What Advertising Slogan Has Been Around the Longest?

[HeyHomie]

While driving through the Mark Twain National Forest with Mrs. HeyHomie last weekend, upon entering the forest we noticed a sign with Smokey Bear on it. It said: "Only YOU can prevent forest fires."

That slogan (not really an advertising slogan, but you get my drift) has been around since as early as the 1970's, as I remember hearing it when I was a wee lad.

Maxwell House, OTOH, has been using "Good to the last drop" since, IIRC, the 1940's.

So, can anyone think of an advertising slogan, still in use, that has been around longer?

[bjohn13]

Well.....there is a jingle on local television that goes something like:

"Arvid Benson Furniture
The name you've known and trusted
Since 1949."

As it is a catchy jingle, I like to sing:

"Arvid Benson Furniture
The jingle hasn't changed
Since 1949."

[Ethilrist]

In God We Trust

[RealityChuck]

Originally posted by HeyHomie
Maxwell House, OTOH, has been using "Good to the last drop" since, IIRC, the 1940's.

It's much older than that, since most sources say it was coined by Teddy Roosevelt (though dates vary). In any case, the brand went national in the 1920s using the slogan.

[Michael Ellis]

Maybe "Get it here."

[N9IWP]

Hello sailor?

[astorian]

How long has the NY Times been using the slogan "All the news that's fit to print"? Probably since the 19th century.

[Scumpup]

Me love you long time GI?

[KneadToKnow]

I can't seem to dredge up a cite, but I think Coca-Cola's been using "Enjoy" practically since they jerked their first soda.

[Umbriel]

Ivory Soap has been apparently been marketed as "99-44/100% Pure" since 1891.

[WordMan]

It depends on what you mean by "advertising slogan"

- as others have humorously offered, standard come-on lines have been around for a while, but since these are not considered exclusive or protected, I don't think they fit the question...

- if you are looking at trademarked/copyrighted sayings, legal protection for such sayings has only been around for 1 - 200 years or less (off the top of my head). An associated question would be what companies and products have been around that long and had a slogan that they have kept in circulation?

Ivory Soap - P&G - 99 & 44/100% Pure (purely made up, that is, and around since the late 1800's)
Morton's Salt - When it Rains, It Pours - at least since the early 1900's

Those are the first two that come to mind, but I am sure there are many, many others.

- Finally, if the you consider the category to be broader than commercial companies and products, you would have to consider the mottoes of families and kingdoms or other institutions. For example "S.P.Q.R." (The Senate and People of Rome) was used by the Roman Republic and Empire thousands of years ago and is still understood today, and while not legally protected, per se AFAIK), it is certainly associated exclusively with Rome. I know of Harvard's "Veritas" (Truth) but would assume that Oxford, Cambridge or earlier learning institutions have similar mottoes. Religious orders and other institutions no doubt have mottoes that are hundreds, if not thousands of years old, etc....

my $.02

PS: I looked up the plural of "Motto" and got both "mottoes" and "mottos" and went with the former....

[WordMan]

Do'h - Umbriel - you beat me to the simul-post regarding Ivory!

[kunilou]

It's been a long time since I read any advertising history, but I think Umbriel is right about Ivory Soap. I believe that line is the longest continuously used U.S. advertising slogan.

And I believe "Bib" -- the Michelin Man -- may be the longest continuously used advertising symbol.

[Eve]

1852 - First advertisement for Smith Brother's Cough Candy (drops) appears in a Poughkeepsie, New York paper - the two brothers in the illustration are named "Trade" and "Mark."

1886 - Coca-Cola is invented in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton. Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, penned the name Coca-Cola in the flowing script that is still used in advertising today.

1896 - J. Walter Thompson Company begins using the Rock of Gibraltar in its advertising for Prudential Insurance Co.

1901 - The Victor Talking Machine Company acquires the American rights to the famous painting of the dog Nipper listening to a phonograph with the caption "His Master's Voice" and begins using the image in advertisements. RCA, which bought the Victor Company in the 1920s, still uses Nipper in ads.

1904 - The "Campbell's Kids" are created by Grace Weidersein. These images are still used in Campbell's Soup advertising with few modifications to the present day.

(Of course, I'm sure there are European ad slogan much older than these!)

[mobo85]

Of course, Smokey no longer has his longevity-his slogan was recently changed to "Only you can prevent wildfires."

[Fibber McGee]

What about slogans that don't have longevity?

I can't remember the last time I saw a Hooty Owl "Give a hoot, don't pollute!" commercial.

Whatever happened to those.

The great PSA triumverate of McGruff the Crime Dog, Smokey the Bear and Hooty Owl has been shattered, and the world is a darker place for it.

[mobo85]

Woodsy (not Hooty) Owl is still out and about, although he now encourages us to "Lend a hand-care for the land!"

[RealityChuck]

1852 - First advertisement for Smith Brother's Cough Candy (drops) appears in a Poughkeepsie, New York paper - the two brothers in the illustration are named "Trade" and "Mark."

Some whiskey distillers have that beat. "Old Grand Dad" has been marketed since the 1840s.

[scotandrsn]

The bottoms of the sandals of ancient (@ 5000 BC) Sumerian prostitutes (I don't know if there are any sandals extant; if there were, they probably just got stolen from a museum in Bhagdad) had embossing on the bottom which left the impression of letters in the dirt. They read "Follow me".

[CalMeacham]

Ivory Soap - P&G - 99 & 44/100% Pure (purely made up, that is, and around since the late 1800's)

I recall reading about this, and my recollection is that it's not quite that old. The "99 and 44/100% pure" isn't "purely made up" -- it refers to the modern definition of a "soap" as "the salt of a fatty acid", and Ivory soap is demonstrably that to better than 99%. I thought the slogan had originated in the early 20th century.

[WordMan]

Originally posted by CalMeacham
I recall reading about this, and my recollection is that it's not quite that old. The "99 and 44/100% pure" isn't "purely made up" -- it refers to the modern definition of a "soap" as "the salt of a fatty acid", and Ivory soap is demonstrably that to better than 99%. I thought the slogan had originated in the early 20th century.

Cal - see the link in Umbriel's post above - it is to P&G's site and gives their history of Ivory Soap. It verifies the date, but also verifies the origin of 99 & 44/100% pure as having at least some basis in fact, which I was not aware of...

And Eve - thank for the facts from the advertising site - very helpful. I wish you could've helped me find something for my Renoir thread!

[Snooooopy]

The oldest slogan?

"Og say: Come to Og spear shop, buy good spear. Or Og kill you!"

[CalMeacham]

The bottoms of the sandals of ancient (@ 5000 BC) Sumerian prostitutes (I don't know if there are any sandals extant; if there were, they probably just got stolen from a museum in Bhagdad) had embossing on the bottom which left the impression of letters in the dirt. They read "Follow me".

I've heard that this was the case with ancient [i]Greek[/i[ sandals, from the Periclean age (much more recent that 5000 BC, for which IIRC we don't have any Babylonian writing). I've seen it in several places, but the only one I can think of right now is Larry Gonick's Cartoon History of the Universe, vol. I (the new Vol. I, not the old one).

[Max Torque]

To add to the list, since I find it delightfully old-fashioned: Bon Ami powdered cleanser has, since 1896, used the logo of a newly-hatched chick and the slogan, "Hasn't scratched yet."

[samclem]

1852 - First advertisement for Smith Brother's Cough Candy (drops) appears in a Poughkeepsie, New York paper - the two brothers in the illustration are named "Trade" and "Mark."

I have no evidence to dispute that. But the United States Patent and Trademark Ofice site is a fun place to search. Try it sometime.

Word Mark SMITH BROTHERS Goods and Services IC 005. US 018. G & S: COUGH-DROPS. FIRST USE: 18770101. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 18770101

There is a picture of the famous Smith Brothers along with the application. Notice that the date of first use is 1877. When the company applied for the trademark in 1905, the company said it was in use only since 1877.

I'd love to see the 1852 ad. Not saying it doesn't exist(it probably does). Just curious about it.

99 44/100% pure is trademarked by P&G and they say "in use since 1882" in their application.

Bon Ami said that "hasn't scratched yet" was in use since 1901

Old Grand Dad(with picture) was in use since 1900. That doesn't mean that the name wasn't around much earlier.

"When it rains, it pours" since 1914.

"All the News that's fit to print" since 1896.

"Good to the last drop." 1915

[JustJoan]

I think it would be some British concern, like Twinings Tea:
"By Appointment To Her Majesty The Queen"

[elmwood]

In the Kansas City area, there's been a flurry of retro commercials. Local companies will air commercials from the late 1950s and early 1960s, complete with the cheesy jingles, vaugely hep jazzy studio music and six digit phone numbers of the day.

"Hy-Vee ... Hy-Vee ... where there's a helpful smile ... in every aisle" (insert 1950s-sounding musicial twinkle here)

[NoClueBoy]

I built a Time Travel Machine Thingy™ and used it to go back in time to about, say 1,000,000 BC.

Raquel Welch was doing a pitch for "The New Improved Spear!"

I swear to og...

[Cisco]

While it doesn't even compare to most of what has been mentioned here, I was just thinking the other day that Chevy's "Like A Rock" seems to be in it for the long Haul.

I remember it from at least as far back as 10 years ago (and maybe a little longer) which seems ancient in today's ADD advertising world.

[irishgirl]

"My Goodness, My Guinness!" dates from the 1930s, and they've been using Arthur Guinness' signature on the bottles since they started making them.

I think before MGMG, they used the slogan "Drink Guinness", which is catchy, but sort of unnecessary in Ireland.

[TwistofFate]

Guinness Is good for You.

Gives you Strenght.

[TwistofFate]

the Harp and The signature combination has been in use since 1862. The fuirst national advertising campaign started in 1929 with the My Goodness, My Guinness! advert.

[hockeynut]

Originally posted by Cisco
While it doesn't even compare to most of what has been mentioned here, I was just thinking the other day that Chevy's "Like A Rock" seems to be in it for the long Haul.

I remember it from at least as far back as 10 years ago (and maybe a little longer) which seems ancient in today's ADD advertising world.

This is the most recent long-running ad campaign for Chevy. Prior to that we had "Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet" which followed "See the USA in your Chevrolet".

[jjimm]

The Oldest Profession^TM

[RealityChuck]

Originally posted by JustJoan
I think it would be some British concern, like Twinings Tea:
"By Appointment To Her Majesty The Queen"

Not continuously. That would only date to 1953; for fifty years prior to that, it would be "By Appointment to His Majesty, the King"

[Ms. Reckon]

RealityChuck - Wrong. Twinings was established 1706. They changed the slogan from King to Queen at Victoria Regent and just left it there.