Every couple of years a company does marketing like no other, ingraining their slogan into our brains where it takes root forever. In this blog we’ll look at our personal top 5 ear wormed in slogans and their history. Can you finish these famous British marketing slogans?
1. One one eight, one one?
118 118 is a UK telephone number for a US owned directory enquiries provider (it’s like if you wanted to call Google). It’s popularity significantly declined with the rise of smartphones and having information available at your fingertips. 118 118’s marketing featured two men with giant moustaches dressed in red athletic gear. The characters first appeared in 2003 to advertise the directory enquiries, after the deregulation of the original business the characters came back onto the scene in 2006 A-Team style but since 2017 they have disappeared from our screens as the company rebranded into a loan provider.
2. Auto glass repair, auto glass?
Replace. It’s not just a jingle, it’s our national anthem. I would struggle to find a single Brit who couldn’t finish this slogan. Gavin from autoglass came onto the scene with this jingle in 2008 and it’s been stuck in our heads ever since. Autoglass is a windshield repairs company which a lot of 2000’s kids had no business knowing but thanks to that unforgettable slogan, here we are.
3. Should’ve gone to?
Specsavers. Since the slogan’s invention in 2002, Specsavers has not only clung onto those four words but revolved their marketing around them. Advert after advert Specsavers play on the silly little moments we can all connect with, like waving at the wrong person across the street or driving down a bus lane. They don’t even place their products in the adverts, the slogan sells.
4. 0800 00?
1066. Hastings Direct is an insurance broker, known for its mascot Harry Hastings and the seagull perched on his shoulder. The character and the jingle were a staple of UK television in the early 2000’s The four digits at the end of their number are cleverly the year of the Battle of Hastings.
5. Washing machines live longer with?
Calgon. A classic pre-watershed advert you’d see just after dinner. This slogan was plastered across our televisions, on the sides of buses and in our brains. Funnily enough studies have shown that (spoiler alert) washing machines don’t actually live longer with Calgon but we still love the slogan.
What was you favourite classic British marketing slogan? Did we maybe miss out your favourite, let us know! So Can you finish these famous British marketing slogans?
