Slogans that stand the test of time

In 1988 Nike told us to ‘Just Do It’. Thirty years on, that ad campaign remains one of the most successful of all time. From KitKat’s ‘Have a break’ to L’Oreal’s ‘Because you’re worth it’, Suzanne Harrington examines the power of a slogan.

What is it with the enduring power of slogans? Why do some stick, and others sink? This year, we’ll have been Just Doing It for 30 years. Nike first suggested we just do it in 1988, their enduring slogan based on the last words of American killer Gary Gilmore. “Let’s do this,” Gilmore said as he faced a firing squad 11 years earlier in 1977.