“Beat the Menace”: The Chase Star Darragh Ennis Tests Fans with “Impossible” Advertising Slogan Quiz
Known for running down hopeful contestants on ITV’s flagship quiz show The Chase, resident neuroscientist and professional Chaser Darragh “The Menace” Ennis took to social media to challenge trivia enthusiasts with a fiendishly difficult five-question quiz centered on iconic commercial slogans and advertising history.
Ennis—who famously earned his permanent seat as a Chaser in 2020 after an impressive run as an amateur contestant in 2017—routinely publishes themed brainteasers on TikTok. For this round, the quizzer warned followers that the questions would scale rapidly from nostalgic jingles to obscure literary trivia.
The Challenge: 5 Advertising Brainteasers
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The Catchy Cereal Jingle: The famous jingle, “They’re tasty, tasty, very very tasty. They’re very tasty,” advertised what product?
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The German Automaker: Usually recited in its original foreign tongue, which automaker’s famous motto translates directly to “progress through technology”?
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The Literary Copywriter: Aero chocolate bars famously used the slogan “It’s irresistibubble” for their bubbly chocolate, but which Booker Prize-winning author originally penned the catchphrase?
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The American Staple: The ubiquitous phrase “Breakfast of champions” served as the long-running commercial slogan for which classic U.S. breakfast cereal?
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The Minimalist Campaign: Which iconic vehicle was marketed using the groundbreaking 1959 print campaign tagline “Think small”?
The Solutions Revealed
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1. Bran Flakes: Ennis joked during the answer reveal that he personally disputes the brand’s claim, noting he doesn’t consider them “very tasty” in the slightest.
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2. Audi: Widely recognized across international markets in its untranslated German phrasing, “Vorsprung durch Technik.”
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3. Salman Rushdie: Before achieving global literary acclaim with works like Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, Rushdie worked as a copywriter at major London advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather and Charles Barker, where he authored memorable taglines including Aero’s “irresistibubble” and the dairy campaign “Naughty but nice.”
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4. Wheaties: The iconic General Mills toasted whole-wheat flake cereal synonymous with athlete endorsements across its orange boxes since the 1930s.
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5. Volkswagen Beetle: Conceived by legendary agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), the 1959 print ad revolutionized automotive marketing by subverting traditional post-war American car advertising conventions.
The Reaction: “Things Went South Rapidly”
The quiz provoked a wave of self-deprecating reactions across TikTok, with many followers admitting that early confidence eroded as the clues deepened:
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Regional Blindspots: UK respondents frequently noted being tripped up by the American cereal clue (Wheaties), while others found the leap from chocolate confectionary to Booker Prize laureate Salman Rushdie completely unexpected.
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The Final Score: While select trivia buffs claimed scores of 4/5, common sentiments reflected one fan’s verdict: “Got the first two, then things went south rapidly!”
