“I’m Lovin’ It” launched as a McDonald’s advertising slogan in 2003.
The campaign was introduced internationally and used a short, conversational phrase designed to work across languages and markets. Its musical branding included the familiar “ba da ba ba ba” signature, helping the campaign function as both a spoken slogan and an audio identity.
The campaign followed several earlier McDonald’s advertising lines, including “You Deserve a Break Today,” which began in 1971. Those earlier slogans were important in the history of the brand, but they are not the answer to a question about the 2003 campaign.
Justin Timberlake appeared in an early campaign-related music video for the song “I’m Lovin’ It,” and the campaign is commonly associated with the song performed by Timberlake. The slogan itself, however, is a McDonald’s brand line rather than the name of a McDonald’s menu item. It became one of the company’s most durable global advertising identities.