In the "Classic Neverisms" chapter of my Neverisms book (beginning on page 82), I tell the story behind the saying Never let 'em see you sweat. The admonition to keep cool during challenging times first appeared in 1985 as the tagline of an advertising campaign for Gillette's Dry Idea deodorant. The slogan was the brainchild of Phil Slott, the executive vice president of BBDO, the agency behind the campaign. Slott was a major player in the ad world at the time, the creator of such slogans as TWA's "Up, Up, and Away" and the U.S. Navy's "It's Not Just a Job, It's an Adventure." When he began working on the campaign, Slott aimed for a theme that embodied his philosophy of advertising, which he expressed this way: "Saying what you won't get is more compelling than saying what you will get."
When the Dry Idea commercials began airing in 1985, they featured four American celebrities: fashion designer Donna Karan, model/actress Lauren Hutton, comedian Elayne Boosler, and Dan Reeves, the head coach of the Denver Broncos. In each commercial, the format was the same.
In a chapter on "Never Trust" neverisms, I tell the story behind the first appearance of the saying "Never trust a computer you can't lift." It occurred during the January 1984 launch of Apple's new Macintosh computer. It was one of the most entertaining—and successful—product launches in manufacturing history.