Long post: Please be patient, the blog post, heavy in size, takes some time to load all the TV and print ads.
1. DeBeers “Diamonds are forever” – 1948
2. Nike “Just do it” (1988 video commercial)
3. Coca Cola “The pause that refreshes” – 1929
4. Miller Lite “Tastes great, less filling” – 1974
5. Avis “We try harder” – 1962
6. Maxwell House “Good to the last drop” – 1959
7. Wheaties “Breakfast of champions” – 1930s
8. Clairol “Does she … or doesn’t she?” 1964
9. Morton Salt “When it rains it pours” – 1912
10. Wendy’s “Where’s the beef?” – 1984
11. Molson Canadian Beer “I am Canadian” 1994-1998
12. Miller Beer “The Champagne of bottled beer” – 1950s
13. SBC communications “Seeing small business differently” – 1932
14. T-Mobile “Get More” – 2005
15. FOX News “Fair and balanced” – Year unknown
16. WINS Radio, New York “You give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you the world,” – 1965
17. HBO “It’s not TV, it’s HBO” 1997-2009
18. Nickelodeon TV Channel “Nick is for kids” – 2004
Another Nick commercial 1995
One more Nickelodeon TV commercial – 1992
19. Best Buy “Thousands of possibilities. Get yours” – Year unknown
20. Toshiba “Hello Tosh, gotta Toshiba?” – 1984
21. Energizer Batteries “Keeps going and going and going” – 1991
22. Intel “Intel inside” – 1990s
23. Apple Computer “Think outside the box” – 1990s
Apple TV commercial
24. Microsoft “Where do you want to go today?”
That was Microsoft’s first worldwide advertising campaign. It involves print, television, outdoor (billboard) medium. Launched in 1994, the campaign costs Microsoft $100 million till the end of 1995, out of which $25 million was spent during the holiday shopping season ending in December 1994.
Microsoft TV commercial
25. AOL “Welcome to the World Wide Wow” 2002-2003
Not a favorable review of the campaign. Consider this (Source: faculty.msb.edu)
Who better to herald that being broadband with AOL costs at least 20% more than buying broadband access alone. Or that the modest hodgepodge of streaming news, music radio and sports that AOL Time Warner (nyse: AOL – news – people ) offers for $14.95 per month is strikingly similar to what Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO – news – people ) and RealNetworks (nasdaq: RNWK – news – people ) sell for $9.95.
Want to download music? Another $3.95 to $17.95, please. Voice messaging, $5.95. Oh, please. Unlike cable, there are no discounts for buying multiple services. The strategy is ruled by spreadsheet and the stock price, not the marketing sense that made AOL’s mark.
26. SBC-Yahoo “It’s the Internet that logs onto you”
27. Free Software Foundation “GNU is Not Unix”
The GNU Manifesto begins by outlining the goal of the project GNU, which stands for GNU’s Not Unix. The current contents of GNU at the time of writing are then described and detailed. Richard Stallman then goes into an explanation of why it is important that they complete this project. The reason he explains is based on Unix becoming a proprietary software…A large part of the GNU Manifesto is also focused on rebutting possible objections to GNU‘s goals. Objections described here include the programmer’s need to make a living, the issue of advertising/distributing free software, and the perceived need for monetary incentive. Source: Wikipedia
There are various forms of free or very cheap publicity that can be used to inform numbers of computer users about something like GNU. But it may be true that one can reach more microcomputer users with advertising. If this is really so, a business which advertises the service of copying and mailing GNU for a fee ought to be successful enough to pay for its advertising and more. This way, only the users who benefit from the advertising pay for it. Source: The GNU Manifesto
28. Edison Records “Echo Around the World”
29. Lyric Records “Never Scratches”
30. Mercury Records “First with the Hits”
31. Rex Records “Hear What You Like – When You Like”
32. Van Dyke Records “Each Record a Masterpiece”
33. King Records “If it’s a King, It’s a Hillbilly — If it’s a Hillbilly, it’s a King” – 1930s
34. Timex “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” – 1950s
Sounding little bit creepy? Well, back in 1950s we probably were not as complicated as we are today. The new Timex tagline is “Timex. Life is ticking”
THE venerable theme for Timex, ”It takes a licking and keeps on ticking,” looks to be taking a final licking.
The Timex Corporation, in a campaign from its new agency, Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners in New York, is dropping the ”licking/ticking” slogan — introduced in the 1950′s and brought back in the 1990′s — for a theme intended to help update its image. The goal is to freshen the Timex appeal with consumers ages 18 to 34, whose wrists are increasingly sporting other watch brands like Kenneth Cole, ESQ, Marc Ecko, Fossil, Guess, Swatch and Swiss Army that they deem more hip.
The theme change, to ”Timex. Life is ticking,” is part of an advertising makeover after Timex left its agency of 16 years, Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis, part of the Publicis Groupe. Source: The New York Times
Timex “More and more smart women wear Timex” 1950s
35. Playtex “Lifts and separates” – 1930s, 1940s
36. Maybelline “Maybe she’s born with it – maybe it’s Maybelline” – 1991
“Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline” advertising tagline is created. Still a great success for the brand today, this tagline continues to be recognised around the world.
90s supermodel Christy Turlington helped make the tagline “Maybe she’s born with it” famous in 1991, and returned to represent the brand in 2006.
Victoria’s Secret Angel Adriana Lima has been Maybelline spokesperson from 2003 to 2009.
Former Elite magazine model Josie Maran became the brand ambassador of Maybelline in 1999, and later formed her own skincare line, Josie Maran Cosmetics.
Cover girl of French, German, Spanish and Australian Vogue, Flair, Numero, Allure, Esquire and Elle, Erin Wasson. In 2002, Wasson became the international face of Maybelline, appearing in print ads and television commercials for the cosmetics brand.
Danna Garcia Maybelline commercial – Colombian actress Danna Garcia signed as the new Latina face of Maybelline in 2006.
Lisalla Montenegro shoots her first campaign for Maybelline New York
37. Mastercard “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard” 1997
MasterCard Priceless Commercial (My personal favorite)
MasterCard Priceless TV spot
MasterCard Priceless TV advert
38. VISA credit card “VISA – It’s everywhere you want to be” 1985
39. Merrill-Lynch “Merrill-Lynch is Bullish on America” 1970-71
[Please keep in mind, this video also includes other ad spots as well with Bullish on America (between @6.01 to @6.550. They are Fantastik cleaner by Texize, FDS new improved feminine hygiene spray, GAF sheet vinyl floor with Henry Fonda, GTE/Sylvannia color television, Hormel Hot Chili (done cowboy style), Jean Nate' splash cologne, Jergens lotion (with the hand test), Lipton noodle soup (beware of hungry boy scouts!), 7-11 (Oh thank heaven!), Imported Finland swiss cheese (done as a parody of the Swedish Noxema shaving cream ads, take it all off!), Maxwell House Maxim coffee, Maxwell House coffee, Muriel cigars with Edie Gorme, Muriel cigars with Edie Gorme, NyQuil cold medicine, Emerald Dry by Paul Masson, Philco Ford Philcomatic color television]
40. Midland Bank “The Listening Bank” 1990s
Midland Bank UK advert from 1992
Old Midland commercial – Richard Briers
41. Abbey National “Because life’s complicated enough”
42. E.F. Hutton “When E. F. Hutton Talks, People Listen” 1970s, 1980s
Bill Cosby for EF Hutton. Awesome
43. Trustee Savings Bank (TSB) “The bank that likes to say Yes” 1980s
TSB Bank UK advert
44. Washington Mutual “More human interest”
Washington Mutual advertisement
Washington Mutual (WallMu) commercial
45. Trebor Mints “A minty bit stronger”
46. Heinz Baked beans “Beanz Meanz Heinz”
Beanz Meanz Heinz from 1980s
Heinz Baked Beans- Beanz Meanz Heinz advert
47. Lay’s potato chips “Betcha can’t eat just one”
48. Mars bar “A Mars a day helps you work rest and play” 1980s
Mars Commercial: Work Rest and Play
Mars advert: Schoolbus
49. Milk tray chocolate “All because the lady loves Milk Tray” 1960s
Cadbury Milk Tray chocolates: Yvonne Barrett – TV commercial
Cadbury Milk Tray chocolates – Australian TV commercial
50. Smarties “Do you eat the red ones last?”
Smarties ad from 1987
Smarties commercial from 1991
51. Ready Brek Porridge “Central heating for kids”
Readybrek advert from early 1980s
52. H.J. Heinz company “57 Varieties”
53. McDonalds “Have you had your break to day?” 1997
McDonald commercial from 1997
McDonald’s ad
McDonald’s “We do it all for you”
54. Taco Bell “Think outside the bun” 1981
55. Domestos “Big Bad Dom”
Domestos – Bleach – Big Bad Dom Green – UK Advert
56. Fairy Liquid “For hands that do dishes…”
57. Flit insecticide “Quick, Henry, the FLIT!”
58. Sherwin Williams paint “Covers The Earth”
59. Clairol Herbal Essences “A totally organic experience”
60. Remington Shavers “I liked it so much I bought the company”
61. L’oreal “Because you’re worth it”
62. Disneyland “The happiest place on Earth” 1960s
63. Lucky Strike Cigarettes “Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet”
64. BMW “Sheer Driving Pleasure”
65. California Milk Processor Board “Got milk?” 1993
Scary Got Milk ad
66. American Express – “Don’t leave home without it”
Check out part 2 Top n Best 100 Ad slogans here
(It’s a radio ad)