Viola Dana - Beautiful Photoplay Star, 1925. Read all about her in The Maybelline Story and the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It. Order now on Amazon.Today when you think of Maybelline, you think of Maybelline New York's catchy slogan, "Maybe She's Born With It? Maybe It's Maybelline?" But over the last 95 years there have been many other wonderful slogans, with beautiful stars from stage and screen. Here are a few: In 1917, The slogan "Maybelline, Darkens and Beautifies Eyelashes and Brows Instantly," splashed onto the pages of movie magazines for the first time with lovely Mildred Davis as Maybelline's fetching face of the decade. During the 1920's, the slogan, "Eyes That Charm" seduced women to mail order Maybelline, after being captivated by vampish silent screen star Viola Dana.In the 1930’s Maybelline ads went from black and white to beautifully colored art deco illustrations of glamorous women, inspired by actress Natalie Moorhead. They read: "It's Easy now to have Bewitching Eyes!" "Alluring eyes may be instantly yours by the magic of Maybelline."Only genuine Maybelline can give you truly alluring eyes." "Your eyes should be your most alluring feature." Another ad in the 30’s read "Old as ancient Egypt New as modern Paris," and had an illustration of Cleopatra on one half of the page and a modern 1930’s beauty on the other.
By the 1940’s Maybelline’s slogan became "Isn't She, or Isn't She," with before and after photography and the most famous slogan for several decades, "Quality Yet Sensibly Priced."These ads featured full page colored, glossy photographs of Pin up girls like Betty Grable, Rita Haworth, Hedy Lamaar and Elyse Knox, bombshells of the WW11 era.
By the 1950’s, TV slogans became more international and reached a new type of woman, the independent modern woman. The catch word became "Exotic," and the new slogan became "Achieve the new Exotic eye make up with Maybelline." Tom Lyle was the first to do "before and after" ads using the slogans:
"What a difference Maybelline makes." "Be Fashion-wise accent your eyes with Maybelline." -Maybelline was now about fashion, being smart and accenting your beautiful eyes. "Preferred By Smart Women The World Over"
In 1964, Emery Shaver, the genius wordsmith who fashioned every Maybelline slogan from 1915 to 1964, died from a massive heart attack. His last slogan for Tom Lyle's prized, Ultra Lash launched that year was, "Maybelline the most prized eye cosmetics in the world". And never forget his famous, "A woman's most prized possession is a man's imagination."
"What's in a slogan?" was and still is today, SEX APPEAL!
