It seems that McDonald’s will change its slogan yet again ever so slightly by making it just a little bit worse. Now, instead of hearing the phrase “I’m lovin’ it” to accompany the iconic Golden Arches, you will hear “Lovin’ Beats Hatin’.” What’s with McDonald’s and bad grammar, anyway? Starting next year, the McDonalds catchphrase will be all about stating the obvious.

Not anymore, I’m not. Courtesy of Gabby Kaminsky via Flickr.

Personally, I am unsure as to what McDonald’s marketing experts wish to accomplish with this change. Are they trying to be progressive? Like, 1970s Beatles-style let’s all love everyone and sit in a hippie drum circle? I mean, don’t most people worldwide kind of know that treating others with love is better than the alternative? It’s something they tell us in preschool in the U.S., anyway.

Well, I guess it’s not such an obvious thing since there is so much war, hate, turmoil, and all that in the world today. Ah, I think I understand now! McDonald’s is trying to create world peace by telling others to LOVE not HATE! Wow, McDonald’s, that is such a noble task you are trying to undertake! The collective imagination behind the new catchphrase will single-handedly bring peace to the Middle East, thus earning its creators the Nobel Peace Prize. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit…

Or perhaps I am misunderstanding the objective. Maybe it’s as simple as trying to drum up some competition among the foods offered at McDonald’s to keep things interesting. Dollar-Menu burgers versus six-piece chicken nuggets. Which are you lovin’ and which are you hatin’? Maybe consumers are lovin’ egg McMuffins and hatin’ Japan’s exclusive squid-ink burger. Personally, I am just sick and tired of the fast food giant omitting the “g” at the end of the words. I draw a blank as to the reasoning behind that one…

According to McDonald’s big wigs themselves, the campaign is designed to “spread happiness in the face of Internet hate.” There wasn’t any more elaboration than that, but they have admitted that the company is in for big changes.

Why? Sales are down for the fast food chain due to its failure to keep up with modern eating habits worldwide. Also, the company claims that introducing too many new items too quickly last year caused a decline in revenue. The mentality of consumers seems to be changing, too; whereas consistency was previously looked at positively, today’s consumer prefers customization with their orders. Thus, the true motive behind the new slogan. Though perhaps the campaign change will not boost sales as intended, only time will tell, the company made a smart move by deciding to unveil the new slogan during the next Super Bowl.

So, McDonald’s, I’m “lovin’” that you’re trying to adapt, but I’m “dislikin’” your proposed new slogan. It leaves me “wantin’” some more creativity. Okay, sorry, I’m done bothering everyone with poor grammar.

Amen, sister!

Marisa Mostek

Marisa Mostek loves globetrotting and writing, so she is living the dream by writing while living abroad in Japan and working as an English teacher. Marisa received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a certificate in journalism from UCLA. Contact Marisa at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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Urban Outfitters deserves an award for the ballsiest PR stunts of pretty much any clothing company. Forget American Apparel and its usually naked models; forget United Colors of Benetton and its Pope-kissing ads; the award goes to Urban Outfitters.

The reason Urban Outfitters takes the top spot here is because of its most recent transgression — yesterday a particularly tasteless item was discovered on its site. I’ll let this tweet sum it up:

Urban Outfitters are selling a “vintage” Kent State jumper, blood splatters and all. Nothing says “hip” like murder. pic.twitter.com/tq63ONAniq

— cory zanoni (@cjzanoni) September 15, 2014

That’s right, that’s a Kent State sweatshirt that clearly looks pretty blood stained. And what is Kent State most famous for? The May 4, 1970 shootings by members of the National Guard that left four students dead and the campus and nation devastated.

Of course, Urban Outfitters “pretended” to have an answer, releasing a statement that said:

Urban Outfitters sincerely apologizes for any offense our Vintage Kent State Sweatshirt may have caused. It was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at Kent State in 1970 and we are extremely saddened that this item was perceived as such. The one-of-a-kind item was purchased as part of our sun-faded vintage collection. There is no blood on this shirt nor has this item been altered in any way. The red stains are discoloration from the original shade of the shirt and the holes are from natural wear and fray. Again, we deeply regret that this item was perceived negatively and we have removed it immediately from our website to avoid further upset.

Sure, Urban Outfitters. I’m sure that literally no one involved in the production, marketing, or selling of the shirt noticed what every single person who saw a picture of it did — those red spots look remarkably like blood stains.

Listen, Urban Outfitters knows what it’s doing. If this were an isolated incident, maybe I’d give them a pass, but this is just the latest in a long string of PR stunts the company has used. Here are a couple times that the company charmingly attempted to glorify various disorders:

Dear @UrbanOutfitters, Depression and a girl with 2% body fat wearing an Eat Less shirt is not a fashion statement. pic.twitter.com/yEKurbhBwp

— nye (@fooddood_) January 18, 2014

Again, Urban Outfitters followed the exact same path. It received serious amounts of backlash over the shirts, came out with half-assed apologies, and moved on.

Remember that saying, “Any press is good press?” Urban Outfitters really seems to be taking that idea to heart. The more controversy you stir up, the more people talk about your brand. It’s pretty clear that that’s the philosophy that the company is attempting to use to sell clothes right now…but the real question is whether or not this tactic is working.

In 2012, Urban Outfitters hired a new CEO and purportedly tasked him with edging up the brand. There’s a fine line between edgy and offensive though, and Urban Outfitters has stepped way over that line. The fact that sales have been floundering while the other stores under its parent company have been growing, doesn’t bode well for the retailer.

Urban Outfitters has chosen to adopt the hot-mess Miley Cyrus strategy of marketing, and no one can give them any flak for not going all in with it. While this Kent State sweatshirt controversy is truly gross and horrible, I heard more people mention Urban Outfitters yesterday than I have in a very, very long time. That being said, whether or not it actually attracts new people to the brand remains to be seen — all press is not necessarily good press.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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