Iconic Ads: Timex – It Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking

Some advertising lines outlast brands themselves. Timex’s “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” is one such line — not just a slogan but a promise of resilience. It began in the 1950s with a daring gamble, and was carried forward by one of the most creative minds in advertising: Julian Koenig.

A Brave Idea in an Age of Delicacy

In the 1950s, watches were considered delicate luxury items — fragile, precise, and often expensive. Timex, operating under the United States Time Corporation, sought to break that mould. Along with its ad agency, Hirshon-Garfield, they conceived a bold experiment: instead of claiming durability, they would show it.

The concept was inspired by actual salesmen from Timex who demonstrated the watch’s toughness by subjecting it to rough handling and harsh conditions.

Thus were born the “torture tests.” Timex watches were strapped to paint mixers, jackhammers, and washing machines. One was dropped in an 87-foot dive; another was placed inside a cow’s stomach. In every trial, the watch kept working. The slogan that tied these stunts together — “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” — was simple, direct, and unforgettable.

Koenig’s Spark: Inspiration Behind the Line

Julian Koenig, working at Hirshon-Garfield, played a key creative role in this campaign. While specific archival records of his exact moment of inspiration are scarce, his reputation as a copywriter was built on distilling bold concepts into unforgettable phrases.

His approach often involved taking a physical truth — the fact that a Timex watch would survive abuse — and translating it into a metaphor that resonated broadly. In his hands, “taking a licking” became shorthand for surviving life’s blows; “keeps on ticking” affirmed ongoing resilience.

Koenig’s background and creative style supported this transformation. Known for no-nonsense clarity and bold yet truthful copy, he had already created campaigns like Volkswagen’s “Think Small” and “Lemon.” He believed in letting the product do the talking — or in this case, the ticking.

In interviews and retrospectives, peers and later writers credited Koenig’s ability to find the “single image or phrase that captures the essence” as a central factor in his success. The Timex slogan was no exception — a distilled promise of toughness.

Lending Credibility: Faces You Recognise

To make these dramatic tests believable, Timex brought in John Cameron Swayze, a trusted NBC news anchor, to narrate them on live TV. He would hold up the battered watch and confirm: “It still ticks.”

They also enlisted sports legends: Mickey Mantle, Ben Hogan, and Rocky Marciano. These men already embodied strength and endurance in the public mind — and their association gave the campaign instant emotional weight. One famous stunt strapped a Timex to Mantle’s bat. After the swing, the watch still ticked.

An Unlikely Market Takeover

The results validated the risk. By 1960, Timex had captured 25% of the U.S. watch market, a feat few had seen coming. The slogan transcended advertising — “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” entered everyday vocabulary as a metaphor for human perseverance.

Over time, Timex’s identity became inseparable from this image: affordable, dependable, tough.

Revival, Transformation, and Legacy

In 1988, Timex revived the campaign, this time with humour. Watches were dropped into tanks of piranhas or strapped to sumo wrestlers. The spectacle was exaggerated, but the message endured: the watch survives it all.

In the early 2000s, Timex retired the slogan in favour of “Timex. Life is ticking.” The new campaign aimed to connect emotionally with younger audiences, shifting its focus from durability to life narratives. Still, the original slogan lives on in marketing history, case studies, and the memories of generations.

Trivia and Milestones

• The Mantle-bat stunt is considered one of the earliest powerful uses of celebrity endorsement tied to live product testing.
• Many of Timex’s torture-test ads were broadcast live, heightening suspense and engagement.
• The slogan is widely taught in marketing programs as an example of a benefit-driven, concise message that built lasting brand equity.
• Julian Koenig’s broader legacy includes not just Timex, but also Volkswagen’s “Think Small” and “Lemon” campaigns, as well as his role in coining the phrase “Earth Day.”

Enduring Power

This campaign didn’t just sell watches — it sold confidence. Confidence that your gear, your decisions, and your choices could withstand stress and still work. In Koenig’s phrase, the watch didn’t just resist damage — it persisted.

Today, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking” still echoes in the language of durability and resilience — a reminder that a simple phrase, backed by real proof, can become timeless.