Fast food giant launches new global advertising campaign.

MUNICH, Germany (AP) – McDonald’s Corp. launched a new global advertising campaign Tuesday, seeking to freshen its image and boost business with the help of its new slogan – “I’m lovin’ it.”

The ads, which debuted on German television as the company unveiled the new concept in Munich, are part of a turnaround push that has seen McDonald’s bring in a new chief executive and close hundreds of restaurants.

“It’s advertising that, when people look at it, they will say, “I’ve never seen that before from McDonald’s,”‘ said Larry Light, the company’s global chief marketing officer.

Marketing professionals had told the U.S.-based burger giant its image was getting somewhat dated, he added, so the company chose to give its image “an instant burst of energy” with a campaign that features fast-changing action scenes.

Germany was chosen as venue for the launch because the slogan was dreamed up by a German ad agency, Heye & Partner. The new tag line replaces “We love to see you smile.”

By the end of the month, the campaign is to start in more than 100 countries. The U.S. launch is set for Sept. 29, with pop music star Justin Timberlake starring in some of the spots.

Tuesday’s launch is the latest move by McDonald’s, based in Oak Brook, Ill., to put new energy into one of the world’s best-known brands.

The company, which was founded in 1955 and publicly traded since 1965, showed its first-ever quarterly loss in the last three months of 2002 and is in the midst of a shake-up under chief executive James Cantalupo, who took over in January.

It has cut capital spending, closed restaurants, renewed efforts to improve service, and introduced new menu items such as a meal-sized salad and the McGriddle breakfast sandwich.

AP-ES-09-02-03 1629EDT