Wassup when ads infiltrate language

By Hermione Gray

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'WHASSUP !' is a word you'll have come across a lot lately. Yelled to friends by schoolchildren and old trendies alike, it's become a universal greeting.

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'Whassup !' is the latest advertising catchphrase (from the new Budweiser ad) but it has the added attraction of being a real greeting used by the real guys who appear in the campaign, rather than something dreamed up by a team of copywriters. That's probably why it works so well.

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Although 'Whassup !' has taken off in a big way, it's unclear whether it'll still be kicking around in ten years' time. The longest-lasting and best-known advertising slogans started life in the 1970s or earlier.

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At that time, adverts were seen by virtually everyone in the country, because ITV was the only commercial broadcaster. These days, adverts tend to rely more on visual images than verbal hooks, and slogans are used less and less. This is due to the sheer number of ads you're assaulted with. By the time you reach�35-year-olds you will have probably seen more than 150,000 commercials.

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So, what is the most memorable ad slogan to date When leading figures in the British advertising industry voted for the best ad of the century, their choice was Cadbury's instant potato 'Smash', with the classic slogan, 'For Mash get Smash'. The 1974 ad featured Martian robots rolling around the floor in hysterics at the idea that humans should waste their time peeling potatoes.

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Other contenders for the catchiest advertising catchphrase could include:

• 'A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play' - Mars bars
• 'A million housewives every day pick up a tin of beans and say Beanz Meanz Heinz' - Heinz Beans
• 'And all because the lady loves Milk Tray' - Milk Tray chocolates
• 'Anytime, anyplace, anywhere' - Martini
• 'Do the Shake'n'Vac and put the freshness back' - Shake'n'Vac
• 'Do you want a flake in that, luv ' - Boddingtons
• 'Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet' - Hamlet
• 'I liked it so much I bought the company' - Remington
• 'Refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach' - Heineken
• 'Vorsprung durch Technik' - Audi.

To share your most unforgettable advertising catchphrase, click here.

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