What was the name of McDonald’s first national advertising agency?

Needham Harper Steers was McDonald’s first national advertising agency. The agency helped shape the brand’s early nationwide advertising and is especially associated with the campaign that introduced the slogan “You Deserve a Break Today.”

McDonald’s expansion beyond its original California base required advertising that could work across the United States. A national agency gave the rapidly growing chain a consistent voice, linking restaurant experience, convenience, and family appeal across television, radio, print, and outdoor media.

Needham Harper Steers later became part of the agency history that led to Needham Worldwide. McDonald’s advertising relationships changed over time as the company added other agencies and developed campaigns for different markets and audiences.

This agency is sometimes confused with later creative partners such as DDB Chicago, which became strongly associated with McDonald’s advertising in subsequent decades. The question concerns the chain’s first national agency, not every agency that later handled its branding.