The 100 Most Influential Taglines

Not a lot of technology companies in that list. IBM "Solutions for a small planet" is one I don't even remember a little bit--and I've been serious about computing since the mid-80's. So I think I have to disagree with them. Apple's "Think Different" is pretty darned good, and "Intel Inside" was definitely a winner...and the right thing for them at a time when they were facing stiff competition from AMD, with very little to differentiate them (the CPUs were pin-compatible at the time, so one could drop an AMD CPU into any system and manufacturers could switch on a whim).

I'm having a hard time thinking of good tech taglines...Microsoft's "Where do you want to go today?" always seemed like a parody (with the obvious answer being, "Somewhere far away from this infernal blue-screened machine"), but that's not the fault of the marketer who came up with the tagline.

Anybody have any favorites among recent companies, particularly software companies?

I cannot think of any company that has motivated me more with their advertising than Nike. I don't know how much it influenced by purchasing but "Just Do It" is still part of my day-to-day life.

Subway's current run of "5 dollar footlong" commercials is likely to become a classic too. Incredibly simple message + annoying but unforgettable jingle + hand gestures + vivid imagery (woman vs. Godzilla). It makes you think that buying a sandwich for $5.00 is a good deal.

The difference is the Subway thing will not last too much longer but "Just Do It" and that swoosh have been embedded in my generation's heads permanently. Nike could bring back "Just Do It" at any time and it would never get old.

Of course, "Just Do It" is just a pale shadow of the most powerful one ever: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Kitchener_Wants_You

only one thing in the list is from this decade (Las Vegas, 2002).

i'm guessing this isn't so much a matter of "lack of memorable advertising of late" as it is a matter of time. it probably takes a decade to cement a good tagline. in fact, i bet time matters a dozen times more than any other variables (aside from the company continuing to operate and advertise).

because of that, I find that the only impressive thing on that list IS Las Vegas.

An old joke. (Almost) every one of these could be used to advertise condoms. (Go over the list, if you don't believe me.)