Fritinancy: Deep Thoughts, Contd.

It looks as though “Think” slogans are going to become a monthly feature here at Fritinancy. In March I wrote about the thought-filled campaigns of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bare Escentuals, Think Bank, and IBM; in April I looked at the Qatar Foundation and AT&T.

But the think tank hasn’t run dry.

“Think Indian,” for example, is the theme of an ad campaign launched in early 2009 by the American Indian College Fund. The slogan is supported by multiple definitions. Here’s one:

See other ads from the series at the Think Indian blog.

Tetley Tea has a new slogan, “Rethink Tetley Rethink Tea.” (An example of tea-rethinking: “Rethink Brunch! Always serve Tetley Tea!”) Via AdFreak, where the original post by Rebecca Cullers has mysteriously disappeared, although it’s been appropriated by other online publications. (Tsk!)

Think Gum actually makes a cognitive promise: It’s made with “brain-boosting herbal ingredients ... proven to enhance concentration & improve memory*.” The asterisk leads to this disclaimer: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.”

It’s only coincidental that the Think! Shoes site’s background music is the same song I featured a couple of weeks ago. But it’s probably no coincidence that Think! Shoes’ slogan— “Walk Different / Shop Different”—evokes Apple’s “Think Different.” (From the Think! brand-philosophy page: “Here in Sauwald, Upper Austria, we tend to think a little different.”) Great minds —and lesser ones, too — often do think alike.

Think! “Soso.” No, really: That’s the name of this sandal.

A couple of Visual Thesaurus commenters mentioned “think” slogans I’d overlooked. In Oh God, Book 2, wrote Don H., God gives a little girl an assignment to promote his presence in the world; she comes up with “Think God.” (Nice.) And Chris S. reminded me that Taco Bell has used “Think outside the bun” as its slogan for quite some time (since 2001, in fact).

By the way, Taco Bell shares a parent company, Yum! Brands Inc., with KFC, which until recently used the slogan “Unthink,” mentioned in a previous post and in my recent Visual Thesaurus column. As of this week, KFC has unthought “Unthink.” AdAge reports that the chain’s new slogan, “the result of the combined efforts of Ogilvy, Sydney; Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London; and DraftFCB, Chicago,” is “So Good.” Not only were three international ad agencies involved in this stunningly mediocre outcome; the wisdom of the crowd was also invoked:

The tagline emerged in focus groups, when lapsed customers tasted the product and said, “It's so good.” But in addition to tapping nostalgia, it also provides an umbrella that works for promoting grilled chicken, crispy fried strips or a value meal.

CONTEST: What will KFC's next slogan be, when they retire “So Good”?