Famous slogans
The most famous advertising slogans and taglines, with the ads they came from. Each one links to the full story: who wrote it, why it worked and where to see the original.
The slogans that stuck
Lines that outlived their campaigns.
- “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.”
- “Stop a mate driving drunk. Legend.”
- “You're not you when you're hungry.”
- “Simples!”
- “Speeding. No one thinks big of you.”
- “Welcome to the independent republic of your home”
- “I don't always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty, my friends.”
- “What happens here, stays here.”
- “Thanda matlab Coca-Cola (A cold drink means Coca-Cola)”
- “¿Te gusta conducir?”
- “I am Canadian!”
- “Good things come to those who wait.”
- “Here's to the crazy ones... Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
- “There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard.”
- “got milk?”
- “You know when you've been Tango'd.”
- “Não é assim uma Brastemp (It's not exactly a Brastemp)”
- “You got the right one, baby. Uh-huh!”
- “If you drink, then drive, you're a bloody idiot.”
- “Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer: Hamara Bajaj”
- “Gib AIDS keine Chance.”
- “Just Do It.”
- “O primeiro Valisère a gente nunca esquece.”
- “Don't mess with Texas.”
- “Even Apeldoorn bellen”
- “You could learn a lot from a dummy. Buckle your safety belt.”
- “Come and say G'day.”
- “Surf ki kharidari mein hi samajhdari hai”
- “Where's the beef?”
- “Friends don't let friends drive drunk.”
- “Reassuringly expensive.”
- “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
- “Slip, Slop, Slap!”
- “Be all you can be.”
- “Take a bite out of crime.”
- “Football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars”
- “Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach.”
- “Tastes great! Less filling!”
- “Kurisumasu ni wa Kentakkii (Kentucky for Christmas)”
- “I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.”
- “Because I'm worth it.”
- “You deserve a break today — so get up and get away, to McDonald's.”
- “Avis is only No. 2 in rent a cars. So we try harder.”
- “You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's.”
- “You're never alone with a Strand.”
- “Think small.”
- “Does she... or doesn't she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure.”
- “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
- “Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country.”
- “From the land of sky blue waters”
- “I dreamed I went shopping in my Maidenform bra”
- “A diamond is forever.”
- “Only you can prevent forest fires.”
- “Use it up – wear it out – make it do!”
- “We can do it!”
- “Is your journey really necessary?”
- “Loose lips might sink ships”
- “Coughs and sneezes spread diseases”
- “Careless talk costs lives”
- “Dig for victory”
- “Keep calm and carry on”
- “Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet”
- “The pause that refreshes.”
- “Often a bridesmaid but never a bride”
- “The Instrument of the Immortals”
- “I want you for U.S. Army”
- “On les aura!”
- “Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?”
- “Your country needs you.”
- “A skin you love to touch”
- “You press the button, we do the rest.”
- “99 44/100% Pure”
More taglines and lines, by decade
Sign-offs, headlines and catchphrases from the rest of the directory.
2020s
- “With GoDaddy Airo, it's like you know what you're doing.”
- “It’s time to put your map where your mouth is.”
- “...and domestic violence.”
- “Developed with dermatologists.”
- “Recycle Me”
- “DoorDash will DoorDash stuff from all the ads to one winner.”
- “Nothing matters more than more years together.”
- “Relax, it's iPhone.”
- “Tu pedido está en camino (Your order is on the way)”
- “A British Original.”
- “Winning Country gets the Buds. Who will get them?”
- “The Airbnb for plugs”
- “Wow, this actually worked.”
- “Kuch accha ho jaaye, kuch meetha ho jaaye.”
- “The first eCycling team for prisoners.”
- “No day is the same in a Jeep Gladiator.”
- “Bettah drives us.”
- “You can't stop sport. Because you can't stop us.”
- “#TruthFindsAWay”
- “Courage is beautiful.”
- “The beauty of no artificial preservatives.”
- “See this ad today, enjoy this bar tomorrow.”
- “Khabazte? (Have you baked bread?)”
2010s
- “When everybody plays, we all win.”
- “It's back to school time. Know the signs.”
- “A book against tax discrimination.”
- “If it's clean, it's a Tide ad.”
- “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.”
- “Fresh, never frozen.”
- “Nothing beats a Londoner”
- “Tenemos que vernos más”
- “Order a Whopper for a penny — at McDonald's.”
- “Just missed us.”
- “FCK. We're sorry.”
- “Bad roads shouldn't happen to good pizza.”
- “Get your domain before it's gone.”
- “Progress is for everyone.”
- “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
- “#TalkAboutBias”
- “Did You Mean MailChimp?”
- “Pass the Heinz.”
- “I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully.”
- “The world's first country made of trash.”
- “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.”
- “Football is family.”
- “#ShareTheLoad”
- “You're not you when you're hungry.”
- “Don’t let pressure dictate your future.”
- “Dear person who played 'Sorry' 42 times on Valentine's Day — what did you do?”
- “The only person designed to survive on our roads.”
- “The first country in the world with its own phone number.”
- “El mayor premio es compartirlo”
- “Love freebies? Get them legally.”
- “You can't skip this Geico ad, because it's already over.”
- “Love has no labels.”
- “Shot on iPhone 6.”
- “Drink DB Export. Save the entire world.”
- “On Black Friday, we're closing. Opt outside.”
- “America Is Beautiful”
- “Other people make mistakes. Slow down.”
- “#BestBuds”
- “Life is a beautiful sport”
- “Give someone the Christmas they've been dreaming of.”
- “Experience the power of a bookbook.”
- “Will beats noise.”
- “Just because it isn't happening here doesn't mean it isn't happening.”
- “Rewrite the rules. #LikeAGirl”
- “Cash out and proud.”
- “A reminder to keep your eyes on the road.”
- “Germany's most involuntary charity walk.”
- “Stabilität in jeder Situation. Magic Body Control.”
- “To the farmer in all of us.”
- “Silly stuff. It matters.”
- “Go before you go”
- “You are more beautiful than you think.”
- “This test was set up to demonstrate the precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering.”
- “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.”
- “#lookup”
- “Sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.”
- “A billboard that turns air into clean drinking water is ingenuity in action.”
- “I promise that your heart will always beat for Sport Club Recife.”
- “Missed call lagao, muft manoranjan pao”
- “Lifebuoy se haath dhoye kya? (Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?)”
- “A little something for them, a bigger something for you.”
- “Imported from Detroit”
- “Smoking causes immediate damage to your body.”
- “Meet the superhumans.”
- “The hardest job in the world is the best job in the world. Thank you, Mom.”
- “You worry about me, but why not about yourself?”
- “Our blades are f***ing great.”
- “Be safe around trains.”
- “Push to add drama.”
- “Red Bull gives you wings.”
- “Que nada nos quite nuestra manera de disfrutar de la vida”
- “The more you watch Canal+, the more you love cinema”
- “Imported from Detroit.”
- “The all-new 2012 Passat.”
- “Don't buy this jacket.”
- “Unhate”
- “Be the Coach”
- “It's not you, it's me. I've changed.”
- “Share a Coke with...”
- “The effects of AIDS can be reversed.”
- “Search on.”
- “Write the future.”
- “Always wear your seat belt.”
- “Open Happiness”
- “Look at your man, now back to me... I'm on a horse.”
- “Be stupid.”
- “Music. See what it's made of.”
- “If Christmas can come to the jungle, you can come home.”
- “Shop Small.”
- “The taste of coolness”
2000s
- “Faça xixi no banho!”
- “Live young.”
- “It's cheaper to print this on money than on paper.”
- “Life's for sharing.”
- “Kitto, sakura saku yo.”
- “Para qué mentir, si podés teletransportarte.”
- “Island caretaker wanted. The best job in the world.”
- “It's easy to miss something you're not looking for. Look out for cyclists.”
- “If I can do it, you can do it.”
- “Hope”
- “Sound of the Nation”
- “Believe.”
- “Har subah sirf utho mat. Jaago Re! (Don't just wake up every morning. Awaken!)”
- “Under the light nothing seem scary. Sylvania light bulbs.”
- “A glass and a half full of joy.”
- “No money, but love”
- “This lousy, wonderful world (Kono rokudemonai, subarashiki sekai)”
- “The Coke Side of Life”
- “Hello, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC.”
- “Still Free”
- “Will it blend? That is the question.”
- “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.”
- “Not even once.”
- “It's a big ad. My God, it's big!”
- “Good things come to those who wait.”
- “Colour. Like no other.”
- “Imagine”
- “Communication is life”
- “Hate something, change something.”
- “Get chicken just the way you like it.”
- “Wherever you go, our network follows.”
- “You kill the joe, you make some mo'.”
- “Isn't it nice when things just work?”
- “Small but tough. Polo.”
- “Fevicol: The Ultimate Adhesive”
- “Do boond zindagi ki.”
- “Unböring”
- “Para todos.”
- “Irresistible”
- “Freedom to move.”
- “Let's Motor.”
- “Comunicate, es simple.”
- “bmwfilms.com”
- “We ride for the brand.”
- “John West endure the worst to bring you the best.”
1990s
- “Bugger.”
- “Whassup?!”
- “When I grow up, I want to be a yes-man.”
- “Sta-Prest. One crease. Always.”
- “Tomou?”
- “New Labour, New Danger”
- “Taco Bell Buys the Liberty Bell”
- “Bud... weis... er.”
- “C'est la fête quand Bob conduit sans alcool.”
- “Eat Mor Chikin”
- “Milk. What a surprise!”
- “Asli swaad zindagi ka (The real taste of life)”
- “Power is nothing without control.”
- “Hello Boys.”
- “Nothing but net.”
- “Tested for the unexpected.”
- “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
- “Hungry?”
- “Is that a great new Pepsi can or what?”
- “Two return flight tickets. Unbelievable.”
- “Pump up your performance.”
- “Sometimes I dream that he is me. Be like Mike.”
- “United Colors of Benetton.”
- “De l'eau, de l'air: la vie”
1980s
- “The world's favourite airline.”
- “Still going. Nothing outlasts the Energizer.”
- “Bo, you don't know Diddley.”
- “You coming home is the best present”
- “Mile sur mera tumhara, to sur bane hamara (When my note and yours meet, they become our note)”
- “Smooth character.”
- "I never read The Economist." Management trainee. Aged 42.
- “É possível contar um monte de mentiras dizendo só a verdade.”
- “Sound has evolved. How about people?”
- “The Original Party Animal.”
- “Always use condoms. Always.”
- “Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet.”
- “This is your brain. This is drugs. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?”
- “I heard it through the grapevine.”
- “AIDS. Don't die of ignorance.”
- “Please play again”
- “Levi's 501. The original shrink-to-fit jeans.”
- “Perception. Reality.”
- “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."”
- “It's morning again in America.”
- “Good old Yellow Pages. We're not just there for the nasty things in life.”
- “It also sticks handles to teapots.”
- “Le 2 septembre, j'enlève le haut.”
- “Absolut Perfection.”
1970s
- “Have a Coke and a smile.”
- “Can West Wear East?”
- “Labour isn't working. Britain's better off with the Conservatives.”
- “It's a miracle!”
- “Tough under fire.”
- “For mash get Smash.”
- “Let Noxzema cream your face.”
- “Let's get Canada moving again.”
- “As good for you today as it's always been.”
- “Chi mi ama mi segua.”
- “He likes it! Hey Mikey!”
- “Girl or boy, two is enough.”
- “People start pollution. People can stop it.”
- “Would you be more careful if it was you that got pregnant?”
1960s
- “Gee, Uncle Max, it sure pays to own a Volkswagen.”
- “Mamma mia, that's a spicy meatball!”
- “Oh, the disadvantages of Benson & Hedges 100's.”
- “Utterly Butterly Delicious”
- “Have you ever wondered how the man who drives the snowplow drives to the snowplow?”
- “These are the stakes.”
- “Tokyo 1964”
- “Punt e Mes”
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
1910s
- “Soaring to Success! Daily Herald – the Early Bird”
- “Within the curve of a woman's arm”
- “If ye break faith – we shall not sleep”
- “Fate tutti il vostro dovere!”
- “Food will win the war”
- “I want you for the Navy”
- “It is nice in the surf, but what about the men in the trenches?”
- “Wake up, America!”
- “The Penalty of Leadership”
- “Women of Britain say – "Go!"”
1900s
1890s
What makes a slogan stick
Slogan, tagline or headline?
A slogan or tagline is the line a brand repeats across its advertising, usually signing off every ad. A headline is written for a single ad. The lines above include both, because the best headlines tend to escape their ad: “Think small.” headed one page of Volkswagen copy, and “Where’s the beef?” began as a line of dialogue in a commercial.
What the slogans that stuck have in common
- A promise you can check. “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” and “Takes a licking and keeps on ticking” are claims, not moods.
- A weakness turned into the point. Avis built its line on being No. 2, and Stella Artois built its line on the price.
- Easy to say out loud. Rhythm and repetition, as in “Slip, Slop, Slap!” and “Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet”, and catchphrases people want to repeat, like “Simples!”.
- A role for the buyer. “Just Do It.” and “Because I’m worth it.” are about the customer, not the product.
- Plain words. The longest-lived lines are rarely clever: “A diamond is forever.” is four plain words.
Each line links to the ad it came from, with who made it, why it worked and the sources. For the techniques behind them, see advertising techniques.