Which McDonald’s advertising slogan became famous through the 1971 campaign “You Deserve a Break Today”?

“You Deserve a Break Today” was the famous McDonald’s advertising slogan used in the campaign introduced in 1971.

The line connected a visit to McDonald’s with taking a pleasant pause from daily work and responsibilities. Its wording was simple, conversational, and broad enough to work in television, radio, print, and in-store promotion. That flexibility helped make it one of the most remembered slogans in McDonald’s advertising history.

The campaign followed earlier national brand language, including “Look for the Golden Arches.” It also came before later slogans such as “I’m Lovin’ It,” which McDonald’s introduced in the 2000s. Advertising slogans changed over time as the company adjusted its positioning and target audiences.

People sometimes attribute the line to a generic fast-food advertising style rather than to McDonald’s specifically. The 1971 campaign is nevertheless strongly identified with McDonald’s and is frequently listed among the most influential advertising campaigns in American commercial history.