Just musing over here . . . any thoughts on the best corporate slogan you've ever heard / seen / read? You know, the kind that sticks with you forever and really nails it?

One that's definitely stuck with me (and shaped my life, poor Ian!) is Visa's old slogan, "It's everywhere you want to be."

And "Pontiac - we build excitement" (which has had no effect at all on Ian )

What really stuck with everyone else?

lol, after I read the first sentence of your post, I immediately thought of "It's everywhere you want to be.", but then I saw you already had it!

so then I guess I will go with:
"For all you do, this Bud's for you" =)

The best ones are brief, and applicable to other parts of life besides just the product itself. A multimillion dollar advertising blitz doesn't hurt, either

Nike's "Just Do It" comes to mind. Chevrolet's "Like a Rock" campaign was memorable, too.

I think the key is to evoke a positive emotion, rather than to just describe.

Amie, I wish you'd post more. It's nice to have you, Ian and Alan involved in dialog periodically.

i always liked the wendys campign..

"WHERE'S THE BEEF". that old lady was funny.

or timex, "IT TAKES A LICKING, AND KEEPS ON TICKING!"

my favorite of all time.....

the oscar mayer B-O-L-O-G-N-A song..

and i dont even like bologna??

bigjohn

Guinness is good for you.
My goodness, my Guinness!

Finger lickin' good!
"Up Yours" (7-up)

"Like a rock" made me think of "Get a piece of the rock!"

Western Auto supply co........, back in the 70's,[I owned a w.a. store], had the slogan: We'll be good to you!.... [in logo form].
Simple, but effective in promoting customer service.

is that the same western auto that sponsored darrell waltrip, NASCAR driver, in the early 90's??

bigjohn

These are all bringing back memories!! Especially the where's the beef one- who ever dreamed that one up?

Tom - noted! Thanks!

Mutual of Omaha is people, you can count on when the going's rough. -- The song helped me to memorize it. Plus I loved watching Marlin sit back and enjoy while Jim was eaten by Lions.

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz, Oh what a relief it is.--- Way to catchy

Think Different. Apple. I'm not a Mac guy (wish I could afford a powerbook or G5-- OSX is nice!), but this definitely appeals to the 'rebel' bred into just about every American.

Better sound through research. DO NOT HURT ME PLEASE! I think I remember this one because I know they are full of doodoo. Plus there is snippy's tag "Better sound through ACTUAL research". Like them or not their marketing is amazing.

Avoid the noid. Domino's pizza. This was way over done, but got them a ton of exposure.

Tastes great, less filling. I don't care for the beer, but I knew that one before I was even legal to drink.

Priceless. For everything else, there's MasterCard. -- I think these are pretty original and still entertaining.

Can you hear me now? Anyone who has ever had a cell phone has uttered these words. Shows you they know of the problem, are sympathetic and are trying to solve it.

The night time sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever so you can rest medicine. -- I just wrote that from memory. Wow.

Plus, I can recall almost anything set to music. Jingles stick with me forever.

jr

Adee do!

(Played on TV in the LA area too much during the 80s)

I don't know if this counts as a corporate slogan but it's the MAD Magazine Alfred E. Newman quip - "what? me worry" that has stuck with me since I was in grade school. And I live by it.

you did strike me as a very relaxed individual.

"The Most Respected Name in Sound".

"We'll beat anyone's advertised price, or your matress is FREEEEEEEEEE!"

"They melt in your mouth, not in your hand."

"The two tastes that taste great together."

"What would you do for a Klondike bar?"

"Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don't!"

"When I bite into a York Peppermint Patty, I get the sensation..."



Can you tell I'm hungry for a snack?

WHAAAAZZZZZUUUUPPPP?

Axiom-Fool you once, shame on us. T-Shirt please

We'll give you an earful.

Ray,
Please realize that was a compliment to Axiom.

I thought the same about you as well Peter.

"These are cola nuts...these are uncola nuts"

How about a 7UP to go with that snack?

"because soo much is riding on your tires"

thats a good one. Kinda puts it into perspective. Theres another really good one i know but i cant think of it.

"that thing got a hemi?"

Kinda stupid but effective.

Yes it is, one in the same.

sponge - that wasn't a retort . I was just suggesting a slogan.

Yinz,
Ahem...Again my bad. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean the whole world isn't out to get me.

When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.

I'm still giggling at this one!!

"Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun..."

"I'd like to buy the world a Coke..."

"Ring around the collar, Ring around the collar..."

"And now for something completely different..."

WhatFurrer

"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there..."

"How about a nice Hawaiian Punch?"

"I'm Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs..."

"Many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?...the world may never know..."

"Winston's taste good, like a cigarette should..." from the days when tobacco ads were legal...yikes.

Anyone remember the one for Lucky Strikes?

WhatFurrer

Lucky Strikes Means Fine Tobaccos

Cigarette ads had some of the best catchphrases.

"I'd walk a mile for a Camel"

"Parlaiment smokers would rather fight than switch"

"You can take Salem out of the country, but you can't take the country out of Salem"

And the classic from Doral...

"Taste me, Taste me"

Mark

In reply to:

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And the classic from Doral...

"Taste me, Taste me"

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dont really know if they were selling cigarettes there??

bigjohn

I suspect they weren't, given that it was a thoroughly female voice doing the singing.

Mark

She has 31 flavors, and then some.

"No matter where you go, there you are."

"Is it in you?"

Sounds kinky, but it's just Gatorade.

"We'll leave the light on for ya."

Oh great. Now the Motel 6 theme song is going through my head.

HAHAHA!! tom bodet here..

i actually stayed at a motel 6 on monday night when we had to go to dallas.. we left a 6 am wake up call at the front desk.. well sure nuff, 6am, the phone rings, and its TOM BODET.. he says, "good mornin neighbor.. just figured it might be about time for you to get outta bed.. we have fresh, hot coffee in the lobby, so why dont ya come on down and get ya sum. have a good day"... granted, it was a voice mail, but it was funny.. started my day with a laugh.

i am going to stay at motel 6 again friday night after the RUSH concert in san antonio.. i might leave a wakeup just to hear tom again.. but i doubt it!!

bigjohn

In reply to:

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She has 31 flavors, and then some.

---

Ani DiFranco rules...

How 'bout
"Tastes great! Less Filling"

In reply to:

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Ani DiFranco rules...

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She's a fire just waiting for fuel... with both hands... and a little plastic castle.

when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys

i dont know why but i was whistling this all day at work today....-i am stuck on band-aid cause band-aids stuck on me

Ernest & Julio Gallo - "We shall sell no wine before its time"
GE - "We bring good things to life"
John Deere - "Nothing runs like a deere"
Maaco - "Uh oh...better call Maaco

A truly irritating one:
"Have a good night's sleep on us! Mattress Discounters!"

Here's a bunch I just remembered:

"A diamond is forever."
"Just two months salary..."

"Pork: the other white meat"
"Beef: it's what's for dinner"

"I can't believe it's not butter!"


"Gentlemen prefer Hanes."

"Come fly the friendly skies"

In reply to:

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"A diamond is forever."
"Just two months salary..."

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I remember that they recently updated this slogan.
Believe it is now: "Just three months salary..."

Inflation...gotta roll with the punches.

WhatFurrer

heres one from a movie i saw.

"Diamonds, Take her breath away"

but what theyre really saying is..

"Diamonds, That'l shut her up!"

lol..

do i see bait and switch tactics? the prizes are not the speakers pictured after entering the contest!

Remember this one from our dorm days?

"You can walk deah!"

Hey, talk like that will get you disqualified, twodan!!

I'm going to kill you now.

Jooki, Jooki, Its a party in a can

My Balogna has a first name
It's O-S-C-A-R
My Balogna has a second name
It's M-A-Y-E-R

Oh I love to eat it everyday
And if you ask me why I'll say...
Because Oscar Mayer has a way
with B-O-L-O-G-N-A!

Ball Park Franks - They Plump when you cook'em!

What no slogan for kielbasi???

it takes a while to eat a chocodile....

It's Axiomatic, Pure Music Equals Pure Pleasure.
Axiom - Purity in Music

Heres a couple more of my own. Id send it to you with the form amie but i doubt you need any MORE emails.

"Just let it play"

"Sound of your life"

"engineered to excite"

"Axiom loudspeakers- Because sound matters"

"made in canada means its better. eh!" lol.

"Axiom Loudspeakers- Dreams really do come true"

*COPYRIGHT 2004 Haoleb Productions,Brandon Boyl

*all copyrights will be hereby given to axiom audio of candana upon receipt of one (1) pair boston cherry M3ti speakers. A or B stock acceptable. And upon receipt of the speakers they shall be enjoyed forever and ever amen!.

Where the hell is Candana?

It's Axiomatic, Pure Music Equals Pure Pleasure
Trust Your Ears!

Axiom Speakers - Where Music Lives.

It's Axiomatic, Live Music Is Best. If You Want to Take the Music Home, Use Axiom Loudspeakers.

It's Axiomatic - Purity, Fidelity, Passion = Musical Delight.

Hope this isint copyright infirigements or something:

"Axiom Loudspeakers- Bring the music home"

Gee, Haoleb, I think you snagged my line. Get your own, I want those M3s!

"The award winning Smirnoff......neat"

"Harvey's..... long live the grill"

"I'm Lovin it"

"Obey your thirst"

"ING DIrect...Save your money"

ok......sleep now.......*groans* I hate mondays

- D

Kawi - "Let the Good Times Roll"

BigWill, Cananda is just east of Alakska, and just south of the Baltic Circle. Hope this hilpps.

Thanaks for the geography lesoson!

You guys need a LOT of help!

ieSpell - A Spell Checker for Internet Explorer.

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The program installs as a new button in the IE toolbar (as well as a new menu item under "Tools") - after filling in a form, just hit the ieSpell button and it pops up a dialog, similar to the MS Word spell check. ieSpell also works (right-click menu only) on other IE based browsers such as SlimBrowser, CrazyBrowser, MSN, MyIE, etc.

ieSpell is not spyware or adware. It's free for personal use only. All other use requires a commercial license.

I think the best taglines capture the true positioning of a company, but of course in a catchy way, not something dry and clinical.

• "Tastes great, less filling" was perfect in its day for Miller Lite, and it was nothing short of revolutionary when the beer came out, at a time when no self-respecting man would allow himself to touch a "diet" drink, let alone a diet beer. The idea of having jocks fight over the slogan made it all the better -- but only because the slogan perfectly fit the new marketing niche that Lite beer was going for.

A few more I like that fit their company's marketing strategy and positioning (at least at the time of deployment):

• "Southwest Airlines - A Symbol of Freedom." A well-known variant used on their TV ads is, "You are now free to move about the country." In either use, this tagline perfectly captures Southwest's mission to make airline travel affordable for the masses.



• "Coke - The Real Thing." What could better capture a firm's positioning as the authentic first product in its category? This was also a nice return from the short-lived disaster of New Coke.



• "The Pepsi Generation." With all due respect to Coke, this tagline was sheer brilliance. Seeing no way to make a definitive inroad with people of my generation, who preferred "the real thing," Pepsi took a long-term marketing strategy of going after Generations X and Y. It has been paying off handsomely and will probably do so for years -- and it spawned Coke's defensive reaction of "C2" which will probably be another disaster along the lines of New Coke.



• "The Un-Cola." Again, what great positioning this was for 7-Up. It captured the axiom in marketing strategy that it is often best (and necessary) to zig when they zag if you have any prayer of distinguishing yourself in the market.



• "Ideas with Impact" is the tagline of the Harvard Business Review. While the HBR doesn't hold a candle to Lite beer for brand-name recognition, it is the gold standard for relevant business research within its specialized, highly paid niche audience, and this is a very good tagline that has stood the test of time.

Okay, in closing, what about B@se's controversial tagline:

• "Better Sound Through Research." Is this good? One can't deny that it is effective, and not just for first-time buyers. I personally know two repeat buyers (older men with lots of expendable cash both of whom, I kid you not, have serious hearing problems) who have fallen for this slogan through several thousand dollars of expenditures on B@$* over several years. While the tagline is effective, however, I don't think it's good, in that it does not match the true positioning of the company, which could perhaps be better described as, "Puffery Through Marketing," or "Better Sound Through Pyscho-Acoustic Brainwashing."

Just my .02.

Birdman

Ajax - stop picking on us. We spel gud.

Thanks for the hlep.

In reply to:

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Think Different. Apple. I'm not a Mac guy (wish I could afford a powerbook or G5-- OSX is nice!), but this definitely appeals to the 'rebel' bred into just about every American.

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Hmmmm is apple THAT MUCH of a rebel that they have to rebel against grammar as well? lol. It's think differently! GAH! - another reason why I dislike apple. I have to admit that their cases are beautiful, though.

Try it this way: "Think, 'Different.'"

And you've got to admit, it's better than the current Microsquash one:
"Your potential inspires us to create software that helps you reach it. Your potential, our passion."

I don't think I've ever heard a more convoluted slogan.

On the Apple ones, there's also "The Power to be your Best." "The Computer for the Rest of Us." (This was back when it was the Mac, Apple II, CP/M, C64, or DOS. It was referring to usability, not price.)

/troll

Maybe Apple should change their slogan to "Fastest Computer in the world using our benchmarking system"

/troll off

sorry I jsut couldn't resist

And Intel could do the same thing, and AMD could do the same thing, and IBM could do the same thing, and HP could do the same thing, and Alienware could do the same thing, and that weird dude who they interviewed on Tom's Hardware could do the same thing...

Don't gimme that crap... It's marketing.

Damn, why do I let myself get drawn into these things?

Oh yeah, and Microsoft could claim to have 99.999% uptime. Riiiiiight...

INANE,

Yes. We know. You don't like Apple. Can we move along now?

DJ,

What Ken said. "Think different" is grammatically correct. The slogan is not telling you how to think (in which case "think differently" is correct), it's telling you what to think about.

Think dark. Think cold. Think damp. Think bottom of a well. ... You get the picture now.

All I'm trying to say is there are lies, damn lies, and benchmarks.

Or, there are lies, damn lies, and marketing. And EVERYONE does it. It's the way the game is played. Get over it. If you don't like it, buy a TiVo. ;-)

Is this going to degenerate into a fanboy bash fest?

jr

Think bubbly. Think malty. Think hoppy.

/homer simpson voice

Mmmmm. Beer. The cause of and solution to all our problems.

/homer off

I figure I'll go home and enjoy a delicious beer in front of Tivo while continuing my hopeless quest to "finish" programming that damn remote Ray3 made me buy.

I have a PC at home and work, but lust after the style and simple functionality of a Mac. It's wonderful that we continue to have options and competition.

What a country!

In reply to:

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What a country!

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I'll drink to that!

In reply to:

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I'll drink to that!

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dont we always??

bigjohn

Amie - what's going on with the slogan/contest? I thought we were going to see something on 7/2.

Yeah, when do I get my speakers?

"Axiom: Ported For Your Pleasure"

I don't know if these have been mentioned before, but how about "Mama Mia, that's one spicy meatball", and "I'm a Pepper, your a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too." I believe Texaco had "Take you car to the man behind the star." Some more--"There's something about an aqua velva man", "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is", and who could forget "It helps the hurt stop hurting".

I confess - I had no idea there were closet marketing geniuses amongst us!! We were overwhelmed with entries and spent the entire weekend on the dock surrounded by papers and highlighters, reading each entry and then taking another sip of a frosty beverage . . . we were no longer able to read long before we got through them all!! So we've got the top 100 going to an internal vote and then (fingers crossed) round two will be up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay! But there were so many good ones, we wanted to think it through.

In reply to:

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We were overwhelmed with entries and spent the entire weekend on the dock surrounded by papers and highlighters, reading each entry and then taking another sip of a frosty beverage . . . we were no longer able to read long before we got through them all!!

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One assumes the problem with being no longer able to read was caused by the darkening of the sky as the sun slipped slowly past the horizon, and in no way had ANYTHING to do with the "taking another sip of a frosty beverage."

Hehe. The first time I read Amie's post I read it as "wanted to drink it through". That seems appropriate to me!

jr

Your music has waves, shouldn't your speakers.
Axiom Speakers - Better because you say so!
Higher fidelity for your ears.

-------------------
Play it by ear.
Axiom.
-------------------

(that's my entry. -mike)

--------------------------
The truth is audible.
Axiom.
--------------------------

(that's another. -mike)

Top 5 Worst Axiom Slogans:

5. It's like popping your eardrums during an airplane landing when all of the sudden everything sounds clearer.

4. What BOSE could be if they spent even 10% of their advertising budget on actual research.

3. Our ports are vortexed for your aural pleasure.

2. Inducing silly grins since 1980.

1. Because Ian and Amie are good Canadians, and gosh darn it, they deserve your money.

Puckered ports for audio perverts.

Sorry. Just testing my new avatar.

definition of "axiom" from www.webster.com:
1 : a maxim widely accepted on its intrinsic merit
2 : a statement accepted as true as the basis for argument or inference
3 : an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth


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Axiom. The truth is audible.
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variation. both this and the original ("The truth is audible. Axiom.") take advantage of the powerful and transcendent qualities of the word "axiom."

"truth," its synonym, puts forth a familiarity we can better relate to, quickly and effectively initiates a connection, and elevates the universality of "axiom."

"audible" completes and fortifies the connection by having the truth (hence axiom) penetrate our sphere of senses.

where "Axiom." is positioned as the first sentence, the brand name is emphasized; then, "truth" is associated, and the connection flows in.

where "Axiom." is positioned as the second sentence, the connection is first established, clearing the way for the brand name. I prefer this to the other - it's more subtle without being less powerful. to one who hears the brand name for the first time, it would seem easier to recall "the truth is audible" than "axiom." further, "axiom" would come naturally to mind after the first sentence is reconstructed in one's memory.

and speaking of recall... "Play it by ear. Axiom."

i'm having a very hard time thinking of another slogan that would be more simple, concise, transcending, hard-to-forget (indeed, not just familiar), and powerfully subtle all at the same than this. it spans generations, cultures, vocations, careers, disciplines, and geographies?

is the intensity of my desire to get those axioms beginning to show?

how bout..

AXIOM.. so good you will pee your pants!!

i'd buy it just to see if its true

bigjohn

unfortunately, the contest is over.

i didn't know the contest is over? too bad. i thought there was going to be a new set to vote on. didn't get that quite clear.

there go the axioms i guess!

It would be really nice to see a list of the final top 100 slogans before they let us know thier final slogan winner, perhaps we will see a list soon.... it would make room for alot of discussion i'm sure

This situation reminds me of my freshman year in high school when the results of the basketball team tryouts were posted in the gym. Big crowd of people -- many of whom went home disappointed.

This is why the internet is a good thing. Amie won't have to post the top entries on a piece of paper in the hallway, and the scrawnier folks won't have to get manhandeld out of the way as BigWill and I shove our ways toward the front.

hey, get outta my way!! i wanna see too!!

bigjohn