Slogans of the 1960s

Slogans of the 1960s ranged from the angry to the inspirational.

Found everywhere from pin badges to protest songs, the 1960s was full of slogans that are still memorable today. Some of them came from popular culture, some from advertising agencies and political campaigns. They reflect the tumultuous times of the 1960s, an era dominated by civil unrest, the Vietnam War, a counterculture movement and growing awareness of the power of consumerism and the media.

Advertising Slogans

Some of the more enduring advertising slogans in the 1960s referred to social upheaval by cultivating a tone of friendliness and charm. United Airlines invited its passengers to "fly the friendly skies" -- a tag line that would be associated with the airline until the mid-1990s. Coca Cola's 1960s tagline, "the real thing," was used in its famous "Hilltop" ad with a chorus of teenagers proclaiming they'd "like to buy the world a Coke." The slogan suggested that no other soft drink is like Coke.

Political Slogans

Political slogans were less touchy-feely. Against a backdrop of growing American involvement in Vietnam, 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater's campaign slogan told prospective voters, "In your heart, you know he's right." Not to be outdone, supporters of Goldwater's opponent Lyndon Johnson turned the ad around into a cynical commentary on Goldwater's relatively pro-war stance, suggesting instead, "In your guts, you know he's nuts." Johnson swept the 1964 election in a landslide victory.

Protest Slogans

Unhappy with the status quo, student movements linked with civil rights supporters, advocates of equal rights for women, and anti-war protesters as part of a massive current of social change. Many slogans were drawn from popular culture and music; "we shall overcome," which adorned countless buttons in the 1960s, originated from a gospel song and spoke to the belief of many who fought in the civil rights movement. "Give peace a chance," another common slogan, was the title of the 1969 John Lennon song. Other slogans were less inspirational; a common slogan of anti-war protesters, directed against President Lyndon Baines Johnson, asked, "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"

Counterculture Slogans

Less overtly political than slogans protesters used, the counterculture -- in addition to visual symbols like tie-dye shirts, the peace sign, and the yellow "smiley face" (created in 1963) -- made widespread use of slogans. Some of these tied directly back to other movements, like the phrase "make love, not war." Some were apolitical, such as the famous slogan associated with psychedelic theorist Timothy Leary, who, with media scholar Marshall McLuhan, suggested that people would be best served if they would just "turn on, tune in and drop out."

References

• Yale University: Student Protest in the 1960s
• The Coca-Cola Company: "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" -- The Hilltop Story
• "Beyond the Ivory Tower: Public Intellectuals, Academia and the Media"; Saleem H. Ali, et al.
• American Memory: The "Hilltop" Ad -- The Story of a Commercial