Taglines Are It!
Use Them to Make Your Message Memorable
By Elizabeth J. Goodgold |
Taglines are the invisible communication today. They’re rarely
discussed, barely analyzed, and sparingly researched. Yet, a good
tagline can provide the essential underpinning upon which to build
all your marketing messages.
What is a Tagline?
A tagline is the name for the words that are used with the business
name or brand. It should be such a natural outgrowth of the company’s
positioning that the two are inextricably linked. It can differentiate
you from your competitors, express your personality, and add consistency
to your marketing campaign.
Most importantly, it becomes the common thread woven throughout all
of your communication. It also provides the acid test: if your brochure,
advertising campaign, or sales letter conflict with the tag line,
it’s obviously time to rethink your creative message.
Owning Your Tagline
In a carefully crafted tagline, the key point of difference is
either overtly stated or strongly implied. This strategy reinforces
your positioning and pre-empts your competitor from using the same
idea. Remember: the goal is to own a unique benefit in the customer’s
mind.
Any company in any industry could borrow People Soft’s "we
work in your world" whereas Lincoln’s "what a luxury
car should be" suggests that it has created the standard in the
narrowly defined luxury car market. Merely stating parental heritage
doesn’t help UUNET’s "a Worldcom Company", yet
it expresses personality when used with Virgin Vie’s "for
life and for living" new beauty line.
A good tagline should be so clear that even if your audience had never
heard of your company, they could determine what business you’re
in. Good examples include Timken: "leader in bearings and steel"
to PK Ware "the data compression experts."
Differentiating in a Crowded Market
When a market becomes overcrowded or a company name becomes confusingly
similar, it is a good time to introduce a tag line. This statement
is particularly applicable to the high-tech field in which the number
of new companies appearing with the name "cyber" "micro"
or "net" grows every day.
"We put the Net to work for you" provides critical information
about Netcom whereas Microway’s tagline merely makes it a "me
too" player with "technology you can count on."
Another opportunity to employ a tagline is when your company name
tells little about your business. Consulting firms have adopted this
approach with Anderson Consulting proclaiming "business performance
improvement" and Deloitte, Touche counter punching with "
TBD." Even Dell Computer’s "be direct" tag informs
its audience that it is a direct marketer.
Avoiding Acronyms
In the current alphabet soup maze with companies using initials
versus words, a tagline provides the first clue as to the company’s
business. AIG, for example provides a hint of what business it is
in by its tagline of"…." TPG on the other hand, provides
merely more acronyms with "the world behind TNT & PTT Post"
as does QNX with "the leading realtime OS for PC’s."
Taglines vs. Slogans
Although often confused, a tagline is not a slogan. Slogans change
with the advertising campaign whereas a tag line remains virtually
static for many years. Ford Motor Co. only recently changed its tagline
to "built Ford tough" after having used "have you driven
a Ford lately?" for over 15 years.
Yes, taglines can change, but they should be evolutionary not revolutionary
in nature. The United States Post Office has edged away from "we
deliver for you" to simply "we deliver." Ameritech
had nicely evolved its tagline from "your link to better communication"
to "your link to better technology." Unfortunately, they’ve
now lost all continuity and brand reinforcement provided by the "link"
word by recently unveiling "in a world of technology, people
make the difference."
Cliché Taglines
If you’re not careful in creating an ownable tagline, your
line may quickly degenerate into a cliché. In the banking world,
"bank on us" is applicable to any bank, but appropriate
for none because it doesn’t communicate a sound benefit. On the
other hand, Citibank’s pre-merger "The Citi never sleeps"
line worked well because it communicated a 24 hr, accessible, reachable
institution.
The "we mean business" line is also overemployed. Examples
abound from American Airlines to the City of Seattle. Again, the message
is too generic to work well for any type of business.
Guidelines for a Good Tagline
Although there’s no secret formula in this highly subjective
area, there are a few guidelines to remember about taglines:
• Ensure that it is consistent with the company’s positioning;
• Communicate one simple idea;
• Opt for a few, short words;
• Always use the tagline with the company name on business cards,
brochures, and printed materials;
• Test to see if it is "ownable" and could not be usurped
by your competitor
• Avoid acronyms even if the term is widely known in your industry
• Communicate a clear, jargon-free message
Taglines as a Post Script
Since taglines are often at the end of a commercial or at the
bottom of an ad, they act as your PS: the last best hope to propel
your message. Employed properly, an audience will understand your
company and its unique point of difference.
Business 2 Business Marketer, July/August 1998. Reprinted
with permission.
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