I miss good ads. Once upon a time, there were good ads - lots of good ads. Ads that stuck in your brain. Jingles that became earworms and wouldn't leave your brain until something even stickier came along. Advertising slogans that became part of the language. Advertising characters who became part of Americana (Mr. Whipple, the Lonely Maytag Repairman, the Crying Indian). There were even movies with nothing in them but award-winning ads. Decades before television, there were radio ads, both good and dull, and print ads. Lots of those ads (both radio and television) are available for the aficionado - free of charge.
Sure, there were plain old boring ads, designed to sell you a product even if they put you to sleep while doing so. There were a lot of those, and there still are - not to mention product placements in everything from movies and television programs to video games. However, it's been a long time since I've seen any really awesome ads (except for the HSUS ads, which make animal lovers cry). How's your memory?
What were some of the best of the old ads? Which ones do you remember? Do you remember the products they sold?
For example, here's an easy dozen:
- Who said that their express mail service could get your stuff somewhere if it "absolutely, positively, had to be there overnight" and made that line a trademark?
- What product made you wonder where the yellow went? (More info)
- What was the name of the "star" of Duck and Cover? (Great protection against nuclear attack, si?).
- What were you supposed to use to see the USA?
- "Plop, plop, fizz, fizz" sold what product? And can you believe you ate the whole thing? And it was marshmallow meatballs?
- What company had a better idea?
- What provided the pause that refreshes?
- What company invented The Verse By the Side of the Road? (If you don't know whose signs these are, you can't have driven very far, __________ ___________)
- Snap, crackle, pop, ________ _____________!
- Who promised to put a tiger in your tank?
- What did Tony the Tiger sell?
- What product was Mmm, mmm, good?
This really isn't my diary - it's a community diary. Post your favorite ad jingles and trivia here - or post part of a jingle, and see if anyone else can recognise it. I'll do memorable political ads another time.
And if some of those jingles stick in your head and won't go away... BWA-HA-HA! That's the ad biz!