The 100 Most Influential Taglines Since 1948. As in commercial taglines / product mottos / advertising jingles, as judged by actual advertising, marketing, and branding people.
The top ten taglines:
1.
Got milk? (1993) California Milk Processor Board 2. Don’t leave home without it. (1975) American Express 3. Just do it. (1988) Nike 4. Where’s the beef? (1984) Wendy’s 5. You’re in good hands with Allstate. (1956) Allstate Insurance 6. Think different. (1998) Apple Computer 7. We try harder. (1962) Avis 8. Tastes great, less filling. (1974) Miller Lite 9. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (1954) M&M Candies 10. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. (1956) Timex
The top ten jingles:
1.
My bologna has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R. (1960s) Oscar Mayer 2. Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is. (1970s) Alka-Seltzer 3. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. (1971) State Farm Insurance 4. Double your pleasure, double your fun. (1959) Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum 5. Be all that you can be. (1981) U.S. Army 6. For all you do, this Bud’s for you. (1970s) Budweiser 7. A little dab’ll do ya. (1950s) Brylcreem 8. It’s the real thing. (1970) Coca-Cola 9. Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man. (1970s) Ace Hardware 10. You deserve a break today. (1971) McDonald’s
If you’re ever trying to think up a witty blog post title for any subject, this is a fine place to start.
(via GeekPress)
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A friend used to come over to play Ultima III on my Commodore 64. One time we sent our character into the woods to find a particular thief. After much fruitless searching, my friend said, in his best Clara Peller voice, “Wheeeeere’s the thief???”
I still crack up whenever I remember that. 🙂
Anyone else notice that there’s only ONE entry on these two lists even as recent as the 1990s? We’ve become image-centric and the jingle and tagline are falling by the wayside . . .
Actually, there are several from the 90s, and one from the 00s. I’d argue instead that given that longeivity is one of the criteria, that’s not surprising. There are plenty of taglines that are very hot, then vanish when they stop being used or the culture moves on.
I’d also disagree on the waning strength of the tagline/jingle. People can’t drop an “image” into conversation, or make a joke with it, or include it in a speech or press conference. I think there’s just as much adoption of these things into modern language as there ever has been, even as visual imagery has increased.