Mc Donald's entry, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country
As much as I have loathed them in the past, I have to say that McDonald’s has done a great job at transforming themselves into a brand and experience for the new century. I remember when McDonald’s corp was seeing a slide in sales and image in the U.S. I was reading about it in all the business trades and seeing it throughout L.A. At the same time, I also heard about different creative ideas McDonald’s was testing to win customers back. They were looking at everything from location of stores, menus, taste, trends, uniforms, menu layouts, lighting, technology, interior and exterior architecture, bag design, national, regional, local, ethnic, graphic design, pretty much everything. All the while brewing up something that would translate globally and still resonates today. McDonald’s golden arches and three words underneath “I’m lovin’ it” managed not only to re-brand McDonald’s and send sales up, it became everyone’s McDonald’s. “I’m lovin’ it” may sound simple but could you imagine hearing the phrase for anything else? Even if you hated fast food, you couldn’t deny the appeal of those commercials of “real” people singing, rapping, laughing versions of the new theme song. At the time I thought “I’m lovin’ it” was in the U.S. It wasn’t until I visited Finland that I realized that the re-branding was global. Overall I think it’s a great example of what a holistic creative approach can do to fulfill and exceed business, brand, marketing, and customer expectations.
