In the 1970s, a time before DVRs, Netflix, or even VCRs, we actually watched commercials. In truth, we had no choice—but the thing is, commercials during that era were also pretty entertaining. They featured jingles and catchphrases that weren't just earworms, they became permanent fixtures in our collective subconscious. Even today, almost 50 years later, we can still hum along or recite every word from our favorite 1970s commercials like it was yesterday.
Though it's hard to whittle it down, these are some of the most memorable taglines from '70s commercials that will instantly transport you back to your favorite decade.
Debuting in a 1971 commercial, "You deserve a break today" was McDonald's first real tagline. And there's a reason why Ad Age rated it as one of the best and most effective advertising jingles of the 20th century. Even if you didn't care for their food, McDonald's tapped into our national exhaustion, our feeling that we were being overworked and overextended. Sure, it was just a commercial, but finally somebody was saying out loud what we are all thinking. Yes, we most certainly did deserve a break.
Anyone who's ever been a finicky eater, or been a parent to one, can relate to this iconic 1972 Life cereal commercial. Child actor John Gilchrist played young Mikey, legendary to his brothers for his unwillingness to eat just about everything. But then, suddenly and inexplicably, Mikey devours the bowl of Life cereal that his family members were convinced he wouldn't touch. There's more real drama in these 30 seconds than in most Hollywood movies. Mikey didn't utter a word, but his face said it all.
Beginning in 1973, Karl Malden—best known at the time for the hit cop show The Streets of San Francisco—took on the role of American Express spokesperson, a gig he held until 1994, according to Ad Age. Even if you were too young to have any idea what a traveler's check was in the 1970s, when Malden glowered at the camera and delivered these words of warning, you felt like a sitting duck for even considering leaving your home without cash in check form.
If you want to blow the mind of a kid today, just tell them that one of the most memorable commercial jingles from the '70s was about a Band-Aid. It sounds like a joke, but Johnson & Johnson managed to do what should have been impossible—get kids excited about their skinned knees.
Want to have your mind blown even more? The jingle was written by Barry Manilow and the commercial starred a very young John Travolta. Good luck getting your Band-Aid to heal that exploded brain!
For many of us who watched too much TV during the '70s, the epitome of the hippy-dippy peace-and-love movement was personified by this 1971 Coca-Cola commercial, when a bunch of people gathered on a hill and sang "in perfect harmony" about buying sugar water for each other. It still gives us chills when we imagine all those solemn faces singing, "It's the real thing" while harmonizing about keeping their Coke company.
In the classic 1970 Tootsie Pop commercial that's like the candy version of Joseph Campbell's Hero's journey, a young boy sets out to find an answer to a vexing riddle: What kind of licking time commitment will it take to finish his Tootsie Roll-filled lollipop? He finally finds an answer from a scholarly but impatient owl, who settles on three licks before biting down.
There have been numerous academic studies attempting to find a real answer, everyone from high school students to researchers at the University of Michigan, and their results have varied from 144 to 411 licks. Truly, the world may never know.
In this 1978 Calgon commercial, a woman is on the verge of an emotional and physical breakdown, thanks to daily burdens like traffic, dogs, and crying babies, but then she shouts out, "Calgon, take me away!" Instantly, she's in a bubble bath and experiencing pure relaxation. Though the actual tagline was, "Lose yourself in luxury," it was "Calgon, take me away" that became a rallying cry not just for people who wanted more baths, but for anyone in need of some peace and quiet.
Alka-Seltzer had our number with this exquisitely funny 1972 ad. It featured a man named Ralph (played by Milt Moss) siting at the edge of his bed, unable to sleep, his face full of despair and regret, as he repeats the tagline over and over. What was that mysterious "thing" he can't believe he actually consumed in its entirety? It doesn't matter, because we've all been there, stuffing our faces long past the point when our brains tell us to stop. Misery loves company, so this tagline became a mantra for overeaters everywhere. Thank goodness we had Alka-Seltzer to help us "feel better fast."
Believe it or not, everybody in the world wasn't addicted to their phones during the '70s. In fact, Bell System actually needed to come up with a catchy commercial tagline to convince us to use our phones more often. They did a pretty good job with this 1979 take, which reminded us how easy it was to reconnect with an old friend or family member living far, far away. (Although a call from a circus clown maybe wasn't the best argument for long distance phone service, especially for those of us with serious clown anxiety.)
Men stealing grooming products from their wives or girlfriends was apparently a big problem in the '70s. But this Secret commercial reminded the world that this particular antiperspirant may have been powerful enough to handle manly man-sweat, but it was "pH balanced for a woman." The science behind it sounded iffy, sure, but that didn't stop this tagline from becoming one of the most oft-repeated lines of the decade.
Why was Dr. Pepper's "Be a Pepper" 1977 ad campaign so brilliant? Well, it did more than create one of the most catchy sing-along songs of the '70s—it also made buying their product seem like a lifestyle choice. In the '70s, everybody wanted to "be a pepper," even if we really weren't sure what that meant other than drinking carbonated beverages. People who identified as "a pepper" just seemed to be having more fun and were generally more enthusiastic and happy about life. Who wouldn't want that?
It was hard not to feel bad for poor Mr. Whipple (played by Dick Wilson). He was just trying to run a small town grocery store without customers constantly coming in and trying to squeeze his toilet tissue without purchasing it. Which is a problem that, uh… is something we're still not sure actually existed. But the pure ridiculousness of it is part of why we loved this 1970 Charmin commercial and its tagline oh so much.
The "I can has cheezburger" cat has nothing on these '70s-era felines, whose meow-filled song endorsement for Meow Mix was weirdly entertaining. The "meow-meow-meow-meow" melody still pops into our heads sometimes when we're feeding our pets, putting a big silly grin on our faces. Still craving more nostalgia? We've got you covered with these 100 Photos That Kids Born After 2000 Will Never Understand.
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