About This Quiz
OK we get it — you hate ads. You mute your TV when commercials come on, or use TiVo, DVR and streaming services to avoid ads altogether. Like a whopping 26 percent of computer users and 15 percent of mobile phone users, you've got an ad blocker in place so you can browse the internet without ever seeing a single ad. Your eyes sweep right past billboards and "Sale" signs in store windows, and you brag to all your friends how advertising doesn't affect you.
Despite all your best efforts, though, we bet you know which coffee promises to be "The Best Part of Waking Up," which fast food chain relates to its customers with the tagline "I'm lovin' it," and which athletic shoe maker instructs consumers to "Just Do It." These slogans reach us because they are short, sweet and catchy, which means advertisers only have to catch your ear for a second to insert one of these earworms. Even better, some of these slogans are so darn clever or amusing that they become a part of pop culture — which is why "I can't believe I ate the whole thing." and "Where's the beef?" both live on decades after they were introduced.
Do you think you can recognize some of the best advertising slogans ever created? Prove it with this quiz!
Believe it or not, the Campbell Soup Company was founded way back in 1869 when they sold canned tomatoes and vegetables. In 1904, the company introduced its famous Campbell's Kids mascots, and by 1935, Campbell's jingles on the radio were proclaiming the company's products to be "Mmm Mmm Good."
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When Doublemint Gum came out in 1914, its name simply promised that the brand came with double the peppermint of its competitors, By 1934, the company realized the opportunities in its name, introducing logos of twins and the slogan "Double your Pleasure, Double your Fun." The tagline was immortalized in a 2008 Chris Brown song called "Forever."
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Verizon bragged about the strength of its network in a 2002 campaign featuring actor Paul Marcarelli, who asked, "Can you hear me now?" as he stood in out-of-the-way spots. The campaign died out in 2011 and Sprint took advantage of the cancellation of Marcarelli's contract by hiring him for their own version of the campaign.
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OK, so you're not going to believe how Nike came up with the "Just Do It" slogan. As killer Gary Gilmore was put to death in 2011 via firing squad, his final words were "Let's Do It." An advertising executive pitched the idea of using the line to Nike, Nike liked it and chose it to promote the sportswear brand.
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IBM long used the tagline, "Think," to sell its computing products, so when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1996, the company turned IBM's tagline on its head with their own version, "Think Different." The line was uttered by Jobs over a series of ads about "The Crazy Ones," which included Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr. and other legendary figures.
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During WWI, Uncle Sam told recruits "I Want YOU for the U.S. Army." After the controversies of the Vietnam War, however, the military needed a new way to find new soldiers, finally settling on "Be All That You Can Be," which served as the Army's slogan from the '80s through the '00s.
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M&M's first came out in 1941, and for the first few years, they were almost exclusively sold to the U.S. military to provide a sugar buzz to soldiers fighting in WWII. It was 1949 when the company began heavily promoting its shelled chocolate candies to the public with the slogan, "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand."
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Maxwell House coffee, introduced in 1892, was named after a Nashville hotel. In 1915, the company began using the slogan, "Good to the Last Drop," which Maxwell House claimed was a quote by Teddy Roosevelt as he enjoyed a cup of their coffee while staying at the Hermitage. It's probably not a completely true story, but it lives on more than a century later.
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Ba da ba ba ba! German fast food fans loved the 2003 "Ich Liebe Es" campaign so much that McDonald's took the concept worldwide. The "I'm Lovin' It" slogan became a major hit, largely thanks to a Justin Timberlake jingle of the tagline, with music written by Pharrell Williams.
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Made from puffed rice grains, Rice Krispies cereal has been around since the 1920s. It's famous mascots, conveniently named Snap, Crackle and Pop, were introduced in the '30s. Since that time, their names —an onomatopoeia of the sounds the cereal makes when milk is added — have also served as the brand's slogan.
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It's hard to imagine today, but in the 1930s, when Clairol introduced its hair color products, dying hair was seem as shameful. Clairol's slogan, "Does she ... or doesn't she?" helped put women's minds at ease, making them feel they could color their hair and no one could really tell. By the '60s, hair color had become mainstream and Clairol was using new fun slogans like, "The closer he gets, the better you look" and "Is it true blondes have more fun?"
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Founded in 1954 as Insta-Burger King, Burger King sought to stand out from McDonald's and other competitors in the '70s with its "Have It Your Way" campaign. It started with a catchy song that reassured diners that "Special orders don't upset us," and lasted all the way through 2014, when it was changed to "Be Your Way."
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You better eat your Wheaties if you want to putt like Tiger, run like Bruce or flip like Mary Lou. In production since 1924, this mix of bran and wheat flakes has been sponsoring athletes since 1926, from amateurs to Olympic gold medalists, helping it earn its slogan, "The Breakfast of Champions."
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You can probably guess how diamond sales were doing during and after the Great Depression ... lousy. To boost its brand, De Beers hired legendary ad firm N.W. Ayers, who tasked female ad writer Mary Frances Gerety to come up with a slogan. The result, "A Diamond is Forever," has been used to sell diamonds ever since 1948.
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Skittles have been around since 1974 in the U.K., and in the U.S. since 1979. In the '90s, advertising firm D'Arcy, Masius, Benton and Bowles — those are the guys who came up with the "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand" slogan for M&M's — dreamed up "Taste the Rainbow" to help colorful Skittles candy fly off store shelves.
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You might not remember it, but the whole battery bunny mascot actually started with Duracell in 1973. When the company ditched its bunny mascot, Energizer quickly snatched up the idea, introducing its own Bunny — which "Keeps going and going and going" — in 1988.
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Gillette has been selling safety razors since 1901. The company introduced its iconic slogan, "The Best a Man Can Get," in 1989 during Super Bowl XXIII. In 2019, Gillette took things to the next level with the "We Believe" campaign, which uses a new slogan, "The Best a Man Can Be."
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Volkswagen has been pumping out beloved cars like the Beetle and Bus since 1937. In 1995, the company's "Driver's Wanted" slogan led to a huge jump in sales over the next year. By the '00s, VW was using the tagline, "Das Auto," or simply, "The Car."
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Introduced as Sugar Frosted Flakes in 1952, Kellogg's sugar coated cereal has been helping kids start their day for more than half a century. Since the very beginning, the brand has used a cartoon mascot named Tony to promote its product. And, of course, Tony proudly proclaims, "They're GRR-eat!"
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In 1851, when "The New York Times" first hit newsstands, newpapers weren't exactly known for being fair and balanced — or even accurate. In 1897, owner Adolph Ochs demonstrated his commitment to the truth with the slogan, "All the news that's fit to print," which still adorns each issue published to this day.
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Alka Seltzer has come out with some great slogans over the years, starting with "Mamma Mia, that's-a spicy meat-a ball" in 1969. The next year, however, ads featuring the line "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" became an even bigger hit. This slogan has become so widespread in pop culture that it even served as Homer's yearbook quote on "The Simpsons."
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In 1967, snack fans got a whole new form of potato chip with the introduction of Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips. In an effort to escape greasy, broken chips, Pringles come in a special saddle shape and are sold in a can to protect them from damage. They might be delicious, but be warned — "Once you pop, you can't stop."
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Las Vegas has long been a gambling mecca, but tourism was falling flat in the early '00s. To get tourists back to Sin City, the local marketing board came up with the slogan, "What happens here, stays here." The idea that you can escape everyday life and cut loose without consequences has kept visitors flocking to the city since 2003.
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You can buy another brand of cards if you don't care about getting the best for your family or friends. Hallmark knew just how to appeal to buyers' emotions when they introduced their iconic slogan, "When you care enough to send the very best," in 1944.
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AT&T was founded by Alexander Graham Bell himself in 1885. For most of the 20th century, the company was a monopoly that went by the nickname, Ma Bell. In an effort to improve its image, the company hired a marketing firm in 1979. The firm, N.W. Ayer, introduced "Reach out and touch someone," which helped make the communications giant and its capabilities more appealing to consumers.
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Wendy's had a huge hit on its hands with its "Where's the beef?" campaign in 1984. Eager to emphasize the larger patties at Wendy's, the company hired actress Clara Pellar to utter the iconic line. In 2011, Wendy's launched a throwback campaign with the tagline, "Here's the Beef."
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Me time is so important these days, just as it was back in 1909 when L'Oreal launched as a hair care company. Over the years, the company kept buyers coming back by reminding them to invest in personal care products "Because I'm Worth It." Since then the slogan has been changed to "You're Worth It" and then "We're Worth It," reflecting changing values.
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Allstate has been providing various forms of insurance since 1931, but it didn't come out with its famous slogan, "You're in Good Hands," until the '50s. In 2010, the company took things up a notch with its "Mayhem" campaign, reminding drivers how important it is to be in good hands because of all the dangers on the road.
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You might think "What's in your wallet?" is kind of a personal question, but Capital One has been using it to successfully promote its credit cards since 2000. Spokespeople from Jennifer Garner to Samuel L. Jackson have hawked the cards and uttered this famous line.
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Harlan Sanders started serving his famous fried chicken in the 1930s, but the brand didn't get its "Finger Lickin' Good" slogan until 1952. Someone saw franchisee Pete Harman licking his fingers and complained to the store's manager who replied that the chicken was "finger lickin' good. Harman also introduced the concept of the bucket meal, which can still be found at KFC today
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When Lay's introduced its potato chips in 1932, the company only made one flavor— original salted. By the time the company began using the "Betcha can't eat just one slogan," barbecue and sour cream varieties had been added to the market. A numaber of ads from the '60s featured Bert Lahr. You might remember Lahr as the Cowardly Lion from "The Wizard of Oz."
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In these days of two-day, or even two-hour shipping, it's easy to forget that fast, reliable delivery wasn't always an option. Starting in 1978, FedEx attracted customers with the slogan, "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."
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German automaker BMW has been making cars since 1916. More than half a century later, the company began using the slogan, "The Ultimate Driving Machine," to promote its high-end rides. By the 2010s, that slogan had been largely replaced by others, including "Joy" and "Pure Driving Pleasure."
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Introduced in 1987, energy drink Red Bull used the slogan, "It gives you wiiiings," until 2014 when the company faced a lawsuit from a customer. The lawsuit had nothing to do with the wings claim, but with the fact that the beverage has only about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.
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In 1924, Adidas began as a company selling spiked shoes for sports. Eighty years later, the brand reinvented itself with the "Impossible is Nothing" campaign, featuring spokesman Muhammed Ali. A couple of years later, a Yale student used the slogan to produce a video resume that became a popular internet meme.
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