Long before the days of premium ad-less streaming services, adblockers, DVRs, and even VCRs,
we actually watched television commercials.
In all actuality, we really didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
But here's the thing – the ads of that bygone era were also fairly entertaining – which
is a far cry from the desperate, sensational, throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks
approach that advertisers seem to exclusively take these days.
The ads from this Golden Age of television featured catchy jingles and slogans that were
far more than just infectious earworms.
They became these permanent fixtures and cultural touchstones of our collective societal consciousness.
Even in the modern era, almost a half-century later, we still tend to recite every word
and hum along to the tunes of our favorite commercials of the 1970s like it was just
yesterday.
While it's challenging to narrow down the list of the most iconic television ad slogans
and catchphrases of the past, the ones that were about to cover in this video are undeniably
memorable.
Chances are after you hear them, you'll feel as if you were instantly teleported right
back to your favorite decade.
Facts Verse Presents Old TV Commercial Lines & Slogans That We'll Never Forget.
McDonald's -You Deserve A Break Today
When it first appeared in a commercial for the burger franchise back in 1971, the catchphrase
"You deserve a break today', became McDonald's first real slogan.
The tagline is so iconic that Ad Age ranked it as one of the best and most effective jingles
of the 1900s.
Even if you weren't a big fan of the Golden Arches' food, McDonald's tapped into something
truly special when they came up with the phrase.
They knew that we all felt tired of being overworked and underappreciated.
So, yeah, it was just a commercial, but it felt like somebody finally was saying what
all of us working-class plebs were thinking.
Why yes, McDonald's, we most assuredly do deserve a break!
Please and thank you!
Alka-Seltzer – Plop, Plot, Fizz, Fizz
The Father of ER actress Julianna Margulies, Paul Margulies, helped coin this famous ad
campaign slogan when he was working as an executive on Madison Avenue.
The catchy jingle was written by Tom Dawes, a former band member of the musical group
The Cyrkle.
Dawes would go on to tour with The Beatles after he managed to score a massive hit with
a cover of the Paul Simon track "Red Rubber Ball".
Life Cereal – Hey Mikey!
He Likes It!
Anybody that’s ever had a little brother that was a picky eater – or has been a parent
to one – knows just how relatable this iconic 1972 ad for Life Cereal was.
Child star John Gilchrist played the titular Mikey, a young boy who was a legend with his
brothers for his stubborn unwillingness to eat practically anything that was put in front
of him.
Then all of a sudden, out of the blue, something inexplicable happened.
Mikey picked up a spoon and feverishly devoured a bowl of Life Cereal as his family members
watched in awe.
While he was guzzling down the breakfast cereal, Mikey didn’t utter a single word, but he
didn’t need to.
The look on his face spoke volumes.
He liked it!
Alka-Seltzer – I Can’t Believe I At The Whole Thing
In this timeless 1972 commercial, a middle-aged man by the name of Ralph mournfully proclaimed
his disbelief that he ‘ate the whole thing’, as his sardonic wife suggested that he should
pop a couple of Alka-Seltzer tablets to quell his indigestion.
Once again Ralph, it was, in fact, you that got yourself into that mess.
"You ate Ralph!".
Band Aid – I am stuck on Band-Aid ‘cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me
It might sound strange to anyone born in the 80s, 90s, or aughts, but back in the 70s,
one of the most memorable television jingles came from a Band-Aid ad.
Sure, it sounds like a joke today, but Johnson and Johnson were on to something when they
somehow cracked the secret code to get kids excited about skinning their elbows.
If that wasn't mind-blowing enough, just wait until you realize that the jingle was written
by Barry Manilow and the boy featured in the ad was none other than a young John Travolta!
American Express – Don’t Leave Home Without It
In 1973, actor Karl Malden, best known for his role on the hit cop drama The Streets
of San Francisco, took on the job of being a spokesperson for American Express.
Malden would continue to hold down that role until 1994.
Even if you weren't quite old enough to know what the heck a traveler's check was in the
70s, every time you saw Malden's glowing mug on the TV screen while delivering those words
of warning, you no doubt felt like an idiot for even contemplating leaving your home without
your checkbook.
Coca-Cola – It’s The Real Thing
For the majority of us who watched too much television during the 1970s, the absolute
pinnacle of the peace, love, and tie-dye generation was this 1971 Coca-Cola commercial which featured
a bunch of long-haired hippy-dippy types gathered on a hillside singing ‘in perfect harmony’
about buying carbonated sugar water for one another.
It’s still hard not to feel something when we think about all of those super-serious
solemn faces singing ‘It’s the real thing’.
Seriously, guys, it’s just a Coke!
Keep America Beautiful - The Crying Indian
This PSA from 1971 had one super simple message, "Keep America Beautiful".
To really drive that message home by dialing up the guilt, an actor named Iron Eyes Cody
was called in to dress up in traditional Native American attire and sit in a canoe that becomes
increasingly more polluted.
As he mournfully pondered the landscape around him, a passenger pulled up next to him and
hurled a bag of trash out their window while the narrator informed us "People start pollution;
People can stop it".
After that line was uttered, the camera panned in on ol' Iron Eyes Cody's face to reveal
a tear slowly falling down his cheek.
If that wasn't enough to make you feel something, then we don't know what would.
Tootsie Pop – How Many Licks Does It Take
This classic Tootsie Pop commercial from 1970 asked a question that many of us over fifty
years later are still contemplating.
In the ad, a young boy sets out on a mission to get to the bottom of a mystery that's been
plaguing him for presumably quite some time.
All he wanted to know was just how many licks it would take to get to the 'Tootsie Roll
center of a Tootsie Pop'.
After asking several creatures that vexing question to no avail, he comes upon a scholarly,
albeit impatient, owl, who gives his pop three licks before chomping it down.
In the years that have gone by since this iconic ad first hit our picture tubes, there
have been numerous studies attempting to find the real answer to the question.
Everyone from researchers at the University of Michigan to classrooms full of high school
students has come up with numbers that are all over the place.
The low estimate puts the number at 144, while on the high end of things, it can take up
to 411 licks to get the candy's soft, artificially-flavored chocolaty center.
As it turns out, the world really may never know.
Bell System – Reach Out and Touch Someone
Back in the 70s, not everyone was addicted to their phones.
In fact, Bell System felt the need to come up with a catchy slogan in order to convince
the masses to use their phones more.
What they came up with to help 'dial up' interest in phone use was pretty unforgettable.
In 1979, they launched their 'reach out and touch someone' ad campaign, which reminded
us all of just how easy it was to reconnect with a family member or old friend who was
now living far away.
Although, we're not sure why they felt the need to include a creepy clown in their commercial.
Honestly, that probably did more to make me change the channel than pick up the receiver.
Dr. Pepper – Be a Pepper
Why was this 1977 soda ad so effective?
Well, Dr. Pepper did more than simply just create one of the most catchy ad jingles of
the 70s, their ad also made purchasing a Dr. Pepper seems more like a lifestyle choice.
Back then, just about everyone and their little brother Mikey wanted to be a pepper'.
Peppers were cool, fun-loving folks that just seemed to have this overall zeal for life.
Who wouldn't want that?
Did any of us actually know what the heck a 'pepper' was?
Well, no.
But, we all wanted to be one, and that's all that mattered.
Charmin – Please Don’t Squeeze The Charmin
Anyone that remembers these ads no doubt recalls how poor Mr. Wipple, played by Dick Wilson,
was just trying to run his grocery store without everyone in town coming in to constantly try
and cop a feel of his toilet paper without purchasing any of it.
Now, this was probably not an issue that many grocers were actually facing back in the 70s,
but the sheer ridiculousness of the concept was a significant part of what made the "don't
squeeze the Charmin" commercials so iconic.
Meow Mix – Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow
See what we did there?
All we had to do was utter those four words in sing-song fashion, and now you have the
Meow Mix song stuck in your head!
Don't worry it'll be there all day.
So, do yourself a favor and make peace with that fact.
There's no sense in fighting it.
The Meow Mix jingle is so infectiously catchy that it manages to become a full-on earworm
just by repeating the same phrase over and over again.
Frosted Flakes – They’re Greeeeaaaat!
Created in 1951, Tony The Tiger was initially one of four cartoon creatures dreamed up by
Kellogg's to sell their Frosted Flakes breakfast cereal, but Elmo the Elephant, Katy the Kangaroo,
and Newt the Gnu didn't hold a candle to our boy Tony.
After Tony made the cat-like leap off the cereal box to the television screen, that's
when he started uttering his iconic catchphrase.
Well, there you have it!
Those are just a few of the most memorable slogans and catchphrases featured in classic
television commercials.
And once again, we're really sorry about getting that Meow Mix jingle stuck in your head.
Don't worry, it'll be there all week!
Anyway, we’re going to wrap things up here, but before we go, we wanted to ask you a couple
of questions.
Which classic television commercial slogan, jingle, or catchphrase has stuck with you
the most over the years, and can you think of any others besides the ones featured in
this video that our viewers probably have fond memories of?
Let us know in the comments.