Famous slogans and taglines did not achieve greatness in a day. They stood the test of time because someone was thoughtful enough to put the right words together. Every business should have a tagline and a slogan. You will find out how the former can be used in the absence of the latter later in this guide.
Taglines can really go a long way in providing the much-needed boost for your brand image. They can make your brand image stick in the minds of your target audience when you use carefully arranged words in a line. It is more than just playing with catchy phrases.
Business owners should not take this aspect for granted when creating their brand style guides—especially at the initial stage of building their corporate identities. In this guide, you will also learn about slogans, and how they are different from taglines. Slogan and tagline examples will be given later.
What is a Tagline?
A tagline is used in the business world to provide clarity and emphasize on what a brand is all about. Taglines are used to create an impression in the minds of people through marketing campaigns. It helps your target audience remember your brand.
Just as there are businesses that do not have slogans, there are companies that do not have taglines. It is simply a matter of choice. You will realize just how much taglines are relevant to your branding process.
Taglines are relevant because they can be used as a compass to direct the company’s affairs in many areas such as marketing, production, public relations, etc. With a witty line, you can set your brand apart from others, especially your competitors.
A tagline may require you to take much time to think when drafting it. This is because you are trying to use very few words to convey a deep message. It is possible to pull off a two-worded tagline if you think hard enough. Consider the features of many catchy phrases used by other brands before you form yours.
Be careful not to use something similar to what other companies have. Check some lists of famous slogans and taglines to aid you in the writing process.
What is a Slogan?
A slogan can be described as a catchphrase that is used to identify a brand or its products. They are similar to mission statements but are shorter—just as taglines require fewer words than them. You can refer to them as mini-mission statements, or the audio representations of a brand’s image—just as logos are the visual representations.
A study published in the Journal of Business Research revealed that there are 3 things to consider in trying to know whether your target audience likes your slogan. Based on the answers obtained from 595 respondents with a focus on 150 popular slogans; the 3 factors are familiarity with the brand, creativity, and clarity.
From the study, it can be seen that is a very important aspect in the writing process. The message you are trying to convey also has to be as clear and straightforward as possible. In turn, you will see if your target audience will become familiar with your corporate identity or not.
If you are not able to achieve that target audience familiarity with your brand through your slogan, you should find out where the problem is and make adjustments. Maybe you can opt for funny slogans instead.
Hopefully, the explanations on slogans and taglines have not been confusing. Not to worry, the two concepts will be differentiated in the next subheading. Read on.
Slogan vs. Tagline
Now, we can compare and contrast the two concepts. People tend to mix them up, and that is understandable: Both are used to perform similar functions. However, there are differences in purpose to some extent. The similarity is that they are both used to identify a company or brand, as well as their offerings.
You can start differentiating these two concepts based on how they are used to project the brand’s image. A slogan briefly talks about the company’s mission and values. It talks about what customers should expect to be offered. As stated earlier, it can be lengthier than a tagline. It is not common to find funny slogans, unlike many taglines that are known to be funny or witty.
On the other hand, a tagline is a clever and short line. It projects your brand’s image in a catchy way. The mental image created is powerful enough to stick to the minds of your target audience better than the company slogan. When people see your adverts or products, the tagline is what will most likely pop up in their heads.
You will often see a tagline next to a company’s logo—be it above, below, or beside it. They are mostly used for brand awareness—considerably more than slogans. Slogans simply convey a brand’s values and mission as the company grows over time. In the long run, they can be promoted under an overshadowing tagline in order to achieve more prominence.
Business owners do not need to use both at once. They can decide to make use of a tagline, and not bother about having a slogan. The goal may be to make the tagline powerful enough to perform the function of both. In fact, they do not need to make the tagline do the work of both. It can be made to fulfill its purpose in such an effective way that the absence of the other will not be noticed.
The need for a slogan may come later—when you are pushing a campaign to promote new products and/or to reach a new target audience. Still, a combination of the two may be just what you need for a successful marketing campaign. It may be that great idea your business needs to enhance its corporate image and achieve rapid success.
What Makes a Great Slogan?
Studies have shown that a slogan does not have to be short for your target audience to find them catchy. According to the earlier mentioned study by the Journal of Business Research, your slogan may not become likable even if you engage in aggressive advertising or compose a jingle for it. So, what do you do? Check out the tips below:
- Focus on the benefits of your product
- Ensure that the tagline is suitable for the product being advertised
- It should be interesting enough to memorize
- Brevity is key
- Company slogans should make the brand stand out
- Use positive diction all through
- Focus on the Benefits of Your Product
Clearly state what your potential consumers can benefit from using a product, leaving out its features. Expected satisfaction appeals to the senses more.
- Ensure that the Tagline Is Suitable for the Product Being Advertised
What is a tagline if it is not relatable with the slogan? It means that you have to edit it or change it entirely. In the same vein, what is a slogan if it is not relatable to the tagline?
- It Should Be Interesting Enough to Memorize
You should think about a creative way to make the slogan catchy enough for people to easily recognize later. It should appeal to their senses and their memory. Think of ideas for funny slogans.
- Brevity Is Key
Even if it was stated earlier that a slogan does not have to be brief, you should still try to make it as short as possible. In fact, think of it this way: The shorter it is, the better.
- Company Slogans Should Make the Brand Stand Out
It should be able to project the uniqueness of your brand in order to provide a clear differentiation from your competitors.
- Use Positive Diction all through
What is a slogan that has a negative or offensive diction? It taints the positive feeling that you are trying to build in the minds of the audience. For example, avoid using slogans that have sexual innuendos.
Business Slogan and Tagline Examples
Now that you know the difference between company slogans and taglines, it is only right that examples are given, so that it will be easier for you to identify them. The following are business slogan examples to help you understand what popular slogans look like:
- Open Happiness
For Coca-Cola, becoming one of the biggest brands in the world would mean that you must have made an impact with your branding style guide. You will have to aim for nothing less than perfection each time you come up with a slogan or tagline. That two-word phrase is nothing short of perfection when describing the simple opening of a bottle to drink it contents. It appeals to positivity and human emotions.
- It Does Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Ronseal pulled it off: creating the perfect slogan that does not say anything other than to reassure buyers that they will get what is promised on the product’s packaging.
- Semper Fi
The U.S. Marine Corps chose a slogan so short, but yet so strong. “Semper Fi” is a Latin saying that simply means “always loyal”. Perfect for a military slogan, right?
- There Are Some Things Money Can’t Buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard
This two-sentence MasterCard slogan was coined in the 90s. It was used in a mega campaign that spanned 98 countries, and it was written in 46 languages. However, those are not the only reasons why the slogan won the brand many accolades.
The advert that came with it popularized the word “priceless”—which is the description that the featured “dad” used to describe the time spent with his “son” irrespective of all the money that they spent at a baseball game (Pun intended).
- We Help the World Grow the Food It Needs
The Mosaic Company made its mission statement to double as its slogan. This line clearly states the benefit of the company’s products, but with a focus on its global significance. Brilliant! Slogan writers should reach further than the needs of the target consumers, and aim at the benefit of the product to a community.
Note that the slogan examples given above are 5 in number. Away from slogan examples, now it is time for 5 business tagline examples. The following should provide clarity on what a tagline should look like:
- Just Do It
You will find this very famous Nike tagline on many lists. It is definitely not a surprise that you are seeing it here. It is motivating to anybody regardless of whether they are into athletic activities or not.
- Master Your Classes
This tagline is for Course Hero, which is an online educational portal that provides millions of study materials to aid students in learning. It is clear that the tagline projects a drive for people to reach for academic excellence by having a full grasp of their courses.
- For People with Periods
This is a very clever tagline that cuts across the gender boundaries of today’s world. It does not focus on femininity when it comes to menstruation.In other words, Thinx is a menstrual pad company that is simply reaching out to people who menstruate—regardless of whether they have ceased to identify as females or not. A transgender man was featured in their 2016 marketing campaign.
- Think Different
Apple made two words mean so much to people that appreciate their individual uniqueness. The commercial that accompanied the phrase had this line: “Here’s to the Crazy Ones, Think Different”.
- Wander Wisely
Travelocity has enjoyed the effectiveness of this very short phrase. They are just two words that have so much individual depth. When joined together, the essence deepens to create a striking image for the travel enthusiast. You will want to travel as much as you can—but why not save on expenses while you are at it?
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Conclusion
By now, you would have understood why the process of writing taglines should be more complex than just looking for catchy phrases that will get the attention of your target audience. If you need more information on writing company slogans and taglines, you can browse for a tutorial video that gives easy-to-grasp tips. You should also look for more examples of popular slogans used by big brands.
It can take long for you to write the perfect slogan that may one day be included on a list of famous slogans—probably in a blog post. Patience in the creative process is important.
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