What was the name of McDonald's 1971 advertising slogan about taking a break?

“You Deserve a Break Today” was McDonald's 1971 advertising slogan about taking a break.

The slogan positioned a McDonald's visit as a small reward during a busy day. Rather than focusing only on the restaurant's food or speed, it connected the brand with relaxation and personal enjoyment. That emotional framing helped the line become one of the most remembered slogans in American advertising.

The campaign was created by Needham Harper & Steers, McDonald's advertising agency at the time. Its wording was short, direct, and easy to sing, qualities that helped it work in television, radio, and print advertising.

The slogan is often mixed up with “Look for the Golden Arches,” an earlier line centered on restaurant identification, or “I'm Lovin' It,” the global campaign launched in 2003. “You Deserve a Break Today” belongs to McDonald's early-1970s brand period and is specifically associated with the idea of a deserved pause.