9 Slogans That Make No Sense

Yeah, yeah, we know. All advertising is ridiculous. It is, but these slogans are flat out wrong. Like, logically, they don’t make sense. You may say, “it’s a joke” but if it’s a company advertising real products; they should tell the truth. We don’t see why a company would want to be known for joking around in the first place.

1.
Geico – “So easy, a caveman could do it.”

it

They may have had some form of language, but they couldn’t have spoken English, Spanish, Mandarin, or any other language Geico does business in. A caveman couldn’t have driven, and he wouldn’t have had any modern currency. Even if they had cars back then it wouldn’t hold together. Kind of like the Visigoths in the Capital One commercial, it doesn’t really make any sense to say a group of people that no longer exist like a product. Because they are no longer around, they can’t dispute the companies, but they can’t confirm them either. So, basically the companies are saying “We couldn’t find any real people who enjoyed our product, so here is an incorrect representation of an ancient people. Plus… cavemen.” Or maybe comparing your customer’s mental acuity to our under-evolved ancestors is something they teach you at marketing school.

2.
MLB – “There’s only one October.”

october

At the risk of sounding like a bunch of sticklers: there is an October every single year. There have been pro-baseball playoffs for over 100 years. There have been so many Octobers. This just seems kind of obvious… Did they even have a meeting deciding on this slogan? They probably would have realized their mistake if they had seen the slogan before it went on TV. There’s only one October… wait a second! I think there’s been at least a few. We’d like to believe a national corporation has meetings about what they are putting onto every fans TV set. If they did have a meeting, that means they went through all the options, considered each one… and chose “There’s only one October.” That’s just sad.

3.
National Pork Producers Council – “The Other White Meat.”

meat

First of all, referring to your product as “the other” is kind of an admission of lower quality. They’re basically admitting pork is the red-headed stepchild of the meat family. It’s almost always bad to go around saying you’re the “other” anything. Second, and most important, they are lying. Pork is not a white meat. Who would have guessed? It’s actually a red meat.

4.
Nike – “Just Do It.”

do

Without context, this is a clearly meaningless statement. So let’s assume by “do it”, that they mean to engage in vigorous exercise. “It” sounds vague and open to interpretation, but considering they are an athletic company, that is the best we have. And that would be very, very bad advice. Just do it. You need to warm up before you do any sort of hard exercising, and you need to stretch afterwards. If you just do it, you are going to be seriously sore, and you could injure yourself. So, you can’t just do “it.”

5.
Coca- Cola – “It’s the real thing.”

thing

Another functionally meaningless slogan. While Coke probably does exist, this is not a quality that separates it from competitors, or even other objects in the physical universe. So what makes it “real” enough to bear mentioning? It’s is flavored by lots of different chemicals. They are real, but they aren’t real in the same way sugar is. Humans in labs created them. Coke list of ingredients also includes the all-inclusive vague term “natural ingredients”, which just means anything not made in a lab. Insisting their product exists only makes us question the fact.

6.
AT&T – “Reach out and touch someone.”

someone

AT&T is a phone company. You can’t touch someone through a phone. Plus, you shouldn’t just go around touching people. It tends to upset them. This just seems like a slogan counter-active to what the company is about. The phone, in generally, means you don’t have to be around people to talk to them. So, really, AT&T was telling people to not use their product. Because, in order to “reach out and touch someone”, you kinda need to be next to them. And if you are right next to them, you have no need for a phone.

7.
EA Sports – “It’s in the game.”

game

Well, seeing as EA makes video games, much of what is in their games is not in the real sports, the real games. Plus, like Coke, they are being way too vague. It may be in the game, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. You could make the crappiest game of all time, and still claim “it’s in the game”, and technically be lying.

8.
Mountain Dew – “Drink Code Red – A Sensation As Real As The Streets”

streets

What is with advertisers establishing their products as existing? While a technically true statement (both “street” and “Mountain Dew” have Wikipedia pages, anyway), it’s a rather meaningless phrase. Also, I never have, but I imagine living on “the streets” is terrible. No one wants a sensation like “the streets.” As I said, I’m no expert, but from what I’ve heard, “the streets” do not cause a pleasant sensation.

9.
PlayStation- “Live in your world. Play in ours”

ours

I like PlayStation, but this sounds eerily suspicious. It kind of sounds like they plan to enslave you in the game world, like in that Spy kids movie. I think that they should have said something more like “it’s your world’ or some such thing, instead of THIS PLACE IS OURS! YOU WILL BE OUR VIRTUAL SLAVE! PLAY THE GAME! NOW!

Written by Dillon Moore – Copyrighted © www.weirdworm.com


Loading...
Loading...

Comments

  • Desanto

    I think your list makes no sense. Obviously you missed the point of many of these slogans. Certainly some of them are not particularly clever, but some are subtle and vey subliminal.

    1 I think that the point that GEICO is trying to make is that the cavemen were not exactly the brigthest bulbs on the tree, and trailed modern man significantly in brain power, reasoning etc. By using the caveman analogy, the insurance company is trying to show how simple and fast it is to get a quote and an explanation that is easy to understand even for a caveman.

    2 Of course most people know there is only one October per year. This slogan is aimed at stimulating interest in the World Series,which typically, gets a lot of hype and makes a ton of money for the leagues, sponsors and media. Not so hard to get what it means.

    3. The sales of pork have declined significantly over the last several years. People’s perception is that it is not good for you, high in fat etc. By comparing it to white meat which is the most popular part of a chicken/turkey the ad is trying to get people to associate it with something perceived to be more healthful,(which ironically it is not). For the pork people this is a good analogy and seems to be working since the “other white meat” sales have been rising.

    4.Nike is a manufacturer of sporting equipment. The term “let’s do it ” is associated with what a team says before it enters a game. Not at all unusual . Perfect for making the connection.

    5.This has a story behind it. There are many colas both the private label supermarket kind, as well as arch rival Pepsi. Unfortunately, the name “Coke” has become almost generic and some places actually sell or dispense other colas,(including Pepsi), as coke, (which, by the way, is illegal). What this slogan accomplishes is that it ties the name Coke to the actual product made by the company, in other words the “real thing”. Honestly, I do not believe that anyone does not know that Coke like other carbonated beverages is full of a lot of artifical junk.

    6.Obviously the phone company is trying to get people to feel a positive connection and a sort of intimacy for what at some times can be perceived as too impersonal. The reaching out is an appeal to intimacy and closeness.

    7.I hate video games and consider them mindless and a waste of time, so you have no protest from me on this one.

    8.Obviously the “code red” implies importance and is suppose to make you pay attention. The term is commonly used by police patroling the streets, hence the analogy with the streets.

    9.I suppose that this means that one should separate the real from play. To just enjoy the fantasy while staying intouch with reality. However, as far as I am concerned this is just more drivel for some mindless virtual reality garbage.

    So basically I agree with you, (sort of), on two of the nine, but think you missed the point on the others.

    • Strangerhascandy

      While I agree that some of these slogans use subtle humor, I can pretty much assure you that none of them have hidden messages in them, whether they’re clever or not. They are therefore NOT “subliminal.”

      I think you hit the nail on the head as far as Geico’s slogan, as well as Coke’s (“Coke” has become synonymous with all colas, just as Kleenex has with all facial tissues, and Oreo with all sandwich cookies), as well as Major League Baseball’s.

      However, there are other explanations with which I cannot agree with you at all. First of all, Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It,” not “Let’s Do It.” And it refers to getting off your a** and doing the things you keep meaning to get to, like exercising/getting in shape. Your explanation of Nike’s slogan makes no sense because you didn’t use THEIR slogan.

      Moving on to pork. Pork consists of more than just bacon. There ARE lean, HEALTHY cuts of pork. So there is in fact no irony in the slogan “The Other White Meat.” I would also argue with the author on pork being red meat. I would think those involved in the pork industry would know a little bit more about their product than the author. Just because raw pork is pink/red does not mean it is a red meat. It would be wholly unethical for the pork industry to misrepresent its product as a white meat, and I’m sure there would be lawsuits abound in this litigious society were pork truly a red meat. But that’s on the author of the list, not on you.

      As for AT & T, people can be touched emotionally. And you can (obviously) reach out to somebody to offer support, or make a connection, without having to be in physical proximity. So AT & T’s slogan makes perfect sense. Use their service to call someone out of the blue, and that person will be TOUCHED by your REACHING OUT to him/her and letting him/her know that he/she was in your thoughts. Your interpretation of that slogan was close to the mark, but far too complicated than necessary.

      As for “Code Red,” that is the name of the beverage and just happens to appear in the slogan. I don’t know in what region of the world you live, but I have never heard any police agency use the term “Code Red.” However, even if they do, that has no association with “the streets.” This slogan is aimed at young adults and teenagers whom are often spending time in/on the streets, playing basketball, skateboarding, etc.

      Your personal feelings on video games aside (I myself do not play them, by the way, so this is not in defense of them as recreational products), EA Sports’ “It’s in the Game” is a simple self-explanatory slogan. The author’s comments on the slogan made too little sense to be cause for argument. IT (the excitement, via the simulation of real-world, first person sports) is in THEIR game. THEIR product. Very simple. Just as simple as “Live in Your World. Play in Ours.”

      Just wanted to clear up some of your interpretations for others who read the Comments sections of these lists.

  • http://leisney.com/ Leisney

    I think your list makes sense. though some make no sense

  • Dmoore103

    Hey, thanks for the feedback guys. This is my first ever published article, and as such is far from perfect.

    I agree some of my logic was a bit off, and I was really stretching it on a few of them.

    On a few though, like mountian dew code red’s slogan, I didn’t really research it. I just took my initial reaction and wrote from that. And I kinda think if you need to research a slogan to understand it, it’s not really a very good slogan.

    Again,
    Thanks.

  • Thenotoriousmg

    It’s a cool article….especially for your first one. I’ve written a bunch here and it’s not easy coming up with  new/original stuff either.

    The jokes made me laugh as well so that’s a plus and it means you have a good sense of humor.

  • Courier11sec

    This is probably the stupidest list I have seen. 
    Explaining to the world that you don’t “get it” does not amount to keen observations on poor slogans.
    I do agree that the Mountain Dew one sucks, but I suppose when blindly throwing stones, you’ll eventually hit something.

    • http://www.facebook.com/xpydder Chris Miller

      I agree Courier11. The author says the slogans are dumb because he does not understand them and is too lazy to put any energy into thought. But each and everyone one of these make total and immediately obvious sense to me and I understand them perfectly – even the Mountain Dew one, which is very obscure because it is targeting such a specific demographic. Just because you are shallow and don’t understand something does not make it stupid. If you stop and think about it then it makes sense. Coke is the real thing because the others are just imitations of the original. So easy a cave man can do it is referring to everything from understanding the value to signing up/ enrollment. Pork is the other white meat because chicken has grabbed the spot light of the healthy white meat – so pork is just as healthy. JC do I need to explain all of these??? Come on bro. Just stop and think. You are obviously too smart to simply go around insulting everything that requires thought just out of your laziness.

  • Caleb

    Haha these comments are stupid this article was hilarious! Even if the slogans technically make sense you made them seem rediculous. Nice job!

Become our reader - RSS

Advertising

WeirdWorm on Facebook

Advertising / Cool At Other Blogs

Audio Podcast / Listen and download!

Best on WEB / Advertising