Five Memorable Commercials of the 1970s
Five Memorable Commercials of the 1970s
They had some of the best jingles, and in some cases, jingles that were so catchy, once they’d get in your head, you’d find yourself humming along.
Ed.—This post has been edited from the original.
The 70s had some pretty memorable television shows; some of them are still in syndication and clips can be found on YouTube. The same can be said about their theme songs. Some of the theme songs have gone on to crack the Billboard charts and even make it to the №1 spot.
Just as the television shows in the 70s had some iconic theme songs, the same held true for the commercials; there were some memorable commercials. They had irresistible jingles; you’d find yourself humming along.
Sometimes the commercials were more entertaining than the actual show you were watching.
Musicians have to pay the bills, too, and before rock stardom arrives, many have made a quick buck writing TV or radio commercial jingles.
The soft-rock superstar Barry Manilow, whose hits include “Could It Be Magic,” “Somewhere Down the Road,” “Mandy,” “I Write the Songs,” “Can’t Smile Without You,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa)” got his start writing dozens of commercial jingles. If you grew up watching television in the 70s and 80s then it’s likely you may have gotten some of them stuck in your head. Among his most memorable: Band-Aid’s “I am stuck on Band-Aid / ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me.”
He’s also responsible for one of the catchiest commercial jingles of all time: State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbor,” which he penned in the ’70s. Although the insurance company still uses the jingle in their commercials today, Manilow doesn’t receive any royalties for it. He sold off his rights as a songwriter to State Farm, who only paid him $500 for the jingle. “Like a good neighbor / State Farm is there.”
After a successful career of satirical, darkly funny songs like “Short People” and “I Love L.A.,” Academy Award-winning singer-songwriter Randy Newman is now a writer of songs and scores for movies. Before he found success as a singer-songwriter in the mid-70s, Newman found success penning commercials. He co-wrote “The Most Original Soft Drink Ever” and “Be a Pepper” (with Manilow & Jake Holmes) Dr Pepper’s “I’m a Pepper / He’s a Pepper / She’s a Pepper / Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?” jingle.
“I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke’’ had its origins on January 18, 1971, when the creative director on the Coca-Cola account for the McCann Erickson advertising agency, Bill Backer, was flying to London. He was to meet up with the music director on the Coca-Cola account, Billy Davis. They were meeting to write radio commercials with two successful British songwriters, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. The commercial was to be recorded by the popular British singing group, New Seekers.
“I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” was released in the US in July 1971 and immediately struck a responsive chord. The Coca-Cola Company received more than 100,000 letters about the commercial. Many listeners called radio stations begging to hear it.
Davis allowed a group of studio singers to record “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke.” Within two weeks of the release, the record was a Top 10 hit on the pop charts.
The commercial has consistently been voted one of the best of all time and the sheet music continues to sell today.
There’s the iconic Super Bowl XIV “Hey Kid, Catch” ad featuring “Mean” Joe Greene and a starstruck little boy. In my opinion, this is the best Super Bowl ad ever and one of the best ads in general. This ad is from the time I still watched NFL games and Super Bowls. The genius behind the “Hey Kid, Catch” ad is that it tells a compelling story in 60 seconds.
“Hey Kid, Catch,” created by McCann-Erickson — the same agency that wrote the iconic “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” ad back in 1971–contains a tightly constructed story arc written by Penny Hawkey.
Reportedly, the ad didn’t improve Coke sales, but the ad would create decades of visibility for the brand. Mean Joe Greene’s personal brand continued to rise in stock.
“You deserve a break today, at McDonalds.” In 1971, the Needham, Harper & Steers agency in Chicago had won the McDonald’s account. They had research confirming that consumers needed a break from the hustle and bustle of their lives.
So, if folks needed a getaway, how about likening McDonald’s to enticing island getaways where the people are friendly? A perfect metaphor! “Come to the McDonald’s Islands.” We wrote a hooky jingle with an island beat. McDonald’s loved it, and off we went to Hollywood to film it.
A call came from McDonald’s legal department while the filming was taking place. There was a chain of root-beer stands in the Midwest that was marketing its locations as “Islands of Pleasure.”
Stop the cameras! We have no campaign!
So now that desperation had set in, the agency went back to their research. They noticed the word “break” used to describe the getaway folks needed. Break! That’s it! Our jingle has seven naked notes, urgently in need of new words, which note gets the word break? And what are the words that surround it?
“Break away,” “Take a break,” “Take a break today” and, finally, “You deserve a break today. So get up and get away to McDonald’s!”
Sold!
They were off and running with a soon-to-be-famous campaign that was later named jingle of the century by Advertising Age.
Three-year-old Mikey, is a picky eater. He hates everything.
“Mikey likes it!” depicts three brothers seated at the breakfast table. They have a large bowl of Life Cereal sitting in front of them and are unsure of how it will taste. The cereal is supposed to be healthy. Neither brother wants to be the first to try it.
The two come up with an idea to make their younger brother, Mikey, try it first. “He won ‘t eat it, he hates everything,” replies one brother. To their surprise, Mikey eats the bowl of cereal.
For a family searching for healthy and delicious food for their children, this short commercial is absolutely effective. The Quaker Oats company uses persuasive marketing expertise to ensure that viewers know Life cereal is just as delicious as it is healthy.
There are way too many commercials to list because there were so many great commercials to list, so many that I may be persuaded to do a two-or-three part instalment series.
There were many honorable mentions, such as Alka-Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate The Whole Thing…,” “Jack Somack-Spicy Meatball,” and the Alka-Seltzer ads featuring Sammy Davis Jr.; the “My Bologna Has A First Name” by Oscar Mayer; and the McDonald’s ad “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions — on a sesame seed bun.”
It seems that McDonald’s and Coca Cola are always in the top ten of best ads listicles. They have a long history, brand loyalty, they hire the best advertisers, and have a nearly endless supply of money.
I bet you didn’t know I’m a writer on Medium.com. I usually post weekly and on an occasion twice a week. The content I post on Medium.com is a little different but still just as refreshing & entertaining. Give it a try and tell me what you think.
Thanks!
My Top Three Saturday Morning Cartoons I Bet You Forgot About