Sara Lee, I Thought I Knew You
This morning I pulled up behind a Sara Lee delivery truck at a stop light and found myself reading their slogan, scrawled in giant letters across the back door. “Nobody does it like Sara Lee…”
Right? WRONG.
After years and years of hearing, but never seeing, their slogan, I was astonished to find that I’d been hearing it wrong all along. Their slogan is actually, “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee…”
I was stunned. It was like everything I had believed about the baked goods industry was suddenly revealed to be a lie. But as I digested the revelation, my shock slowly gave way to a growing feeling of annoyance. “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee”? What kind of sorry slogan is that?!
Now, I haven’t been to marketing school, but wouldn’t it be better to have a slogan that states something positive about your product, instead of a slogan that states a cancelled negative? I mean, how about just saying, “Everyone likes Sara Lee”? What would be wrong with that?
Deep breath. I probably shouldn’t complain too much. Knowing from personal experience how the creative process goes in corporate culture, this slogan probably won out over other worse options by a very narrow margin. We could very easily have been saddled with something like, “Nobody doesn’t dislike the thought of never liking Sara Lee.”
What about you? Am I the only one who thought nobody could do it like Sara Lee?
10 Comments So Far
2. Jason wrote:
Wow. I guess I had it wrong too. I wonder if the majority of people also had it wrong??? Maybe they get the best of both worlds this way. Maybe it was intentional - we hear what we want to hear. You know - like they muffle the voice just enough that it can be taken both ways?! Hmmm… I, like you, am now disillusioned. Thanks for that.
3. Clint wrote:
Muffling the voice? LOL. Now if they can just figure out some way to do that in print… Sorry about passing on my disillusionment.
4. Lisa Weber wrote:
*trying VERY hard not to guffaw in the open lab on campus* (they get MAD when I do that!!)
OH MY GOD. I always thought it was “nobody does it like Sara Lee”, too. Wow….ROFLING over here… I feel exactly as you do, though I’m laughing pretty hard at the whole post because it was worded humorously.
I’m just picturing you sitting there, reading it, your jaw going slack in surprise and disbelief as the Sara Lee LIE is exposed. A high-pitched yelping of “what!?” as you re-read the slogan…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
5. prnsis_anita wrote:
Well Gene’s slogan is “Nobody does it like Anita” Okay get your minds out of the gutter, he is talking about my baking. Because once you are as old as we are you know all the slogans by heart.
6. Clint wrote:
Wow. So in our unoffical poll no one yet has actually known the real slogan. Go Sara. You have deceived the nations.
7. Shannon wrote:
I, in fact, had the exact experience you had, about 5 years ago. I’ll bet Sara knows about the confusion but figures 2 slogans are better than 1.
10. jen wrote:
for real! i have been arguing with folks where i work about this for quite some time! what the hell kind of a slogan is this? i could have SWORE that it was “nobody does it like sara lee!” thanks for the validation! i knew i wasn’t alone.
1. Maria wrote:
Clint you are such a GOOBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And a slight confession here….I thought that nobody could do it like Sara Lee too, but you are still a GOOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maria