# What is the worst single line in an advertisement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** commercials-ads\ **Created:** [December 19, 2022, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762 "2022-12-19T02:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/41 "2022-12-19T16:30:27Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We’re in a big group of well-dressed acquaintences, Not in every version, at least. I found this one, that seems like I remember it. Though I’m not trying to defend it. Just commenting on why I think it isn’t as bad as it seems. (To be honest, this version looks like an SNL parody. Oh how the years have not been kind to it!) Do you have tired blood? 🙂 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_lNfpQ_8tEw/hqdefault.jpg "I Think I'll Keep Her") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNfpQ_8tEw) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/42 "2022-12-19T16:37:32Z")
I think this is a clever tag line. Of course, maybe I just heard it at an impressionable age. Considering all the things women (and some men) do to combat aging in this modern world in which we live in, this doesn’t seem that big a deal [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GXkzl2I5CH8/hqdefault.jpg "Vintage: 1957 Commercial for Clairol "Does She or Doesn't She"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXkzl2I5CH8) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7Qf9JxCmTzg/hqdefault.jpg "1965 Miss Clairol Hair Color Bath") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qf9JxCmTzg) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/43 "2022-12-19T16:40:36Z")
In an old NatLamp saw an ad for Two Fingers tequila. “Two fingers is all it takes.” Cute woman. Sent away for the shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/44 "2022-12-19T16:41:29Z")
The current Buick SUV ads with the line “That’s so you” ugh, the delivery is so cringy. Trying to make the delivery of the line to their spouses in some kind of sexy, cutesy way (barf!) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/45 "2022-12-19T16:45:29Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > So, it could maybe save you fifteen percent? Erm, no, it couldn’t. That’s the only amount it CANNOT save you. It can save you UP TO 15% (which includes 14.9%, or 14.9999%, but not 15%) OR MORE (Which includes 15.01%, or 15.000001%, but not 15% exactly). It can save you any percentage of money aside from 15%. That’s how they getcha. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/46 "2022-12-19T16:48:46Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > In an old NatLamp saw an ad for Two Fingers tequila. > “Two fingers is all it takes.” My gf works in advertising. She occasionally will tell me about lines they come up with that could never be used, but are amazingly funny. The creative people sometimes spend _hours_ on these when they’re trying to come up with real ads. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/47 "2022-12-19T16:54:52Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > [This one.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSsswr6z9Y) For the “Got Milk” campaign and directed by Michael Bay. - Thanks! I enjoyed it! ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/48 "2022-12-19T16:58:17Z")
Political ad: “My opponent is against the Death Penalty for child sexual abuse” ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/49 "2022-12-19T16:58:55Z")
I can’t turn that one off fast enough. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/50 "2022-12-19T17:01:07Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0Gkqzxss8Ss/maxresdefault.jpg "Michael Bay Original Got Milk Commercial 1993 Who Shot Alexander Hamilton? Aaron Burr") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gkqzxss8Ss) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/51 "2022-12-19T17:05:39Z")
[1983 ad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up0HiH4yCYw): “I was overweight and looked terrible, but Ayds helped me lose 46 pounds.” ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/52 "2022-12-19T17:42:51Z")
“Lift and separate” ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/53 "2022-12-19T18:56:55Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > “Give it to Mikey, he’ll eat anything. . . . HE LIKES IT!!!” I think you are missing the point on this classic. The suspicious kids are not about to experiment on some possibly crappy cereal they have to spit out. But Mikey will try it, no matter what. They think they had found the one thing Mikey does not like. But… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/54 "2022-12-19T19:02:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And, of course, it’s people who switched who saved some unspecified amount of money. Well, sure. The people who wouldn’t have saved money didn’t switch. Exactly. Most of the major auto insurance companies pull that data from the same, shared market research study, updated yearly (IIRC). And, they all use similar language in their ads: “People who switched to [company] saved an average of $X/X% on their insurance.” And, yes, people who switch are likely to have done so because they found that they would save money; not everyone would save money by switching to that insurer, and some people would wind up paying even more if they switched to that company. So, yeah, a rather cunning piece of copywriting. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/55 "2022-12-19T19:02:25Z")
This is from a 1940’s Old Gold cigarette print advertisement but I’ll throw it in anyway. “Not a cough in a carload”. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/56 "2022-12-19T19:11:10Z")
“What can brown do for you?” ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/57 "2022-12-19T19:19:34Z")
The jingle went, “When you use Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific Shampoo, boys say, ‘Gee, your hair smells terrific!’ to you!” Yes, there was such a shampoo. In the TV ad, a young man went racing after a girl to tell her that. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/58 "2022-12-19T19:42:37Z")
A few years back 7-Up soda decided it needed a grittier image, so it briefly started promoting a new slogan, “Make 7-up Yours”, with the emphasis on the words “up yours”. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/59 "2022-12-19T19:48:00Z")
“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” was the surefire winner until “Lose weight with Ayds.” ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762/60 "2022-12-19T20:04:02Z")
I recall a TV ad from (maybe) the late-'70s about “the best hooker I’ve ever used” (or a similar phrase) referring to a piece of fishing equipment. I still can’t believe they allowed it to air. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-single-line-in-an-advertisement/976762.md?page=4)