8 slogans that span the globe

Phrases which cover the planet without their TV ads or products

U.S. CULTURE IS so popular that the government in Beijing had to make it illegal for cinemas in China to keep showing Avatar instead of switching to a Confucius biopic. But there’s no law forcing people to like it. Yet. Give them time.

I was thinking about the pervasiveness of American culture in Asia while sitting at the bar with a mixed group of people.

A Japanese guy who had drunk too much was slumped on the table. Without moving, he groaned: “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

The American among us started to explain. “That’s a line from a TV commercial where there’s this old woman who—“

The South Asian guy next to me interrupted him. “No need to explain. We all know, right?”

We nodded. I was intrigued. How come people all over the world know a catchphrase which came from a TV ad probably only ever shown in its home country?

Time for a scientific experiment! I asked the American guy to give us another US TV catchphrase. He thought for a moment. “Er, breakfast of champions,” he said.

The rest of us replied as one: “Wheaties.”

This was even more startling. We were all familiar with the catchphrase but none of us knew what a wheatie was. If he told us wheaties were small blue mammals which lay chocolate eggs, we’d have to believe him.

Getting out a notebook, I started to pen a list of US catchphrases that were famous planet-wide even though non-Americans haven’t seen the original advertisements.

3. “Got milk?” (Slogan for US dairy industry).

How did this get to be so famous? Did some advertising copywriter actually get PAID for composing this?

4. “They’re grrreat.” (Frosties breakfast cereal slogan).

Same comment as above.

5. “Where’s the beef?” (Ad for Wendy’s hamburgers).

Why are Americans always losing stuff? First they can’t find the milk, then they misplaced the beef.

6. “Put a tiger in your tank.” (Ad for Esso gas.)

Oh, it’s wrong for us to eat endangered species but okay for them to turn them into fuel for cars.

7. “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.”

(Slogan for Perdue poultry.) In Asia, even women can cook chicken. At what part of the cooking process is brute force necessary?

8. “I’d walk a mile for a Camel.” (US cigarette ad).

We don’t make a special journey to see camels, we see them every time we go to the zoo.
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How did these become famous in Asia? The American suggested that it was because brilliant US admen created great slogans, but after considering number two above, “They’re grrreat”, he withdrew the comment.

Is it because we see the parodies, but not the original? See the example in the pic below?

I phoned an ad agency friend. He said: “It’s not that US slogans are great, but slogans elsewhere are REALLY bad. I’ll text you some examples.”

This is a real slogan from China:

“Resolutely strike against the leading elements who instigate and plan mass petitions in order to create chaos.”

This is a real slogan from Russia:

“Toilers in Agriculture! Strengthen the fodder basis of animal husbandry! Raise the production and sale to the state of meat, milk, eggs, wool and other products.”

If brevity is the soul of wit, what can I say? Houston, we have a problem. To use a US catchphrase.
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Technorati Tags: ad slogan,advertising,slogans,famous

Comments

[TS]

9. "En Tholstrup ost, tager den tid en Tholstrup ost tager" (Danish TV ad for cheese).
A truck turns up at a dairy to pick up a load of cheese but is told by the manager (The Master of the cheese) that he have to wait another 37 minutes, because "A Tholstrup cheese, takes the time a tholstrup cheese takes".

People in Denmark use the slogan in the meaning of "You can't rush art" (at least, they did 13 years ago, when I left the country).
I use it when people call me for a piece of software or a manual that I'm working on. My English speaking co-workers know that frase now, I no longer have to translate it for them.

[Mahjuja]

In Bangladesh, people use local ad qoutes as catchphrases.

[Julie]

It's interesting that there appears to be different penetration of US taglines in Australia - a lot of the ones you quoted are unfamiliar. (This conclusion was reached after an extensive poll of everyone currently in the house: me)

I haven't heard people quoting new tag lines for a while. I'm wondering if these were from a golden age of advertising when special effects were limited, so you had emphasise words.

Technological change in the form of the mute button has also changed the way I view ads.

[fardel]

On n'a pas de pétrole mais on a des idées

1973 oil crisis in France
we have no oil but we have ideas ( Concorde , bullet train, France ship, Ariane rocket, Airbus industries, camembert , baguette, Beaujolais...)

[MIke]

I live in the US and I don't know Esso gas is that a subsidery of Exxon? Tiger in your tank I know from Muddy Waters song.

I have never heard of "it takes a tough man to make a tender chicken" or perdue chicken for that matter.

WhatI find ammusing is US celebrities will do ads that only appear overseas.

Or on some product labels they will write nonsense in a foreign language underneath English to make it appear that cosmopolitian people purchase their product.

[TS]

Mike,
You must be young, before 1973 Exxon was called ESSO in the US as well.

The most annoying brand from America is Häagen-Dazs. It's a nonsense name made up to look Scandinavian to Americans to capitalise on our reputation for good ice cream.

[Salaya]

Perdue is now one of the biggest food companies in the US. If you have never heard of it Mike, perhaps you are a young student or something, and not familiar with the business scene.

[Deirdre]

To be serious for a moment, I subscribe to the "parodies" argument suggested above. I have never been to America but I am familiar with several of the slogans mentioned in the column because they have been parodied so much, like the wheres the beef slogan in the simpsons etc. its interesting that american companies now seem to be using the same slogan all over the world, such as "im loving it" from mcdonalds.

ps. congratulations for being the first internet column on this subject which does not regurgitate that old list of "slogans which do not translate well overseas". (you know the one I mean, it says Nova means "no go" in Spanish, etc)

[Harry]

How about, "Go to work on an egg!"? That's not US. It's British.
There's a chain of sandwich shops in France called "Pomme de Pin", itself a pun. The last time I was in Paris they were running a slogan, "Sandwich et sans reproche", which is a play upon "le chevalier sans peur et sans reproche" (the knight without fear and beyond reproach). I thought that pretty cool for a sandwich chain. Obviously run by a punster. Wouldn't get that at Mickey D's.

[MIke]

Salaya I am a 45 year old insurance agent in California. Just because an American company runs ads overseas doesn't mean they run them in the US.

I apologize for not watching enough ads to be culturally literate in Asia.
I told my mom growing up that I needed to watch more tv to be educated. Maybe Perdue just didn't run ads during reruns of Leave It to Beaver and Gilligans Island.

[fardel]

@Harry
I would like to bring some precision to your story, you are almost there
Bayard was a knight who did not fear any body, as you say "sans peur et sans reproche"(the knight without fear and beyond reproach)
Our sandwiches always contain butter .
If you want a sandwich without butter ,you just order sandwich Bayard: a Sandwich without the butter but beyond reproach:" sans Beurre et sans reproche"
The sounds are about the same.
It was an old kids joke turned into slogan.
As good as our sandwiches

[Harry]

Fardel
I knew the story of the knight but did not know that a "sandwich Bayard" was slang for an unbuttered sandwich. Thank you.
Btw I got the name of the shops wrong. The logo is a pine cone (pomme de pin) but the name is "pomme de pain", a sort of visual pun.

[Chuck Fugate]

How about "Independent as a Hog on Ice"

If you know that one and its orgin I'll give you a A+.

Chuck