Brand Mantras: Say
What Everyone’s Thinking
Remember the “Got Milk?” ads of the 90s? The ads were so popular that by the end of
the decade, almost every famous celebrity had done a 1-page magazine insert
with the then-iconic white mustache.
Not everyone remembers the original commercial, either, but
the phrase “Got Milk?” became a stock phrase in American culture. So did “Hungry? Why Wait?” Snickers’ popular ad
campaign. With the country’s move away
from junk food and toward health food with no preservatives or additives, both
ads went out of their way to make a new statement—when you have a craving, you
have a craving.
Ads like these play into our work culture’s hunger for
taking a break. They provide a humorous
mantra for the huddled masses, nudging you in the arm like a good friend who
says, “You’re fine the way you are.”
Great advertising copy is about tuning in to who people
really are and what they really want.
Snickers’ Joe Pesci “Hungry, Why Wait?” commercial is funny because it’s
recognizable—two friends go out to a party, hoping to pick up some girls. One of the friends is on edge (Joe Pesci): “What are you looking at? Oh, we’re not good enough for you,” he accuses
a girl he’s just met. His friend takes
him aside: “Eat a Snickers…Cause you get
a little angry when you’re hungry.
Better?” Magically, Joe Pesci
turns into a normal guy in his mid-twenties, ready to act decently.
When done right, an iconic advertising phrase can bring
people together. They recognize
themselves, their friends, and their friends’ friends in the
advertisement. And years after they’ve
seen the commercial, they’ll remember that a Snickers or some milk is exactly
what they need to curb the hunger they’ve had all day. They don’t have to feel guilty about it,
either.