In the realm of advertising, a powerful slogan is timeless. From Finger-Lickin’ Good to Just Do It, catchy phrases have not only defined brands but also embedded themselves in our cultural fabric.
Many of the original patents for beloved product slogans have recently expired leaving thousands of them “up for grabs.” This presents a problem for some and a new opportunity for others to scoop up these catchphrases, giving new meaning to the question, “Where do you want to go today?” Let’s take a look…
Here’s a list of some of the more well-known and beloved slogans from the past and the companies that spawned them:
“Think Outside the Bun” – Taco Bell
“Does she or doesn’t she?” – Clairol
“Can you hear me now?” – Verizon
“Got Milk?” – California Milk Processor Board
“What can Brown do for you?” – UPS
“Do you… Yahoo!?” – Yahoo!
“Finger-Lickin’ Good” – Kentucky Fried Chicken
“I’m Lovin’ It” – McDonald’s
“Just Do It” – Nike
“Because You’re Worth It” – L’Oréal
“Is it live or is it…” – Memorex
“Snap! Crackle! Pop!” – Rice Krispies
“They’re G-r-r-reat!” – Frosted Flakes
“The Best a Man Can Get” – Gillette
“Breakfast of Champions” – Wheaties
“It Gives You Wings” – Red Bull
“The Happiest Place on Earth” – Disneyland
The Great Slogan Shuffle
Now Imagine repurposing classic slogans for completely new products and services. It’s a daring, yet potentially brilliant marketing strategy. Here are some of the new pairings:
“Just Do It” – BraveChoice Colonic Care. Don’t delay your colonoscopy. It’s a brave choice for your health, and we’re here to make it as comfortable and dignified as possible.
“I’m Lovin’ It” – The Incontinence Center of Cleveland: Bringing comfort and confidence to Ohioans since 1927, one leak at a time.
“Because You’re Worth It” – LuxuSoft Premium Toilet Paper. Indulge in the ultimate luxury with our premium toilet paper. Treat yourself to the best and transform your everyday routine into an experience of unparalleled comfort.
“Snap! Crackle! Pop!” – Align & Snap Chiropractic Services. Experience the snap! crackle! pop! of relief from our chiropractic services as we align your body for better health and comfort.”
“They’re G-r-r-reat!” – Silent Nite Sleep Products. Enjoy a quiet, snore-free night with our modern CPAP machines. Sleep peacefully and wake up refreshed.”
“Do you… Yahoo!?” – Click & Spark Online Dating Services. Where every connection starts with a click and ends with a spark.”
“The Best a Man Can Get” – ManGuard Hemorrhoid Cream. Find soothing relief and comfort with our hemorrhoid cream, designed for a MAN’s delicate areas.”
“Breakfast of Champions” – Champion’s Worm Farm. The “Compost of Champions,” draws the union between nutritional and environmental health.
“It Gives You Wings” – Freedom Flight Bail Bondsman. Giving you everything you need to get out of town quick!
“The Happiest Place on Earth” – Happy’s Returns & Tax Services. Visit our tax offices where creative filing and learning how to evade tax audits make financial responsibilities a joyous experience!
“Does She or Doesn’t She?” – Women’s Mystery Birth Control. Take charge of your reproductive health with our discreet and effective women’s birth control. From IUDs to chastity belts, you’ll keep them guessing whether you’re using birth control or not.
“Is It Live Or Is It…?” – RealFeel Sex Companions. Discover the perfect companion for your intimate desires! Our inflatable sex companions are so lifelike, you’ll wonder if they’re live or…
“Can You Hear Me Now?” – ClearWhisper Hearing Aids: Our hearing aids transform whispers into crystal-clear symphonies. Say goodbye to nodding indiscriminately to muffled conversations and hello to every word!
“What Can Brown Do For You?” – PottyPalooza Portable Toilets. Bring a touch of fun to function with PottyPalooza Portable Toilets – because even the call of nature deserves a cheerful answer!
“Think Outside the Bun” – SleekShield UltraThin Pads. Redefine comfort during your period. Our UltraThin Pads offer unparalleled protection without the bulk.
“Got Milk?” – NatureFlow Breast Pumps. Make the most of your breastfeeding journey. NatureFlow’s efficient design ensures you never have to worry about your supply. Whether at home or on the go, we’ve got you covered.
“Finger-Lickin’ Good” – ComfortEase & ReliefEase Cream. Experience rectal comfort like never before. With ReliefEase, bid farewell to discomfort, and bleeding.
Insights from Marketing Specialists, Physicians and the Public
The concept of repurposing classic advertising slogans is not just a marketing strategy, but a cultural revolution. In this exploration, we gathered the thoughts of leading marketing experts and healthcare professionals. They offered their views on the implications, challenges, and opportunities that arise from injecting well-known slogans with new meaning and context.
Alice Johnson, a Wall Street brand strategist, put it this way: In the realm of brand equity acceleration, the reinvigoration of these emblematic brand slogans epitomizes a strategic excavation of latent brand capital. Each syntactic construct is a repository of multi-decadal brand equity, rendering their redeployment a high-stakes venture of brand arbitrage. On the bullish side, there’s an electrifying prospect of infusing these lexical artifacts with renewed vigor, thereby catalyzing a resonant connection within the contemporary consumer zeitgeist. Yet, we navigate a bearish territory rife with volatility. A suboptimal recalibration risks the dilution of the original brand ethos, potentially transgressing into a zone of perceived inauthenticity or brand heritage desecration. My stance is one of tempered exuberance, anchoring on the pivotal arbitrage of nostalgia leverage and brand innovation, aiming to maximize brand resonance while mitigating dilution risk in this dynamic market landscape.
Michael Wang, the editor of “Advertising World Magazine” shared his excitement: As we pivot into this paradigm-shifting epoch of slogan revitalization, it’s akin to a synergistic adrenaline infusion for us ideation architects. We’re strategically recontextualizing these time-honored, almost sacrosanct brand mantras, imbuing them with an avant-garde essence. This endeavor is a veritable crucible of creative emancipation, juxtaposed with a non-trivial quotient of trepidation. The consumer cohort’s entrenched resonance with these taglines is formidable, elevating their anticipatory benchmarks exponentially. Navigating this milieu of fulfilling heightened consumer anticipations, whilst injecting a dose of groundbreaking, resonant authenticity, presents a labyrinthine challenge. I’m optimistically bullish about our capacity to orchestrate a harmonious congruence between these heritage slogans and the multifaceted, fluid dynamics of the contemporary market ecosystem.
Dr. Emilia Verucci a board-certified internist at Cedar Grove Clinical Center had her own interesting take: From an allopathic and wellness modality standpoint, the iterative utilization of these renowned catchphrases in the context of pharmaceutical and holistic health merchandise presents a fascinating paradigm. Such recurrence may engender a psychosomatic milieu of recognizability and solace amongst the patient demographic, a factor of quintessential pertinence in the healthcare continuum. Nonetheless, there exists an incumbent onus to ascertain that the dissemination of these communiqués is executed with paramount perspicacity and precision. Discourses pertaining to the health sphere necessitate meticulous stewardship, and while the potential for innovative application is a source of considerable anticipation, there remains an undercurrent of trepidation regarding the potential diminution or reductive interpretation of pivotal health narratives by such sloganeering.
Brittany Ashleigh: 17-year-old student at Benedict Arnold High School. Like, okay, I’m totally buggin’ about this whole thing with the slogans and stuff? So, like, all these super classic phrases are just, like, floating around now, which is kinda wild, right? I mean, it’s sorta a bummer for the OG brands, ’cause they’re like, “As if!” about losing their iconic words. But, hello, it’s also totally a rad chance for some fresh faces to snag these phrases and make them all groovy again. It’s like, mix it up, you know? Out with the old, in with the new vibes. Totally an opportunity to, like, reinvent and stuff. I’m so ready to see what they do with it all. It’s gonna be, like, way cool!
Where do we go from here?
The expiration of patents for once-famous marketing slogans has opened the door to a world of imaginative and bold strategies. By cleverly reassigning these tried and true slogans to a spectrum of other products and services, businesses can capitalize on their established success and lasting impact while appealing to today’s modern audiences. This trend not only revitalizes classic marketing catchphrases but also underscores the timeless nature of effective communication in advertising.
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