The best advertising slogans of all time! (Part 2)

Posted by James, 19 February 2021 (4 minute read)

Two weeks ago, I began taking you through my list of the best advertising slogans of all time (you can read it here)!

So here’s 5 more superb advertising slogans, why they’re so effective and where they came from…

You either love it or you hate it - Marmite (1996)

This is a brilliant advertising slogan. Because it takes a massive risk, telling you something potentially ‘bad’ about the product.

But when risky slogans like this are handled cleverly, they really do work. They also speak to our polarised world unlike anything else.

Marmite’s iconic ‘Love it or hate it’ was created by Richard Flintham and Andy McLeod in 1996. Unsurprisingly, one of the copywriters loved Marmite (Flintham), while the other hated it (McLeod)!

From there, campaigns have been both playful and cheeky with this initial idea. It’s a fabulous example of being audacious in advertising. Of demonstrating courage and conviction. And let’s face it… It’s worked!

Good things come to those who wait - Guinness (1996)

A simply fantastic advertising slogan known the world over. But also one designed to overcome a very specific problem with the product… the time it took to pour a pint!

The slogan was pitched to Guinness by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO as a way of alleviating negative consumer opinion about the length of time it took to order your drink (an average of 119.5 seconds – or about 2 minutes – if you’re interested!).

It’s also clever in the way it uses its length to replicate the beauty of the perfect pouring process. Longer than most advertising slogans, it’s the perfect example of how a few more words aren’t necessarily a bad thing!

Think Different - Apple (1997)

It’s funny to think that such a grammatically clunky slogan could become one of the most famous advertising slogans of all time!

In 1996, Steve Jobs returned to Apple with his old company in disarray – remember this is long before iMacs, iPods and iPhones would rule the world! And before Apple could begin launching these world-changing products, Jobs wanted a slogan to remind people of the company’s innovative history.

So ‘Think Different’ was born. Quite where and how is a little less clear – but you can read an excellent history of the slogan here.

What I will say is that Apple’s marketing since ‘Think Different’ has been on a scale different to anything else. After all, the company isn’t worth over 2 trillion dollars for nothing…

I’m Lovin’ It - McDonald’s (2003)

It may come as a surprise to know that McDonald’s now iconic ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ slogan is the only single message advertising the fast-food juggernaut has ever used.

In 2003, with the company in a bit of trouble, a small German advertising agency – Heye & Partner – pitched the idea of ‘Ich liebe es’, or ‘I love it’. Before long, McDonald’s debuted the campaign in Germany, before spending billions of dollars to market the slogan worldwide.

And even 17 years later, the slogan (and that accompanying ‘ba da ba ba ba’ jingle) is one of the most famous on the planet.

‘I’m Lovin’ It’ has also become instantly synonymous with the Golden Arches. It’s even helped turn the company’s fortunes around, aiding them in many-a-controversial-moment: including the release of Super Size Me in 2004, with its negative depiction of McDonald’s and their role in the world’s ever-growing obesity problem.

To Fly. To Serve - British Airways (2011)

For many years, British Airways used the slogan ‘The World’s Favourite Airline’. But that’s a phrase that only really works if you actually are! In 2001, the company were forced to drop the slogan because Lufthansa had earnt itself more passengers. So in 2011, British Airways debuted ‘To Fly. To Serve’.

A nod to a nation’s imperialist past, the slogan certainly tugs on those heart strings of nostalgia. At the same time, though, it rebrands the airline for the 21^st century.

It implies British Airways has just two aims – which of course it doesn’t. But an airline slogan isn’t meant to tell us everything… Just the things we need to know to make us buy that plane ticket!