10 Best Slogans of All Time

This deceptively-simple advertising slogan was launched by the De Beers Diamond Company in 1938, making it one of the longest-running marketing campaigns of all time. Those four little words - a diamond is forever - suggest a sense of timeless romance, which is associated with the diamonds sold by De Beers. This simple slogan resonated with customers and packed such a strong punch that in 1999, Advertising Age named it the slogan of the century. The De Beers Diamond Company remains one of the largest diamond suppliers in the world, possibly because of this solid, sparkly slogan!

This iconic slogan dates all the way back to 1950 when a general sales manager at Allstate learned his daughter was ill. When he became upset after hearing the news, his wife consoled him by telling her husband that she was in good hands. He remembered this reassuring memory while in a meeting and suggested it become the new slogan. Needless to say, the suggestion was a hit—Allstate still uses it in their commercials and advertisements to this day, almost 70 years later!

This marketing campaign, created for Wendy's by Saatchi & Saatchi, captured the frustrations of every fast food patron in the 1980s. Although this top-ten tagline was intended to poke fun at competitors' beef-lacking burgers, the catch phrase rapidly became a symbol for everything lacking in substance and quality, from student essays to company budgets. While the campaign ran for only a few years, the wildly popular slogan endured and took on a life of its own. Even if you’re a millennial, chances are you’ve still heard this question more than a few times in your life!

In 1988, a struggling sportswear company called Nike introduced this memorable line into its advertising and soon catapulted to the front of the pack. This quality slogan brims with attitude and captures the defiant and determined mentality that's required of successful fitness enthusiasts and sports stars. "Just Do It" is a bold statement that inspires athletes to work harder, a no-nonsense call to action that people instantly associate with Nike's apparel and accessories. It also serves as encouragement to customers when they're looking at Nike merchandise, credit card in hand.

This ad campaign, created by Goodby Silverstein & Partners, debuted in 1993 as a message from the California Milk Processor Board to encourage people to drink more milk. Its simple tagline was accompanied by witty commercials, attractive stars wearing milk mustaches, and stadium cups emblazoned with the short-but-sweet slogan. This campaign demonstrated the power of straightforward messages that are easy for consumers to remember. After a 20 year long campaign, the slogan was changed to Milk Life in 2014. Instead of featuring high-profile celebrities, the focus shifted to featuring everyday people in an effort to emphasize milk’s nutritional benefits for the average consumer.

Noted as one of the longest running advertising campaigns of all time, Skittles launched their Taste the Rainbow tagline in 1994. The campaign was originally created by D'Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in New York, a company who created advertising concepts for the fruit-flavored candy until 2002. Some of Skittles’ most iconic commercials include placements from the mid-90s where the candies are buried underground, causing a magical rainbow to shoot into the sky. While this still isn’t a reality, both the memorable commercial and corresponding slogan have remained top of mind for those who were children at the time.

Naturally, one of the most iconic slogans of all time is held by one of the most iconic companies of all time – Apple! In 1997, Apple hired advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day to come up with a brand new campaign, and Art Director Craig Tanimoto is credited with the original visual concept. Chances are you’ve seen the rainbow apple with Think different placed underneath. Tanimoto’s inspiration was drawn from IBM, who, at the time, had a Think IBM slogan. Fast forward 21 years, and the original Apple illustration is just as recognizable as it was at the beginning!

Since 2003, the nation has been singing along to the tune of McDonald’s catchy commercials. Who knew that cheeseburgers or chicken nuggets could be so memorable? Rumor has it if you close your eyes and listen hard enough, you can even hear a distant coworker quietly humming ba da ba ba ba under their breath! Justin Timberlake himself helped launch the catchy campaign into the stratosphere by partnering with prominent musicians like Pharrell Williams and Pusha T for the hit jingle. If it weren’t for this collaboration, we may not have the slogan we all know and love today!

Dating back to 2004, Adidas’ tagline has been encouraging athletes across the nation for well over a decade. Rumor has it the iconic slogan was inspired by a quote from Muhammad Ali, one of the most famed athletes of all time. In fact, Ali himself even endorsed Adidas! The brand chose this tagline as a representation of how they want to encourage others to push themselves further. Erich Stamminger, member of the Executive Board of Adidas-Salomon AG, said, “As an athlete you always strive to go further, break new ground, and surpass your limits. So do we as a brand, to achieve our mission to be the leading sports brand in the world.”

In 2006, Dunkin’ Donuts launched what would become one of the most well-known slogans of all time. The tagline was created as part of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to convey the idea that Americans from all walks of life keep the country running through their dedicated hard work. The associated television and radio commercials included a multitude of themes, all of them encompassing Dunkin’ Donuts mission to provide a full range of quality food and beverages that are affordably priced and served fast. Ten years later and nearly everyone knows this tagline like the back of their hand!

When Sling TV launched in early 2015, it was the first of its kind. Never before had a contract-free television service made itself available to consumers, and at $20 per month, it quickly made waves throughout the industry. Shortly after their launch, they created their A La Carte slogan. Sling TV wanted the world to know they didn’t have to be stuck in restricting cable contracts! Their slogan encompasses the freedom users are given by offering a service that’s commitment free.

Airbnb revolutionized the travel agency by stepping out with a more modern travel experience in 2008. Six years after its inception, Global Head of Community, Douglas Atkin, was given the task of reorienting the company’s entire mission as part of their desire to rebrand. From there, he set forth and interviewed 480 travelers and hosts from around the globe to see what Airbnb meant to them. The consensus was that travelers wanted to feel like they belonged during their stay instead of being treated like a tourist. He eventually settled on Belong Anywhere to encompass this shared feeling among travelers.