -- "i'm lovin' it"™. This creative direction represents one more step in an ongoing process to maximize McDonald's creative talents and marketing assets around the world. Introduced today at McDonald's Worldwide Marketing Conference in Chicago, the creative direction was developed by Heye & Partner, an advertising agency based in Munich, Germany, long associated with McDonald's.

Charlie Bell, McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer, said, "This compelling creative approach proves that great ideas can come from anywhere within the McDonald's System. Given the outstanding talent we have around the globe, we are further leveraging our best thinking. What we are putting together is a whole lot more than a theme or a creative execution. 'i'm lovin' it' will be a unifying element for the global creative approach this fall that connects with customers as only McDonald's can. We are on our way to a new era of marketing at McDonald's. We intend to have some fun, and even share a few surprises."

The brand direction process began at a February meeting at the corporation's home office that brought together creative talent from McDonald's global system. This meeting launched a creative "competition of ideas" that resulted in the new brand direction and theme-line.

Going forward, creative teams working on McDonald's business throughout the world will execute the creative direction, including style, musical approach and theme-line in their own local markets. McDonald's is collaborating with top music talent in its execution. Music, video, print and other creative aspects of the approach will be unveiled later this fall.

McDonald's Global Chief Marketing Officer, Larry Light, today congratulated the German agency along with all of the agencies participating in this worldwide marketing initiative. He said creative from all the participating agencies will be integrated into the new plan.

"There are no agency winners or losers," Light emphasized. "McDonald's is committed to a multi-agency approach. The real winner is the McDonald's System as our new borderless approach to marketing enables us to take advantage of the depth of creativity and talent found within all of our agencies."

Light said, "It's a great approach and I'm loving it. And so did our marketing partners at the conference today. We are leveraging our tremendous global talent and sharing it around the world to get the best and brightest ideas working for our Brand.

"We put a stake in the ground in February, challenging our creative forces to deliver best-in-class creative. They are delivering. The upcoming campaigns will be relevant, hip, energetic and powerful. Our advertising will connect to customers, especially young adults and moms and kids. We're confident customers will like what they see when worldwide teams unveil the full creative package this fall."

Heye & Partner, based in Munich, Germany, has been McDonald's Germany's advertising partner for the past 32 years. This partnership has resulted in more than 200 international advertising awards. Heye & Partner is a member of the DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.

McDonald's is the world's leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 local McDonald's restaurants serving 46 million customers each day in more than 100 countries.

   Press Briefing On Leadership Meeting
   June 11, 2003


   Charlie Bell:

   Thank you for joining us today.   We're glad you can participate in this
   conference call.  We know there's a lot of interest in our business and
   the new initiatives we are developing.

   We've been communicating with you since the beginning of the year, and we
   want to continue our dialogue with an update on where we are today with
   our ongoing marketing direction.

   We haven't finalized all the details, but we are very excited about the
   progress we've made to date  ...  and there's more news ahead.

   We have just come from our Worldwide Marketing Conference ... where 550
   creative and marketing leaders  ...  along with most of our managing
   directors from around the world  ...  just heard the latest update on our
   plan to launch a new era of marketing at McDonald's.

   Based on the energy and excitement we experienced here ... I can tell you
   that the new direction we are taking was not only endorsed ... it was
   embraced.

   The overwhelming feeling is that this plan is indeed a "Plan to Win."

   This initiative began in January  ... when Jim Cantalupo, our Chairman
   and CEO, set a new direction for McDonald's. He cleared the decks for
   change and action, calling for focus and discipline across our Brand.

   We have a new growth strategy  ...  we will grow by adding more customers
   to our existing restaurants  ...  not restaurants to customers.

   So, that means our two top priorities are operational excellence and
   leadership marketing.

   Today, we are announcing an important milestone in reasserting our
   marketing leadership.

   Our new direction reached an important marker in February when we brought
   together creative talent from McDonald's worldwide system and launched a
   creative "competition of ideas."

   That's exactly what took place  ...  and I saw the results first-hand.

   We traveled to ten countries  ...  and fourteen agencies  ...  the first
   time ever for a trip like that.  We were impressed by every agency
   presentation we saw  ...  and we're reminded once again that we have a
   wealth of talent across our system.

   Great ideas can come from anywhere  ...  and in this case, the idea we
   are introducing today comes from Europe.

   It is another step on our way to a new era of marketing at McDonald's.
   We are truly leveraging our creative power  ...  and we are aligning our
   entire marketing force against this new direction.

   We intend to have some fun with it  ...  along with a few surprises, too.

   Now ... here is my partner, McDonald's Global Chief Marketing Officer,
   Larry Light.

  ________________________________________________________________


   Larry Light:

   Thanks, Charlie.

   The past six months have been an inspiring process ... and today ... a
   reaffirming event.

   This announcement is all about the revitalization of the McDonald's brand
   ...  with a global burst of instant energy.

   This is the first time that the McDonald's brand has an integrated global
   two-year marketing calendar  ...  unified under a common brand theme.

   I want to emphasize that there are no agency winners or losers.

   McDonald's is committed to a multi-agency approach and the real winner is
   the McDonald's System  ...  as our new, borderless approach to marketing
   enables us to take advantage of the depth of creativity and talent found
   within all of our agencies.

   I am loving the new creative approach  ...  and, in fact, the new theme-
   line is  ...  "I'm lovin' it."

   It was created under the leadership of Jurgen Knauss and his creative
   team at Heye & Partner, based in Unterhaching, Germany ... a longtime
   partner of McDonald's. You'll hear from him in a moment.

   I congratulate the Heye agency  ...  along with all of the agencies
   participating in this worldwide marketing initiative.  No one agency had
   all the ideas  ...  that's why the best thinking of all of our
   participating agencies will be integrated into our ongoing marketing
   plan.

   This terrific new theme-line will be the unifying element for an even
   bigger idea -- our new creative approach.  We see it as the strategic
   glue for local market adaptations around the world.

   Let me tell you how we got here.

   As Charlie said ... we challenged our advertising agencies in February to
   come back to us with outstanding advertising that attracts more customers
   ...  convinces them to come more often  ...  and builds brand loyalty.

   We know we need to be more modern and relevant in how we communicate.

   We told them we are looking for creative ideas that will re-energize our
   brand. That will give our brand a burst of instant energy.

   I can tell you  ...  from the reaction we saw today from our marketing
   and advertising partners  ...  that as we introduce all of the elements
   ... we are confident the full creative package will connect with our
   customers ...  and have a WOW effect.

   We will launch this new direction in the fall with our new worldwide
   advertising approach.

   Our creative campaigns will be more competitive and relevant to our key
   customers  ...  young adults, and moms and kids.  It will also help
   motivate our own employees  ...  another top priority for us.

   We recognize that re-energizing our brand will take more than new
   advertising. So  ...  our leadership marketing program will also include
   other integrated marketing activities.

   Going forward, creative teams working on McDonald's business, throughout
   the world, will execute the creative direction, including style, musical
   approach and the theme-line in their own local markets.

   McDonald's is collaborating with top music talent in its execution.

   Music, video, print, and other creative aspects of the approach will be
   unveiled later.

   Let me emphasize again, that in managing our brand worldwide  ...  we
   will view the execution of this new approach as "freedom within a
   framework."

   Freedom within a framework means that we encourage local market
   entrepreneurship within the parameters of McDonald's new brand direction.

   Finally, this is all about launching an energetic and integrated two-year
   marketing effort that will help define McDonald's as truly  ...  Forever
   Young.

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SOURCE: McDonald's Corporation

CONTACT: Walt Riker, +1-630-623-7318, or Lisa Howard, +1-630-623-5044,
both of McDonald's Corporation

Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/