"Good to the last drop." "Breakfast of champions." Some slogans last forever, others don't last a year. According to one source, a slogan is one part elegant phrasing, two parts brand positioning, and a glaze of virtue and idealism. Oh, and don't forget a pinch of good luck.
A slogan is the public face of what the marketing profession knows as a brand "positioning." They want audiences to perceive not only a product, but also a higher purpose.
In no particular order, here are some of the ear-worms which infiltrated our lives in the 90s, hoping to persuade us to buy.
Ronseal - It does exactly what it says on the tin (1994)
The future's bright, the future's Orange (1997)
Marmite – Love it or Hate it (1996)
Electricity Boards – Creature comforts (1990)
Boddingtons – The Cream of Manchester (1991)
You know when you've been Tangoed (1991)
Pepsi & Spice Girls - Generation Next (1998)
Gameboy - Have You Had Your Fun Today? (1991)
America Online - You’ve Got Mail (1995)
Rice Krispies - Snap, Crackle, Pop (1994)
Do not underestimate the power of PlayStation (1999)
And a special mention for the Diet Coke Break ads (1994)
With a couple of slogans: Just for the taste of it/Do what you want.
And a stack with unknown year of origin:
Pringles - Once You Pop, You Can’t Stop
Budweiser - Wassup?
Domestos - kills all known germs – dead!
Tesco - Every little helps
That's why mums go to Iceland
KFC - Finger-lickin' good!
John Lewis - Never knowingly undersold
A finger of Fudge is just enough to give a kid a treat
And some older ones
British Airways – Every year, the world's favourite airline brings 24 million people, together (1989)
If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen (1987)
Milk Marketing Board – Milk's gotta lotta bottle
Irn Bru – Made in Scotland from girders
Domestos kills 99% of all household germs
Stella Artois – Reassuringly Expensive (1982-2007)
British Rail – This is the age of the train (1980)
Carlsberg – Probably the best lager in the world (1973)
Hovis – Boy on a bike (1973) – one of Britain's most loved adverts
Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet (1966)
Go to work on an egg 50s/60s
Certain firms have a whole bunch of iconic ads:
Coca Cola
1969 – It's the Real Thing
1971 – I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke
1976 – Coke adds life
1979 – Have a Coke and a smile
1980 – Coke is it!
1986 – Catch the Wave
1988 – You Can't Beat the Feeling
1990 – Can't Beat The Real Thing
1993 – Always Coca-Cola
1995 – Always and Only Coca-Cola
1995 – Holidays are coming!
1998 – Born to be red (US)
1998 – Coca-Cola always the real thing! (UK)
1999 – Coca-Cola. Enjoy
Cadbury’s
Milk Tray – He likes them, she likes them – 1950s
Give her Cadbury’s Milk Tray – it’s a little sign of love – 1960s
Happiness for two – 1960s
And all because the lady loves Milk Tray – 1968
Flake – Sixpence worth of heaven – 1959
Only the crumbliest, flakiest, chocolate tastes like chocolate never tasted before 1960-1999
Roses – When you get Roses, you’ve got yourself a man – 60s
Smash – For mash get smash – robots – 1973-1992
Caramel Bunny – Take it easy – 80s
Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate - A Glass and A Half Full of Joy
Coronation Street sponsorship – 1996-2002
Crème Egg – how do you eat yours? 1997
Dairy Milk – Drumming Gorilla advert – In the air tonight – 2007
Guinness
Guinness is good for you (1932)
Guinness for strength - girder (1934)
My Goodness, My Guinness- ostrich (1935)
Lovely day for a Guinness - toucan ad (1955)
Good things come to those who wait (1996)
1998 - Swim Black - An aging local sports hero’s annual swimming race against the ‘clock’ of a pint of Guinness being poured perfectly at his brother’s bar. He worries he won't make it one year, but his brother starts the clock a little later each year.
1999 - Surfer - A group of surfers, wait for the perfect wave. As it arrives, the crashing 'white horses' turn into actual horses. One by one, a surfer 'crashes out', leaving only one, who manages to conquer the wave. The others join him as they celebrate on the shore.
On a similar theme, here are some movie tag lines:
Jumanji (95)– Are you game?
12 Monkeys (95) – The Future is History
The Matrix (99) – Reality is a thing of the past
Apollo 13 (95) – Houston, We Have a Problem
The Truman Show' (98) – On the Air, Unaware
Quiz Show (94) – Fifty Million People Watched, But No One Saw a Thing
Jurassic Park (93) – An Adventure 65 Million Years in the Making
Saving Private Ryan (98) – The Mission Is a Man
Pulp Fiction (94) – You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction
The Shawshank Redemption (94) – Fear Can Hold You Prisoner. Hope Can Set You Free
True Lies (94) – When he said I do, he never said what he did
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (91) – This time he’s back – for good
Fight Club (99) – Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.
Silence of the Lambs (91) – To enter the mind of a killer, she must challenge the mind of a madman
Good Will Hunting (97) – Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them
Notting Hill (99) – Can the most famous film star in the world fall for just an ordinary guy?
10 Things I Hate About You (99) – How do I Loathe thee? Let me count the ways
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (91) – For the good of all men, and the love of one woman, he fought to uphold justice by breaking the law
Strictly Ballroom (92) – There’s something in the air. It might be love – but it isn’t
Pretty Woman (90) – She walked off the street, into his life and stole his heart
As Good as it Gets (97) – A comedy from the heart that goes for the throat
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (92) – Another Christmas in the trenches
Toy Story (95) – The toys are back in town
The Sixth Sense (99) – Now you believe in ghosts
And the cheekiest:
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (99) – If You See Only One Movie This Summer, see Star Wars. But If You See Two Movies This Summer, See Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Quotes (many more memorable than the tag lines)
The Shawshank Redemption (94) – Get Busy Living, Or Get Busy Dying
True Lies (94) - Fear is not an option
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (91) – Hasta La Vista Baby
Fight Club (99) - The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club
Silence of the Lambs (91) – A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti
Good Will Hunting (97) – How do you like them apples?
Notting Hill (99) - I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her
10 Things I Hate About You (99) – No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, *no* ritual animal slaughters of any kind. Oh, God, I'm giving them ideas
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (91) – I have a brother?
Strictly Ballroom (92) – A life lived in fear is a life half lived
Pretty Woman (90) – Did I mention my leg is forty-four inches from hip to toe; so, basically, we are talking about eighty-eight inches of therapy wrapped around you for the bargain price of three thousand dollars
As Good as it Gets (97) – You make me want to be a better man
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (92)– Keep the Change, Ya Filthy Animal
Toy Story (95) – To infinity and beyond
The Sixth Sense (99) – I see dead people