Beanz Meanz recognition
It seems that Heinz Beanz (as they’ve been officially know since a revamp of the label in 2004) are on a lot of people’s lips right now – or at least their advertising strap line is.
In a recent poll among readers of Creative Review, the long running – 45 years and counting – “Beanz Meanz Heinz” slogan has topped the charts. And not for the first time either; back in 2000 it was voted the Best Slogan of all time by a panel of advertising professionals.
Looking at the rest of the top twenty – only a handful of which aren’t advertising strap lines – it’s interesting to note that the most recent line on the list is 15 years old. It’s one of just three from the 90s, suggesting that a good line can not only stand the test of time, but become embedded in everyone’s memory.
Think about how many times you’ve heard someone describe something as a “Ronseal job” – their “Does Exactly What It Says On The Tin” was third on the list, incidentally – or you’ve seen an online comment expressing bewilderment include the phrase “confused.com”. That’s how easily a line or brand can sneak into the collective mind*. Irrespective of whether such phrases have you reaching for a baseball bat or smiling in recognition, you can’t deny the people behind them are probably pretty pleased to have had such an impact. And who can blame them?
The list also included Nike’s “Just Do It”, Tesco’s “Every Little Helps”, Coke’s “It’s The Real Thing” and L’Oreal’s “Because I’m Worth It”.
If you’d been given a vote would Heinz have bean (sorry, been) the toast of the town? Let us know below.
* A lesser blog would probably have included the word “Simples” here just to prove a point.
Jennifer Holloway
January 27, 2012 at 10:20 am //
I was wondering why ‘the old ones are still the best’ the other day when I spent half an hour on YouTube watching old adverts (it started with a curiosity about the lyrics for Um Bongo and then spiralled out of control to include Alphabites, Club biscuits, Shake & Vac and a finger of Fudge to name a few!!)
Is it because there were less channels back then and so the ads, and the viewing numbers, were more concentrated?