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Best slogans: your choices

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Posted by Creative Review, 20 October 2011, 11:33    Permalink    Comments (16)

We asked you to nominate your favourite slogans as resarch for an upcoming issue. Almost 200 of you responded: here, in no particular order, are some of the frontrunners so far

Ronseal: Does exactly what it says on the tin
Liz Whiston and Dave Shelton, HHCL, 1993

Cited by no less an authority than Dave Trott as his favourite UK slogan, HHCL's straight-talking classic is the early favourite for our number one spot. As @copybeard said "It's passed into our language in a way no other slogan has. It's still used by people up and down the country every day. It's on TV shows and radio, and even on the news."

 

Nike: Just do it
Dan Wieden, Wieden + Kennedy, 1988

A classic, encompassing the entire philosophy of a company in three words

 

Audi: Vorsprung Durch Technik
John Hegarty, BBH, 1984

Supposedly spotted by John Hegarty on a vist to one of Audi's factories, the slogan overcame initial scepticism to become part of the language (even if most people didn't know what it meant)

 

Peperami: It's a bit of an animal
Jason Gormley, Steve McKenzie, Lowe Howard Spink, 1993

Its non-specific nature cheekily underlining that fact that Peperami wasn't exactly gourmet food

 

Tesco: Every little helps
Lowe Howard Spink, 1993

This film from the IPA explains its contribution to Tesco as a business but Nick Asbury of Asbury & Asbury, gave a brilliant alternative view in the comments of our original post:

"For me, the best strapline ever is also arguably the most evil: Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’.

It’s clever because it’s rooted in folk wisdom – a saying that has been passed down through generations. Exactly the kind of thing your grandma used to say. So it carries the everyday authority of a proverb.

It’s tonally appropriate – conversational and impossible to misunderstand (unlike John Lewis’s mind-bending ‘Never knowingly undersold’).

It’s strategically spot-on, because it taps into the customer’s mindset, and also works as a brilliant internal motivator. It’s about the tiny things that add up to a big difference – the penny cheaper on the baked beans, or the penny off the price you get from a supplier. Multiply tiny differences by something as big as Tesco and you have world domination.

And that’s the evil bit. The line is a classic example of verbal misdirection. ‘Little’ ought to be the last word you associate with Tesco. You should think of them as a multinational giant crushing everything in its path. But instead they plant that word in your head, with all the folksy charm it implies.

I don’t like it, but I admire it very much."

 

Cailfornia Milk Processing Board: Got Milk?
Goodby Silverstein, 1993

An American classic

 

Avis: We try harder
Paula Green, Doyle Dane Bernbach, 1963

Still many people's all-time fave

This is just a small selection of readers' favourites so far. Thanks to everyone who responded to the original post. Our next step will be to canvas the opinion of some of the leading lights in copywriting before coming up with our final 20, to be published in the January 2012 issue of CR.

You may remember, we did something similar for logos in April this year.

 

 

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16 Comments

I've always thought that Pirelli's "Power is nothing without control" is one of the best slogans.
Barry
2011-10-20 14:33:20


Interesting how many are examples from 1993..
Jenny
2011-10-20 15:55:00


Obviously a little late but "a drink's too wet without one" for McVities Rich Tea biscuits is pure genius. This is the perfect slogan for the humblest of biscuits that simply refuse to "try harder." The slogan now appears to be "a light and elegant addition to tea-time." God help us all...
Simon Palmer
2011-10-20 16:46:17


"If it's on, it's in."

The Radio Times (not Durex, or any other quality prophylactic company)
DC
2011-10-20 16:55:39


All of the above hit the spot for me. Another great line, The GLC's 'Say no to no say'.
Jonathan Wilcock
2011-10-20 17:10:48


Watch out watch out watch out watch out... there's a Humphrey about!
Grilla Login
2011-10-20 18:54:14


+1 for Nike / W&K's 'Just Do It'. It will always be relevant and still looks sweet on a T-shirt today!
Graphic Design Harrogate
2011-10-21 10:45:16


We By Any Car.............. .com
StudioSeven
2011-10-21 10:49:10


I am a secret lemonade drinker.
Office Thingy
2011-10-21 14:24:15


"Think outside the bun."

Taco Bell has no real competitors within the Mexican food chain industry (except maybe Del Taco, but come on...). They're competing with burger companies, so the real decision is, "Do I want a burger? Or Taco Bell?"

Perfect!
Tommy Shanahan
2011-10-21 14:42:53


Anytime, any place, anywhere.... find myself using this in any number of scenarios ... can't help singing it though!
Kate Austin
2011-10-22 08:39:29


I'm rather feel Sky's Believe in Better is a classic in the making...
Stephen Kirk
2011-10-22 10:34:41


Has anybody mentioned "Should have gone to specsavers" yet?
Sam
2011-10-24 10:42:58


where's the... mars a day helps you work, rest and play!
bluepigcreative
2011-10-25 11:19:13


"Belly's gonna get ya!"

Just like the shoe, this is another Reebok classic.
alastair
2011-10-25 19:27:32


How about 'The last place you want to go' (Dixons)

Or the infamous 'Beanz Meanz Heinz'!

Katherine Jones
AdSlogans.com
Katherine Jones
2011-10-31 19:54:27


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