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by Vivienne Quek

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All world renowned companies that create fantastic products will have advertising campaigns that "wow". The truth is consumers who are bombarded by information from everywhere, cannot remember all the advertisements and their content. It took me a long time to associate the pink shades-wearing, drum-beating Bunny with Eveready Energizer battery. I always confused it with Duracell. So what if Advertising Age listed the pink bunny as amongst the Top 10 Advertising Icon of the 20th century. It doesn't work for me. Slogans do a better job in brand recall.

When I walk away from an advertisement, it should have successfully made me remember the brand promise with a conscious or unconscious inclination to take some future action. Otherwise, the advertisers are simply throwing their millions away. More often than not, the advertising slogan played a big part. Organically, a slogan is a statement of - promise, benefits, values, merit and solutions; about the product/service that the company is proud to uphold everywhere and anywhere. The purpose of an advertising slogan is therefore to leave a key brand message in the mind of its target market. You probably cannot remember all of the images, jingles, and content of the Coca-Cola advertisements. But, you retained the notion that Coca-Cola is the only "real cola" existing on planet Earth. It is the power of a successful advertising slogan at work.

A successful advertising slogan is endearingly memorable, becomes a worldwide icon and remains an all-time favorite, because it embraces more than one of the following powerful elements:
1) Brand is easily recalled
2) Key promise is easily understood and recognized.
3) Differentiation with other competitors is profound
4) Exudes positive feeling thus impacting the consumer's mindset that this is it.
5) Brand personality is reflected in those short, few words
6) Originality, which impresses upon the consumer that the brand is a market leader
7) Simple to remember, simple to repeat
8) Campaign-able

Here are 7 all-time favorite slogans that have weathered time and market tests, plus most of them have an interesting story to tell.

1) "Good to The Last Drop" (1907)
In 1907, coffee merchant Joel Owsley Cheek learnt of President Roosevelt's fondness for coffee. He set up a booth to display his special blend at a county fair at Nashville, Tennessee to which Roosevelt will be visiting. Suffice to say, when Roosevelt walked by, he was offered one steaming cup. Legend has it that President Roosevelt turned to his entourage and declared the coffee was "good to the last drop". This gives life to the Maxwell House brand and the slogan. Exactly 100 years on, the slogan lives on, delivering aroma, satisfaction and its brand's promise to delighted consumers.

2) "A Diamond is Forever" (1948)
Advertising Age lauded this slogan the Top 10 Slogans of the 20th Century. It is indeed one of the world's most recognizable slogans. Written by Frances Gerety of N W Ayer in 1948 for De Beers Consolidated, he successfully conveyed the message that the diamond is synonymous with eternity and therefore, the definitive and ideal jewel to use to seal our endless love. Nowadays, people use the line everyday, quite oblivious that it originated from an advertising campaign.

3) "We're No. 2. We Try Harder" (1962)
Developed by Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1962, this is considered by many advertising gurus as one of the greatest advertising slogans of the 20th century. The slogan captured the very essence of the Avis' corporate belief, aspiration and culture. Avis demonstrated its commitment that they will work harder to prove to their clients that they are worth a try. Wouldn't you like to support a determined underdog all out to satisfy your needs and wants? I would. Not surprisingly, the campaign successfully brought the company back into the black after many years in the red.

4) "Let Your Fingers Do The Walking" (1962)
Developed by Geers Gross in 1962 for the business directory, Yellow Pages, this grand old dame of a slogan is still not retiring. In fact, a 2004 survey by Opinion Research Corporation concluded that 55% of the people still use Yellow Pages - both online and off - to seek out local merchants, compared to 12% who used Internet search. A classic slogan that's still valid today. Relax at home to search through the Yellow Pages for what you want at your convenience. Don't you prefer that to walking around, under the scotching sun?

5) "It's the Real Thing" (1969)
This is another hot slogan but, surprisingly, not just in advertising circles. Human rightists were using the exact words when campaigning against the supposed brutality of Coca Cola against union workers since the late 1980s. Since Coca Cola's inception in 1886, it has launched no less than 45 memorable advertising slogans. Still, "It's the Real Thing" remains the hot favorite, and deservingly so. Not only does it fulfill the criteria listed above, the slogan insinuates that the other colas are mere "wannabes", copycats at best. Don't you prefer to be seen with the genuine one, rather than be seen with others?

6) "When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be There Overnight" (1982)
Developed by Ally & Gargano in 1982, this slogan is no longer in use by FedEx Corporation but it is still been revered as one of the best. It is certainly a class above the recent "The World on Time", which is vague and ambiguous. The 1982 classic was simply written, easily understood, totally appreciated by anyone desperately trying to rush out a parcel. FedEX set a gold standard in the courier industry which made its competitors play catch up. As a consumer, I sure like the 100%, certainty, guarantee and commitment in that short 9-word sentence, don't you?

7) "Got Milk?" (1993)
Created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor Board in 1993 to push cow's milk sales, "Got Milk?" has evolved to be one of the strongest "brand" in the US advertising history. Not only was the campaign credited with pumping up milk sales nationwide after a 20-year slump, it has turned a simple advertising campaign into an American icon. Do you know there is even an official "Got Milk?" website? Well, wouldn't you like to have two words that capture the deepest essence of your entire business?

A carefully crafted advertising slogan speaks volumes of the product's brand values and promises, successfully. If a logo is a visual short-cut to the brand identity and persona, than the slogan must be the copy short-cut. William Shakespeare said, "When words are scarce, they are seldom spent in vain". It is exactly the same with a powerfully worded advertising slogan.

Learn more about this author, Vivienne Quek.

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