Another thread about McDonald’s commercials got me thinking. What are all the slogans throughout the history of McDonald’s? They keep changing it. Why? I can only remember a couple:
“It’s a good time for the great taste of McDonald’s”
“We love to see you smile”
Well, there was “At McDonalds, we do it all for you” about 30 years ago. I don’t know whether it was an urban legend, but I heard that “We do it all for you” was dropped when a customer directed that the meal be served at his table. When the clerk refused, the customer sued for false advertising.
I remember in the late 70s in Australia, we had the “At McDonald’s, we do it all for you” bit, but by the early 80s, it had morphed into just the two words “…at McDonalds” being sung at the end of their TV advertisements.
And doesn’t Coca Cola do exactly the same thing? They’ve had “Coke adds life”, “Coke is it”, “It’s the real thing”, “Always Coca Cola”, and a few others I’ve probably forgotten.
In the early 60’s, this was McDonald’s jingle:
47 cents for a three course meal
at McDonald’s, the drive-in with the golden arches.
The three “courses” were a hamburger, small fries, and a small coke.
But by the end of the 60’s it was:
…and change back from your dollar.
I can’t remember the beginning of that one. But this pair of jingles really brought inflation home to me.
I can remember singing the BIG MAC song throughout my elementary school years. You were really cool if you could sing it backwards too…sadly I still can do that!
Commercials showed people all trying to sing the song from memory.
Two all beef patties,
special sauce,
lettuce, cheese,
pickles, onion on
a sesame seed bun.
“McDonald’s is a Happy Place (clap hands)
Puts a Smile on your Face (clap hands)
It’s Such a Happy Place (clap hands)
McDonald’s is your…kind…of…Place!”
Late 1960’s idiotic jingle. I am so glad they changed it to:
“You Deserve a Break Today
So Get Out And Get Away
To McDonald’s”
Yes, it’s important to keep changing things so as to attract people’s attention, and to create the impression of something new (so maybe you’ll try it). This is why everything is “New and Improved!” By this time, we should have achieved nirvanic perfection of all products. Bugs should die from the mere sight of a can of Raid. But it’s all hype.
about 10 years ago we (in Australia) had an add that was basically one bloke reciting the entire maccas menu in one breath:
“I’ll have a BigmacQuaterpounderFillet’o’fishMcfeastaswellaJuniorburgerandCheeseburgerChickenmcnuggetssixornine…etc etc etc” It was funny the first time but got old quick.
another was “MMM MMMMM MMMMM it’s Mac time…”
I ate there frst the first time in over a year thursday of last week. I was very drunk and it was the only place open. That’s my excuse…
Actually, the menu song began “Big Mac, McDLT, a quarter pounder with some cheese…”
Thus dating it to the time when the polystyrene-dependent McDLT was available. But nobody remembers the McDLT anymore; it’s become a repressed memory. Ah, styrofoam clamshell nostalgia.
I’d go thru the whole song, but I believe I’ve done that elsewhere on this board. And somebody else had to correct an omission of mine!