TAGLINE CREATION

A tagline is a phrase that accompanies your brand name to quickly translate your business's positioning and brand identity into a single line (a tagline) that means something to consumers. A tagline is meant to provide consumers with an indication of your brand and its market position in just a few memorable words.

A great tagline is a powerful tool that can help consumers, customers, suppliers, and other interested audiences link your company or product name to a brand promise and message.

After a brand name or company name, the tagline is often the second most noticeable element.

Taglines are an effective way to communicate the brand’s “unique value proposition” powerfully, succinctly and memorably. It is very difficult to create the perfect tagline, however, because of all of the objectives that it must accomplish:

• It communicates the brand’s “unique value proposition” in an economy of words
• It is believable for the brand
• Competitive brands are not saying and cannot say the same thing
• It is memorable – it must stick in people’s minds
• It can’t be trite
• It needs to do more than just refer to the product category
• It should not promise a “cost of entry” benefit for the category
• Ideally, it is entertaining or emotionally appealing
• Enhance the brand promise
• Inspire you to learn more about the brand or company
• Differentiate the brand or company from the competition
• Create an emotional bond

Great taglines have a number of common attributes. When writing a tagline, it is to be seen that it meets these criteria:

• It's memorable: One hears it, memorizes it quickly and repeats with ease.
• It's short: Great often have as few as ten syllables so that they’re quick to recite and easy to tuck in alongside logos.
• It conveys a brand’s point of difference. The tagline tells what sets your brand apart from others.
• It clarifies a brand’s market position and key benefits. Especially if the brand name doesn’t quickly communicate the brand’s offerings and distinctions.
• It differentiates a business from all others. In fact, a great tagline is so unique that it doesn’t work when linked to a competitor’s brand name.
• It reflects the brand’s identity, character, promise, and personality. It also needs to be believable and original.

A great tagline manages to excel on most or all of these fronts while also avoiding a couple of major tagline mistakes:

• It invokes positive feelings without running the risk of triggering sarcastic retorts.
• It appeals to consumers. In other words, the tagline needs to work as a consumer magnet.
• It adds to the meaning of the brand name without repeating any of the same words or concepts.

Common Tagline mistakes:

• Claiming something that is overused or trite.
• We are the [quality/service/innovation] leader.
• Excellence in all that we do.
• You can count on us.
• We care about people.
• Saying something that sounds good (is “catchy”) but that does not differentiate the brand in a meaningful way.
• Communicating what product category the brand is in...period.
• Claiming a benefit that all brands in the category must deliver (a “cost of entry” benefit).
• Saying something that many or all brands in your brand’s category could also say.
• Saying something that is so broad that it is meaningless.
• Saying something that is too complicated or confusing.
• Using too many words.

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The above post is in reply to one of my friend's queries on creation of taglines and shall be continued in the next post