Years from now, when all girls who were 12 to 16 years old in 2003 are overweight and lonely, we’ll know who to blame.

Justin Timberlake and McDonald’s Team Up
CHICAGO (Reuters) – McDonald’s Corp. said it signed pop star Justin Timberlake for a global advertising campaign it launched on Tuesday, as it seeks to connect with younger customers and head off stiff competition.
Timberlake, of the “band” ‘N Sync, will sing vocals for some of the English-language spots in the campaign, the world’s largest fast-food company said.
Executives for McDonald’s, based in Oak Brook, Illinois, declined to provide the cost of the campaign or Timberlake’s contract, which includes sponsorship of a 35-country tour by the singer.
“We are spending a great deal,” Larry Light, McDonald’s chief marketing officer, told reporters on a conference call from Munich, where McDonald’s launched the campaign. It is the first global marketing effort in the company’s 50-year history.
The television spots roll out in other countries this month and in the United States on Sept. 29.
Analysts noted that few U.S. brands have successfully carried out worldwide campaigns, due to cultural differences between countries. “Let’s see how it works,” said Lawrence McNaughton, managing director of brand consultancy CoreBrand LLC.
German agency Heye and Partners, part of Omnicom Group Inc.’s DDB unit, is leading the creative work for the campaign, which is dubbed “I’m lovin’ it.”
It follows McDonald’s “Smile” campaign in the United States, which experts said had a lukewarm impact. Recent menu additions like premium salads featuring Newman’s Own dressing linked to actor Paul Newman have done more to boost sales, helping the company post significant U.S. second-quarter sales improvement.
In 2002, McDonald’s spent about $548.2 million on advertising, according to trade publication Advertising Age.