McDonald’s flipped its golden arches into a W for International Women’s Day in 2018.
The visual stunt appeared on McDonald’s social-media accounts, where the familiar “M” logo was turned upside down to resemble a “W.” A McDonald’s franchise in Lynwood, California, also physically flipped its sign. The gesture was intended to symbolize women and to mark March 8, the annual International Women’s Day observance.
The campaign was not a permanent rebrand. McDonald’s repeated the social-media version in 2019, making the temporary nature of the idea especially clear. The golden arches themselves are one of the world’s most recognizable corporate symbols and have represented McDonald’s since the 1950s, although the logo has changed in styling over time.
A common mix-up is confusing this campaign with a new company name or a global change to every restaurant sign. It was primarily a promotional gesture, and it also drew criticism from people who questioned whether a logo change meaningfully addressed workplace inequality. The same upside-down “M” could also be read as standing for “women,” rather than changing the company’s identity.