Inc.com named Apple’s “Think Different,” Wheaties’ “Breakfast of Champions,” Maxwell House’s “Good to the Last Drop,” and—who could forget?—Wendy’s “Where’s the Beef?” among others. But one Digger wondered, “Where’s I’ve fallen and I can’t get up?” and another called M&Ms claim to “melt in your mouth, not in your hands” a “dirty, rotten lie.” Many alternatives to the top 10 were proposed, including Alka Seltzer’s “Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz” and Pepto Bismol’s “Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea.” More than one Digger complained about the omission of “A Diamond is Forever,” but there were few omissions on the encyclopedic list of 337 slogans posted by a Digger named slugicide.
In honor of slugicide and his ad-obsessed peers, we’ve culled some of the best nominations from Digg.com users . Want to add your own? Just do it.
The Hit Parade
“A Diamond is Forever.” Created by N.W. Ayer & Sons, Inc. for De Beers, this slogan has been in use since 1948, ever since Frances Gerety, a young copywriter, dreamed up the famous line in her sleep. Thanks to the 1971 James Bond flick starring Sean Connery, this slogan remains etched in our minds—probably forever.
“They’re G-r-r-r-eat!” Back in the 1950s, Tony the Tiger growled his way into American consciousness with this memorable slogan for Frosted Flakes. Tony’s catchphrase has become one of the longest running and most recognized slogans in TV advertising history. According to AdAge.com, Tony the Tiger’s character has evolved over the years: he stands upright rather than on all fours, has traveled to more than 42 countries, and has a wife and a daughter.
“Gimme a Break, Gimme a Break” Since 1957, Kit Kat’s slogan has been “Have a break…Have a Kit Kat.” The commercials really took off in the ‘80s when boardrooms and newsrooms were shown breaking into song over a chocolaty wafer bar called Kit Kat.
“Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat” Probably the most famous jingle in American advertising history, the first Rice-A-Roni commercial aired in 1959 and turned a sleepy family business, the Golden Grain Macaroni Company, into a food powerhouse that was bought by Quaker Oats in 1986 for $275 million.
“Nothing Sucks like an Electrolux.” Beginning in the 1960s, the Swedish vacuum maker used this slogan to market its machines to an international audience. Many Americans believed the off-color slogan to be an error in translation. Rather than an idiomatic blunder, however, Electrolux’s campaign was an edgy pun.
“The Best Part of Waking up is Folgers in Your Cup” This line has been featured in every Folgers commercial since the 1960s. Throughout the years, the jingle has been rearranged and performed by many famous musicians, including Randy Travis and Aretha Franklin.
“Hey Mikey…He Likes It!” Created by the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency in 1972 to promote Life cereal, this commercial featured three brothers at a breakfast table daring one another to try a bowl of the “healthy” cereal. Little Mikey, who usually “hates everything,” dives in and quickly devours it, to his brothers’ amazement. When child actor John Gilchrist Jr. outgrew the role, an urban legend claimed he’d been killed by a lethal dose of Pop Rocks and soda. Hardly. He’s still alive and working in movies—as a grip.
“Don’t Leave Home Without It.” In 1975, Ogilvy & Mather created this slogan for American Express. The commercials were among the first to include celebrity cameos, including Jim Henson, Stephen King, and Jerry Seinfeld. In 1985, BBDO responded with “Visa, It’s Everywhere You Want to Be.” And not to be outdone in the plastic slogan war, in 1997, MasterCard brought the heat with “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.” Priceless.
“Nothing Outlasts the Energizer. It Keeps Going, and Going…” Produced by DDB Chicago Advertising for Energizer since the 1980s, this is the ageless slogan that accompanied the cool bass-drum-beating, shades-wearing pink bunny that has appeared on more TV shows and movies than the Baldwins.
“By Mennen!” A remarkably successful slogan considering its blithe simplicity, Mennen’s ‘80s slogan accompanied by that three-note jingle proved to the world how easily we are drawn in by simple sounds, pleasures, and deodorants. Mennen is also known for manufacturing “Teen Spirit” deodorant, immortalized in an upbeat little jingle by Nirvana.
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