The tagline "I'm lovin' it" (originally "Ich liebe es" in German) was created by the German advertising agency Heye & Partner (based near Munich). Andreas Forberger, creative director at Heye & Partner, is the individual most closely tied to the slogan's development. In early 2003, McDonald's ran a global pitch competition among about 14 advertising agencies to find a new worldwide campaign amid declining sales. Heye & Partner won with a simple three-word slogan instead of a fully developed campaign or jingle. McDonald's loved the concept ("I love it"), translated it to English as "I'm lovin' it," and developed it further. The campaign launched first in Germany in September 2003 before going global.