L’Oreal’s slogan “Because You’re Worth It” turns 50 this year, and its inception has a much nicer story. In 1971, it was 23-year-old copywriter Ilon Specht at the advertising agency McCann who wrote the slogan for the beauty company.
Burger King’s customer-centric slogan similarly invites the customer in by including the “your” pronoun.
That’s why a short, pithy statement works best. You can use wordplay, rhythm, and more to make a slogan memorable to anyone who hears or reads it. And you should use language and appeal to emotions that rally your target audience around your brand’s mission, purpose, or product.
Toyota’s “Let’s Go Places” is an excellent example of a slogan that communicates the company’s value proposition. The benefit of having an affordable, dependable car is that you can use it—whether that’s to get home to your family after a long day of work, to travel outside the city for a weekend of hiking, or to a destination you haven’t decided on yet.
The origin story for this slogan? Not so nice. According to The Washington Post, in 1988, advertising exec Dan Wieden pitched Nike this slogan, which was based on the last words of a man convicted of murder. Morbid inspiration.
2. L’Oreal: Because You’re Worth It
You can’t overpromise in your slogan. Instead, focus on your product’s strength and what makes your offering different than your competition. Double down on that and skip any false promises.
This credit card company’s slogan is catchy because it’s so simple: a question about what’s inside your wallet. This question is a great way to grab attention. We all carry around our licenses, credit cards, useless ATM receipts, a stack of random punch cards for coffee shops that we never remember to use in the first place—but maybe that’s just me?
The best slogans are memorable because the audience has an emotional response. You don’t need to be so heavy-handed as using words like love or smile in your slogan like McDonald’s and Goldfish, but you do want to pay attention to what emotional reaction you’re eliciting with words and sounds in your slogan.
3. Maybelline: Maybe She’s Born With It. Maybe It’s Maybelline.
Not only was it the first advertising message to highlight self-confidence, it revolutionized advertising.
With the structure here, Toyota emphasizes that it’s a two-way relationship. With the contracted “us,” the company subtly lets its audience know that it’s traveling together.
4. Lay’s: Betcha Can’t Eat Just One
These nudges toward local living feed into AirBnB’s slogan: “Belong Anywhere.”
5. Burger King: Have It Your Way
I love that this slogan is a dare. It not only makes it clear that Lay’s chips are deliciously addicting, but it also represents the brand as active and engaging. Plus, it set Lay’s up for creative ad campaigns using this slogan.
This time, though, it’s the wordplay and not the brand message that sticks. The repetition here makes this an earworm—and that’s before you even hear the jingle.
6. Bounty: The Quicker Picker Upper
In this post, I’m going to show you how to do that by looing to look at examples of enduring advertising slogans.
7. The New York Times: All The News That’s Fit to Print
A slogan resonates because it fits with the brand. Pizza Hut’s brand is playful, and its slogan is absurd. Apple’s brand is aloof, and so is its command of a slogan. When you start writing, keep your brand in mind. You want the slogan to match your brand’s voice and appeal to your audience, so brand alignment is key.
10. Goldfish: The Snack That Smiles Back
First impressions matter—especially for businesses. That’s why you double-check your subject lines more than your email. It’s why you put so much thought into your search ads. And that’s why you need to make sure you have a catchy slogan that engages your audiences and introduces your brand.
13. Toyota: Let’s Go Places
One way to nail your slogan is to add wordplay. The rhyme with “quicker picker upper” here is unbeatable. Once you hear it, the slogan never leaves your brain. And that’s good for Bounty, especially because it also managed to pack its value (picking up messes) and differentiate itself from the competition (doing that quicker).
Was that alliteration heavy-handed? Yes, it was. But it stuck out, and your slogan should, too, to make sure your business is memorable for your audience. So use these iconic slogans for inspiration, and follow the lessons we gleaned from them as you start drafting your own. Good luck!
14. AirBnB: Belong Anywhere
This iconic slogan was first used in 1897, and it still appears on the front page of the newspaper of record today.
And the positive message L’Oreal uses here is still relevant and fresh. The phrase appeals to women’s self-worth with an empowering affirmation—even if it encourages us to act on that empowerment by purchasing beauty products. It’s a timeless advertising slogan, which might just be the best kind.
16. Capital One: What’s in Your Wallet?
Maybelline actually changed its slogan in 2016 to “Make It Happen,” but ask anyone today and the original still reigns. Talk about an enduring marketing slogan.
Start with your brand
Our attention spans are short, and only getting shorter! Your slogan needs to be quick, and even better if it’s quippy. Whether it’s a clever reference, rhymes, or some wordplay, this will help make your slogan—and your business—unforgettable.
Be honest
According to AirBnB’s brand story, the company set out to revolutionize travel by allowing people to experience places not as tourists, but as locals. Staying in an apartment instead of a hotel lets you see different parts of a city; renting a house in the mountains instead of staying in a resort forces you to check out local grocery stores or farmer’s markets.
Use emotion
But Burger King also positions itself as different from its major competitors—ahemn, McDonald’s—with this slogan by offering personalized service and customized fast food. (Check out this old Burger King commercial, it’s good for a laugh.)
Keep it quippy
Now, rallying makes sense when we think of other uses of slogans: political campaigns.
Start slinging slogans for your business
Goldfish are wholesome, friendly, and great for kids—which is mostly thanks to a smart branding strategy and the fish shape. This slogan anthropomorphizes the barely fish-shaped crackers even more definitively and makes them engaging as well as delicious. Who could say no?
