2.
The best slogans of all time make us think, they
fuel our imaginations, they possess a "feel good"
factor, and they rarely mention the product or
business actually being promoted.
An outstanding slogan engages audiences and
inspires people to associate it with the brand that
uses it; although in some cases, the slogans can
be more popular than the brand itself.
In fact, many brands create taglines that are so
successful and unforgettable that they become
slogans on life in general!
2
3. Just do it...We try harder...The ultimate
driving machine...Be all that you can
be.
They're called taglines and they're one of
the best ways of defining any product,
service, company or organization and
distinguishing it from its competition.
A smart, memorable tagline will build a
positive brand image, and reinforce that
image for years.
3
4. A Tagline….
A tagline or a slogan is a phrase (for
example, “Just Do It™”) intended to get
“stuck” in prospects’ heads. The tagline
should be short and memorable.
4
5. 'A Diamond is Forever''
This deceptively-simple advertising slogan was launched
by The De Beers Diamond Company in 1938 and
headlines one of the most successful and longestrunning marketing campaigns of all time.
Those four little words—a diamond is forever—suggest a
sense of timeless romance and inevitably tie that
romance to DeBeers’s product (diamonds) with an
unforgettable impact.
The DeBeers Diamond Company remains one of the
largest diamond suppliers in the world, and this effective
tagline is still in use.
5
6. “Just Do It''
In 1988, a struggling sportswear company
called Nike introduced this memorable line into
its advertising and soon catapulted to the front of
the pack.
This quality slogan brims with attitude and
captures the defiant and determined mentality
that’s required of successful sports stars.
"Just Do It" is a bold statement that drives
consumers to action, inspires athletes to work
harder, and causes audiences to instantly
associate it with Nike’s apparel and accessories.
6
7. ''Where's the Beef?'‘
This marketing campaign, created for Wendy's
by Saatchi & Saatchi, captured the frustrations
of every fast food patron in the 1980s.
The catch phrase rapidly became a symbol for
everything that deficient in substance and
quality.
While the campaign ran for only a few years, the
wildly-popular slogan endured and took on a life
of its own.
7
8. 'Don't Leave Home Without It’
American Express launched this campaign,
created by Ogilvy & Mather, in 1975.
The slogan was intended to establish traveler’s
cheques and traveler’s check cards as essential
accompaniments to daily life.
Since its release, this catchy tagline has been
quoted, parodied, and repeated so often that it
has worked its way into the American life.
8
9. 'Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand’
Coined by ad man Rosser Reeves and
introduced by M&Ms in 1954, this enduring
slogan has real appeal to consumers of all ages.
It addresses a problem that every kid and every
parent is familiar with candy mess.
This slogan's simple truth is recognizable to
many generations of parents and children
worldwide.
Even though M&Ms has since changed product
taglines, audiences still easily recognize and
identify this one.
9
10. The Rules
The following are some rules for creating great taglines:
Don’t be “cute”. Cute often is seen as “cheesy”.
2. Do focus on the benefit to the customer.
3. Don’t repeat any of the words in your company’s name.
4. Do spend time with a thesaurus.
5. Don’t use more than 7 words (human short term
memory limit).
6. Do use short words.
7. Don’t use well-worn phrases.
8. Do use an emotion word to invoke the benefit (pain,
pleasure, safety, etc.)
9. Don’t think a tagline replaces good marketing strategy.
10. Do ask your existing best clients what they think of your
10
tagline.
1.
11. Keep the BRAND in mind
Your tagline should be short and memorable.
However, if you blindly follow that logic you'll be asking for
trouble. Because it's not how short you make it, it's how you
make it short. You don't want to compromise a great line
simply for brevity.
With a diamond ring on your finger...there is no way you
are just best friends - DeBeers
It should sum up your product’s themes and tone.
It should be a sticky phrase with some personality that ties
into your brand.
That's a lot to accomplish in just a few words.
The more specific the topics you write about in your ad the
easier it is to make a tagline.
As with any part of your brand identity, look to see if there is
something else that differentiates your product.
Something that could help you to stand out. That something
11
might make a good tagline and is worth exploring
12. Example
A tagline can also give a company personality.
One great example is Avis. When Avis (the # 2 car rental
behind Hertz) used the tagline, "We try harder", they not
only turned being #2 into a positive they also gave their
company a likeable, underdog personality.
It humanized Avis. And, to help support that company
personality, every ad Avis created evolved from that
simple, brilliant, three-word tag about better service.
Now, over fifty years later, Avis still uses "We try harder."
Another great example is "You're in good hands with
Allstate" in 1956. Being "in good hands" conveys a
caring, protective personality.
A more recent example is "Think different" for Apple
Computer. Created in 1998, the line gives Apple the
personality of being innovative and apart from the rest.
12
13. Example
The best way to get something to “stick” is to capture your potential
customer’s problem and pain and show the solution.
Don’t write a tagline from the perspective of how great you are
- no one really cares.
Let’s say we are looking to hire the best Realtor that we can find to
sell our house. We are looking for someone who: has a proven track
record, is a great listener, is a great negotiator, and can get us a
great deal.
We filter every Realtor that we meet. Which of the following Realtor
taglines would be most likely to appeal to you?
* Your Realtor With Heart
* Finding Your Dream Home
* Your Realtor For Life
* I Know Your Neighborhood
* The Hardest Working Realtor You’ll Ever Meet
* Selling Homes Is All I Do
13
14. How a Great Tagline Can Help
Your Business
An tagline should communicate the unique essence and
advantage of your brand – not a whole bunch of things you believe
you do well.
Make sure your slogan is congruent with who you are. If you tell
people one thing but turn out to be another, you instantly lose
credibility.
Your line should be clear, not necessarily clever. Crisp,
descriptive, on-target, and benefit-oriented.
Using or modifying an idiom can make your advertising slogan even
more memorable. "Straighten up and dry right" for a hair
straightening iron is "stickier" than "Gives you straight hair."
That's why, as much as you can try to break it down to a formula,
you can't.
A great tagline involves a perfect mix of right-brain creativity and
left-brain strategic thinking.
Both are critical because it won't matter how clever it is if it's the
wrong message, and it won't matter how strategically smart it is if it's
14
dull.
15. How a Great Tagline Can Help
Your Business
To the uninitiated, however, creating a good tagline can
seem relatively easy. After all, it's just a few simple
words, right? And, the truth is, anyone can come up with
some tagline-like phrase.
The question is; Would it be something that you'd want
to define your company for the next 20 years?
Remember, just as a smart, creative tagline will help
your business, a poor one will work against it.
15
16. How a Great Tagline Can Help
Your Business
One final note:
A great tagline isn't just for large businesses. In
fact, it's especially important for smaller,
unknown businesses.
Why? Because most have little to zero brand
awareness ... and you won't get prospects
excited if they aren't even sure what you do.
16
17. Some Taglines
Sentry Home Alarm Systems
Because some things in life you can't replace.
Janovic Home Furnishings
After all, there's no place like home.
Online investment tracking service
Real investors, real money, real-time.
Bausch & Lomb Predator Sunglasses
Stalk the Sun
Central Trust
The Bank with Human Interest
17
18. Hand-made cards, "home-made"
perfume and tea (luke warm) and
toast in bed (at 6
am!!)...PRICELESS!! (for everything
else there's mastercard!!!)
A mother
18