03 Is McDonald's Back in Super Bowl?

McDonald's—once an iconic Super Bowl advertiser but out of The Big Game for years—may be back in 2015.

McDonald's declined to confirm, but also did not dispute,a report in the Wall Street Journal that the chain will roll out a new ad campaign early next year that could be kicked off with a 60-second Super Bowl commercial.

While still under the “I'm Lovin' It” umbrella, the new campaign would focus on positive things in a world of Internet hate.The slogan:“Lovin' Beats Hatin',” according to the report.

“We're always working with our partners on great new creative,” said Lisa McComb, a McDonald'spokeswoman, in an email to USA TODAY.“It's highly speculative and premature to talk about Super Bowl ads and future campaigns for next year,”

For McDonald's, an image boost is urgent.Third quarter earnings fell a worse-than-expected 30%.Domestic same-store sales have been heading south and fell 4.1% in September—the worst monthly decline in more than a decade.

For Chipotle—and Five Guys—loving Millennials, who are equally value the ingredients in their food as its taste, McDonald's is increasingly the odd-chain out.The image decline among Millennials even nudged McDonald's last week to post a new Internet campaign that aims to quash misconceptions about the ingredients in its food.One video features Grant Imahara, the former co-host of “MythBuster”visiting a McDonald's meat supplier and even asking line workers about rumors such as “pink slime.”

Last week, after the dismal third quarter earnings report, McDonald's CEO Don Thompson said the marketing message is going to change.

It's about time, says one advertising consultant, who suggests that a move by McDonald's back to the Super Bowl would be a big first step.“They need to re-associate themselves with being one of the great American past times—eating food that tastes good and is fun,” says Allison Cohen, president of the ad consulting firm PeopleTalk.“If Taco Bell can do it, why can't McDonald's?”

But the re-branding must be followed, she says, with food-specific ads relevant to the way particularly Millennials eat.The campaign also needs to involve consumers via social media, she adds.

Perhaps McDonald's most famous Super Bowl spot was one in 1993 that featured basketball greats Michael Jordan and Larry Bird playing an impossible game of H-O-R-S-E for a Big Mac.The ad is widely regarded as one of the best-ever Super Bowl spots.

But in recent years, McDonald's has opted to advertise before the Super Bowl, but not during the game when ad costs are at a premium.

The Super Bowl will be broadcast on Feb.1 on NBC.Media buyers say some 30-second slots are going or as high as $4.5 million.