Memorable Brand Slogans Trivia Quiz

Answer: Maxwell House

Maxwell House was created in 1892 by Joel Owsley Cheek and Roger Nolley Smith in Nashville, Tennessee. The name comes from the Maxwell House Hotel, where the first iteration of this coffee was served. Supposedly, the hotel's guests complained when the establishment started using their old coffee brand instead of the innovative Maxwell House beans. During the 20th century, Maxwell House grew to be a well-respected coffee brand in the U.S. The company started making instant coffee during World War II, a line of business that would later become their most profitable. Their slogan, "good to the last drop", was used for decades by the company, mostly in catchy jingles in their commercials. Some believed that President Roosevelt had uttered those words after drinking a cup of Maxwell House, though the quote was later attributed to General Foods Corporation executive Clifford Spiller.

Today's Maxwell House coffee is significantly lower in quality than the original. Its main competitor is Folgers, another popular brand of instant coffee. Maxwell House, which was absorbed by Kraft Heinz in 2012, began using only arabica beans in 2007 (making them slightly better than Folgers, which continued to use a blend of arabica and lower-quality robusta beans).

Answer: American Express

American Express is one of the most popular credit card companies around the world, especially with businessmen and relatively wealthy individuals. The company started in Buffalo, New York in 1850 offering mail services. The company's founders were Henry Wells, William Fargo, and John Warren Butterfield (if those names sound familiar, it's because the first two also founded what is now known as Wells Fargo bank). Since then, American Express has grown into a financial powerhouse that offers insurance, travel, and concierge services in addition to its credit cards. The card is especially helpful to frequent travelers who can earn more points through travel-related expenses and have access to premium lounges in several international airports.

The company's famous slogan began as "don't leave home without them" in reference to the traveler cheques that made the company even more popular in the 1970s. The ad campaign, created by David Ogilvy, was highly successful. Celebrities like Mel Blanc, Roger Daltrey, Tina Fey, and Martin Scorsese have appeared in ads for AmEx over the years. Another popular slogan is "don't live life without it", which is more frequently used in other languages (such as Spanish).

Answer: Busch

The beer company's history of success began in the 1860s when German businessman Eberhard Anheuser bought a brewery in Saint Louis, Missouri. His son-in-law, Adolphus Busch, took over many of Anheuser's functions once the latter passed away. Busch made several contributions to the development of the beer industry; for instance, using the pasteurization process to produce the alcoholic beverage. The company, which became known as Anheuser-Busch, grew exponentially into one of the largest beer manufacturers in the U.S. and the world. The company was acquired by the Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate InBev in 2008.

In the 1980s, Busch released an extremely popular marketing campaign with an ad that showed images of the outdoors and people drinking the beer while a jingle that said "head for the mountains of Busch" played. In 2020, the beer company launched a contest offering a $10,000 prize to whoever could record the best version of the jingle. A 2022 Super Bowl ad also revived the jingle with an appearance by saxophonist Kenny G.

Answer: Sargento

Sargento was founded in Plymouth, Wisconsin in 1953 by Leonard Gentine and Joseph Sartori (the brand name derives from their last names). The company was a pioneer in selling packaged cheese in shredded or sliced form. The brand has used a variety of different slogans over the years to try to sell its products. For instance, commercials in the late 1990s and early 2000s promoted their shredded cheeses with the phrases "just say cheese" and "good food, good mood". Other phrases have included "taste the real difference" and "our family's passion is cheese".

Some associate the name Sargento with "sergeant", perhaps because the word "sargento" means "sergeant" in Portuguese and Spanish. However, the brand's name comes from the creators' desire to make it sound Italian.

Answer: Detrol

Detrol is one of the most recognizable names for the medication tolterodine, which helps treat overactive bladders (when the bladder contracts too frequently, causing you to want to go to the bathroom more often). In the early 2000s, Detrol had a popular series of commercials with a very catchy jingle.

It started with "gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now" as it displayed people in uncomfortable situations (such as handling traffic or in the middle of a trial) while trying to contain their urges to go to the bathroom.

The ads would finish on a happy note since the patients were supposedly better after taking Detrol, hence the ending with "and I don't have to go right now".

Answer: Timex

Timex is an American watch manufacturer that began in 1854 as Waterbury Clock Company. Waterbury is in the state of Connecticut. According to Timex's website, Detroit car manufacturers were inspired by how Timex used assembly lines in making their watches. By 1901, the company was manufacturing inexpensive pocket watches that rapidly gained popularity in the U.S. In the 1950s-1960s, the company launched an aggressive marketing campaign promoting the durability of their products, using the slogan "it takes a licking and keeps on ticking" while subjecting their watches to various resistance tests.

Timex brought back the popular catchphrase in the 1900s when it started producing similar advertisements to those in decades prior. One of them featured two sumo wrestlers crashing against each other with Timex watches taped to their chests (presumably in an effort to show that the watches were unharmed after such an impact). In 2003, Timex decided to modify the slogan to "life is ticking" to better appeal to younger demographics.

Answer: Ford

The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 in Michigan by businessman and inventor Henry Ford. Ford developed an interest in machines and automobiles from a young age. He made several important contributions not only to the automotive industry, but also to the business world in general. For instance, he was a pioneer in using assembly lines to build cars more efficiently and in a cheaper way than using alternative methods of production. One of the most famous vehicles, the Model T, was one of the first to be manufactured through the assembly line. Since it was inexpensive and driver-friendly, the car became very popular.

Ford has used a variety of different marketing techniques throughout their history, as they've had to adapt to changing market conditions and demographics. In the late 1970s, the American company started advertising their cars (and specifically their Ford F-Series trucks), with the slogan "Built Ford Tough". Usually, the phrase is spoken by a man with a deep voice. Ford has also adapted the phrase to match state-specific publicity (for example: Built Texas Tough").

Answer: Lay's

The history of Lay's dates back to the 1930s, when Herman Lay started producing these salty snacks in the southern United States. According to a 2011 article in The New Yorker, Lay's was one of the first snack manufacturers to advertise its products in television commercials. Actor Bert Lahr served as the brand's celebrity spokesman. In the late 20th century, the company would go through two major mergers: first with the Frito company to become Frito-Lay, and then with Pepsi-Cola to form the giant PepsiCo, Inc. entity.

Lay's is famous for their "betcha can't eat just one!" catchphrase often uttered at the end of their TV commercials. It alludes to the fact that they are so irresistible that eating just one chip won't be enough. Lay's are marketed not just in the original salt flavor, but also in other varieties like Salt & Vinegar or Sour Cream & Onion. PepsiCo. uses the same logo but with different brand names in other countries (for instance, Sabritas in Mexico or Walkers in the United Kingdom).

Answer: Paris

L'Oreal Paris was founded by French chemist Eugene Schueller in 1909. Initially called "Oreale", the brand was primarily focused on hair dyes and other hair-related products. Throughout the years, the company has grown significantly and has expanded its offerings to shampoos, cosmetics, and fragrances. L'Oreal has also grown through a number of major acquisitions (such as The Body Shop and NYX Cosmetics).

The tagline "because you're worth it" (or alternatively, "because I'm worth it") was created by Ilon Specht, a young copywriter, in 1971. According to L'Oreal's website, the slogan sends an empowering message for women to believe in themselves and "believe in their beauty".

Answer: Dunkin'

Dunkin' Donuts is a Massachusetts-based donut and coffee shop company founded in 1950 by Bill Rosenberg. Dunkin' continued growing in the latter part of the 20th century and was sold to a group of wealthy private equity investors in 2005. The company is now known as one of the most popular donut and coffee shops in the United States. Their distinctive bright orange and fuchsia colors, as well as their slogan "America runs on Dunkin'", made the brand even more popular since the tagline was adopted in 2006.

The company changed its name from Dunkin' Donuts to just Dunkin' in 2018, partly to reflect the fact that its coffee beverages were performing better than the donuts. Though the chain has stores all around the country, it remains most popular in its home state of Massachusetts.