HL&S

Welcome back to HL&S, where we continue exploring the golden era of advertising to understand why these classic ads captured consumers’ hearts, hook, line, and sinker.

Today on HL&S: McDonald’s 1971, “You Deserve a Break Today” campaign, many hold this campaign in high regard due to its influence. This week’s topic was Big Ideas and Creative Strategy, needless to say, this campaign’s big idea was very effective. In fact, the campaign became so successful that McDonald’s later adopted “You Deserve a Break Today” as their first real tagline (DeJesus, 2014). Through the lens of this campaign, we’ll break down why Big Ideas are so important and how they affect creative strategy.

Without further ado, let’s dive in.

In the era that the “You Deserve a Break Today” campaign was launched, fast food in America was gaining popularity, this was a big opportunity for McDonalds and they wanted to capitalize (Wheless, 2024). Consumers at the time felt as though their lives were getting faster and faster, and they reported feeling overwhelmed by their fast-paced lives (Gadwalkar, Chen, & Movva, 2023). McDonald’s understood the cultural shift and they utilized this campaign to tap into the emotional need of consumers at the time: the desire for a well-deserved break (Wheless, 2024). This is the big idea behind McDonald’s most iconic campaign of the 1970s, it positioned McDonald’s as more than just a stop for convenient meal, McDonald’s was your escape from the rat race.

The campaign conveyed the idea that McDonald’s could provide a moment of comfort and relaxation in a busy world. The slogan was speaking directly to McDonald’s potential consumers, enticing them with more than a meal, a break (DeJesus, 2014). This in tandem with the rational promise of delivering fast and convenient service, made it clear that McDonald’s wanting to be known as the place to get a quick, yet satisfying break from the daily grind.

This campaign had many different commercials and advertisements, but hands down the one you can watch below is the most iconic. It features a cast of cheerful McDonald’s employees cleaning up the restaurant while singing the now famous jingle. I believe that the catchiness of the jingle and the silly dance moves of the employees was to convey that McDonald’s had a laid back, welcoming environment, this of course to reiterate the sentiment that McDonald’s is your chance at a break from your busy schedule. The simple visuals paired with the overall lighthearted and upbeat tone of the commercial highlight once again the message that McDonald was a place that cared about its consumers wellbeing

Key Takeaway: The Power of a Big Idea

In this week’s lecture, we discussed the concept of the Big Idea and how it serves as the driving force behind successful campaigns. A Big Idea goes beyond the product or service being sold—it taps into the deeper emotional and rational needs of the target audience (Locally Creative Labs, 2024). McDonald’s “You Deserve a Break Today” demonstrates how a well-executed Big Idea can elevate a brand, creating a lasting emotional connection with consumers that transcends the product itself.

In Week 4, we covered the concept of the Big Idea, and how it can be the foundation of a successful campaign. Big Ideas must go beyond the product or service being sold; they must tap into a deeper understanding of your target consumers. Big Ideas are short, they aren’t supposed to have a lot of context because your target consumer already has it. A big Idea is almost like an inside joke between you and your target audience, when you say the big idea around a general audience, it doesn’t mean much, but when you say it to the people you’re talking too, they should be able to understand the deeper meaning. If executed correctly, the big idea serves and a indicator to your target communities that you really understand them. When a consumer feels that their being heard from a brand, this helps to build more loyal and longer lasting customer relationships.

Dissecting the Creative Brief Elements:

By breaking down the campaign’s core components, we can better understand how McDonald’s effectively executed its Big Idea:

1. Brand Positioning: McDonald’s positioned itself as the ultimate solution for a quick and enjoyable break.

• Target Audience: The campaign was clearly aimed at working individuals and families who were seeking convenience without sacrificing quality.

• Big Idea: The core message—“You Deserve a Break Today”—centered on the emotional appeal that McDonald’s was the place where customers could treat themselves.

Why This Campaign Still Matters Today:

McDonald’s “You Deserve a Break Today” is a prime example of how a Big Idea can transform a brand’s image and position it as more than just a product provider. The campaign’s success lay in its ability to balance emotional and rational appeals, creating a message that resonated with consumers on a deep, personal level (Ignasiak, 2012).

In today’s world, brands can learn a great deal from this campaign. While the media landscape has changed, the importance of a Big Idea remains crucial in cutting through the clutter and creating meaningful connections with consumers.

Final Thoughts:

As we wrap up this week’s blog, I can’t help but see how evident the importance of a big idea really is. As an aspiring creative director, I think that I resonated with this topic a lot, I realized that unconsciously when I review a campaign, I’m always asking myself, “What are you trying to convey?”, which I know understand is basically just looking for the big idea behind the campaign. Now, when I reflect on the best ads I’ve seen, I noticed that the best advertisements always had Big Idea’s that you could pick up on right away.

What do you think? Did this campaign reel you in, Hook, Line, & Sinker? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Join me next time as we continue to explore the lost art of alluring advertising.

References:

Gadwalkar, S., Chen, D., & Movva, G. (2023, December 12). The influence of fast food restaurants in America. ArcGIS StoryMaps. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/8892b437557141eeb9b8a494009fe9d1

DeJesus, E. (2014, November 11). McDonald’s drops ‘You deserve a break today’ slogan; Here are some of its best moments. Eater. https://www.eater.com/2014/11/11/7198531/mcdonalds-drops-you-deserve-a-break-today-slogan-here-are-some-of-its

Locally Creative Labs. (2024, March 31). Emotional branding: The secret sauce for any business to attain success. Medium. https://medium.com/@locallycreativelab/emotional-branding-the-secret-sauce-for-any-business-to-attain-success-b89762b6f3e7

Wheless, E. (2024, March 19). Inside McDonald’s subculture marketing. AdAge. https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/inside-mcdonalds-subculture-marketing/2547501

SFOAdMan. (2008, December 17). McDonald’s – You deserve a break today (1982). YouTube. https://youtu.be/BqRH8wEsaVQ?si=0IqIDCKghJVtD9dt

Reid, J. (2006, April 11). McDonald’s television ad – c. 1970’s. YouTube. https://youtu.be/XKR1ScQUpcA

McCommercials. (2017, December 8). 1970s – McDonald’s commercial – Holiday “You deserve a break today”. YouTube. https://youtu.be/8nwqaEFgWws

Pinterest. (n.d.). 1971 McDonald’s ad – You deserve a break today. Pinterest. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1971-mcdonalds-ad-you-deserve-a-break-today–158189005638587103/

SA_Steve. (2008, June 7). 1971 McDonald’s Ad “She Deserves a Break Today”. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sa_steve/2554616737

Jacobs, M. (2014, November 11). McDonald’s drops rights to ‘You deserve a break today’ slogan. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mcdonalds-drops-rights-to_b_6138816

SusCos. (n.d.). Fish sandwich. Pinterest. Retrieved October 3, 2024, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/31666003615229319/