Okay, I’m going to show my age with this
blog. I’ll venture a guess, though, that I’m far
from the only one that instantly recognizes some of the early expressions
connected to many of the world’s best known brands. I’m talking about the promotional power of
brand stories, slogans, and songs. Many
will remember the popular jingle, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,” from
1971. Likewise, you probably have the
Timex watch slogan, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking,” well entrenched
in your memory bank. Or, how about M
& M’s “Melts in your mouth – not in your hands” tagline? Believe it or not, both the Timex and M & M’s ads originated
in the 1950’s. Feeling old yet?
Moving a bit farther back in history –
say three quarters of a century or so – you’ll come across the first mention of
“M’m M’m
Good” as the Campbell’s Soup slogan.
Stepping back even farther – Maxwell House Coffee’s “Good to the last
drop” goes back to 1926. There are
countless others and too many good ones to mention here. The main reason I’ve listed these more
‘modern’ maxims is to help introduce a few phrases from wagon manufacturers
that were also well known in their day.
Each of these was designed to do at least two things – First, draw a
line of separation between a specific brand and its competitors and… Second, be
so memorable and trusted that the first purpose of separation is continually
reinforced.
With that as this week’s backdrop, let’s
see how well you can match up a campaign slogan with a particular brand. Take a look at the mottos below. Can you name the wagon company(s) most often
associated with each?
- The Monarch of the Road
- King of All
- Good Timber & Bone Dry
- The Pride of St. Louis
- The Wagon of Quality
- Light Running & Durable
- We Tower Above All
- Best Material. Best Made. Best Finished on Earth.
- No Wagon is as Good
- The Farmer’s Favorite
- A-Very Good Wagon
- The Wooden Shoe Line
- The Old Reliable
- The Only Original and Genuine
- Wait for the Wagon (song)
While some of these phrases were
occasionally used by more than one brand, most of the expressions became
commonly associated with a single firm.
Each is a solid example of how even the earliest wagon makers made use
of advertising methods still considered to be essential marketing tools today. It’s one more reminder of the competitive
sophistication employed every day within America’s first transportation
industry. We’ll re-visit these points
next week, sharing the companies typically associated with the individual
phrases.
Coming up in the next few weeks, we have
plans to share even more details on a number of subjects including specialized
vehicles used within the logging industry, an earlier look at the legendary 20
Mule Team, snapshots of wagon company survivors today, and another incredible
discovery tied to the 1876 Centennial Exposition (1st World’s Fair) in
Philadelphia. Stay tuned. The Wheels That Won The West® Archives continue
to grow, shedding new light on America’s wood-wheeled beginnings.
