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How a Great Tagline can Help your Business"Just do it." "We try harder." "The Ultimate Driving Machine." "Be all that you can be." Taglines are one of the best ways of branding a product, service, company, or organization for years. Like these: Please don't squeeze the Charmin. A diamond is forever.
All the news that's fit to print. Another classic case is Avis. When Avis (the # 2 car rental behind Hertz) incorporated the tagline, "We try harder", they not only turned being #2 into a positive, they also gave their company a likeable, underdog personality. To support that company personality, every ad that Avis created evolved from that simple, brilliant, three-word tag about better service. Now, over fifty years later, Avis still uses it. Another example is, "You're in good hands with Allstate." Being "in good hands" conveys a caring, protective personality. Another example is "Think different" for Apple Computer. The line gives Apple the personality of being innovative and aSo, what else makes a good tagline? A general rule is: The shorter the better. However, if you blindly follow that logic you'll be asking for trouble. You don't want to compromise a great line for brevity. And shorter doesn't always mean more memorable. One of the most famous taglines of all time is 10 words: With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good. So, as much as you may try to break creativity down to a formula, you really can't. A great tagline involves the perfect mix of right-brain creativity and left-brain strategic thinking. Both are critical. After all, it doesn'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 dull. Like a name, a tagline is something you'll want to live with forever. So, if you decide on getting a tagline, be sure it's great. Because just as a tagline can help your business, a bad one can do the opposite. © 2005 John Follis. All rights reserved. For John's booklet: "How to Attract and Excite Your Prospects: A Guide for Getting the Best Marketing Results", visit: http://www.follisinc.com/booklet.htm John Follis is one of the 12 "Best Advertising Minds of New York" as voted by The New York Ad Club. His campaigns are in 3 college textbooks, he has written for ADWEEK, and he has taught at 3 New York universities. Currently, John works on select projects, consults, and speaks. John may be reached at: john@follisinc.com For consulting info, visit: Marketing Therapy: http://www.follisinc.com/therapy.htm For speaking info, visit: Follis Speaking: http://www.follisinc.com/speaking.htm
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The Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success com/utility/showArticle/?objectID=1452(2) Focus on Soft InnovationsIn today's competitive marketplace, the old equation of spending more on advertising to increase profits it not working as it once did. com cutting its ad spend and offering free shipping with the money saved. Branding: What Not to Do )Since she had left her last corporate job wielding the lofty title of Senior Copywriter, I guess she thought that would be a fairly direct way of advertising her capabilities. Understand Brand Why waste time handling interest from unqualified buyers and receiving none from ideal contacts?Who's Using Brand?It's not just industry giants with multi-million dollar ad budgets. A Successful Failure When the prospect called to say they had selected another agency to handle its PR program, I was told that my approach was too strategic and comprehensive. Needless to say, the firm selected another communications agency. The Art of Successful Branding You'll be in the middle of writing an ad, when suddenly your head is racing with potential buyer types. Every time you label an ad or website with your company logo; every time you take a political stance on behalf of your corporation, you're putting your brand into effect. Brand Boring or Brand Buzz? I heard an advertisement on the radio the other day that surprised me, not because they were saying anything noteworthy, but because it was so banal. It was a national company's ad. They pay an ad agency to write and produce their commercials. Branding Services - Brand Identity Guru It can be anything from helping you redesign your web site, develop ads, re-position your company or develop a direct mail campaign. This helps build brand identity, brand image and overall brand equity. Marketing and advertising alone will not catapult you over your competition. Brand Positioning - Brand Image Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services -- from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants -- are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz. Play Your Position! - The Only Way to Win in Business Smart business owners clearly define their position (or brand) in the market and remain committed to meeting the expectations of their customers. Kevin Kearns is a small business branding coach. Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru And ad agencies are more interested in placing ads in the media. Integrating brand-conscious thinking into communications is so critical, so synergistic, yet it's seldom done by design groups and advertising agencies. |
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