Premium Blend - Taglines Promoting your online presence for potential customers
- Tina Beveridge
- Mar 26, 2015
- 3 min read
A tagline (or tag line) is a small amount of text which serves to clarify a thought for, or designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, social group, or product.
A really great tagline conveys a company's benefit with personality and attitude and the most memorable taglines connect on an emotional level.
In the 1950s, ad agencies called them "slogans." You may have heard them referred to as a catchphrase, marketing line, or even trademark line, but these days, the standard term is tagline (or "tag line" written as two words). Despite the terminology, we're still talking about a short phrase that tells your audience what you offer.
My favorite projects as a freelance copywriter include writing taglines. Twelve years ago, I earned the name Tagqueen in ad school because classmates and teachers said I was great at coming up with "the perfect tag" for any product. Since I've become somewhat of an expert on writing taglines, I'll devote this article to showing you what makes some taglines more effective than others.
What Makes them Tick & What Makes Them Stick
Many famous taglines are basically an evocative, inspiring call to action: Examples : Just Do It, Think Different, Reach out and touch someone,Put a Tiger in Your Tank
When you think of “the happiest place on earth,” what comes to mind? When I say that it “melts in your mouth not in your hand,” do you know what I’m talking about?
Disneyland and M&Ms are two brands that demonstrate just how powerful the right tagline can be. A great tagline captures the essence of the value you provide to your customer in one or two concise sentences.
Creating a tagline is a powerful exercise, as it forces you to think about exactly what it is you do for your customers that is unique. I call this a business’s Unique Advantage Point (UAP). It’s the perfect place to start when developing a tagline for your business.
Starting With Your Unique Advantage Point
In my book, The Predictable Profit Playbook, I outline a formula that business owners can use to identify their own UAP. This consists of three questions entrepreneurs need to ask themselves about their business.
What is the ultimate benefit I want my customer to gain?
How will my product make my customer’s life better?
Why is my business better than my competition’s?
A great UAP builds a moat around your business that your competition won’t be able to easily replicate. It’s not only the secret to better branding for your business, it is also the secret to charging premium prices.
An example of a tagline that clearly indicates the businesses UAP is Verizon’s “Can you hear me now? Good.” Verizon came up with this tagline as it was battling with T-Mobile and AT&T. While Verizon may not have the hippest image or the best range of options, it could offer something its rivals didn’t — the most reliable coverage. Once you have identified your businesses UAP, wordsmith it into a great tagline.
Don’t Worry About Being Too Cute
A tagline doesn’t need to be overly clever or cute to be effective. A good tagline is primarily functional. It should explain the unique value that your business offers as clearly as possible.
Sure, many classic taglines are pretty smart. “Let your fingers do the walking” is a clever play on words. But it also clearly evokes the value that the Yellow Pages offers: easy access to reliable information.
If someone read your tagline on your business card, would they know what you do and the value your offer without further explanation?
Make It Memorable
Remember that you may only have a few moments to get your customer’s attention. A great tagline will stay with someone even if they only hear it once. Domino’s Pizza’s original “Fresh, hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed” is a classic example of this principle.
Inject a Little Personality
The best taglines capture the “personality” of the business. Apple did this with their tagline, ”Think Different.” The tagline perfectly embodied the idea that Apple is unique and so are their customers. Apple has successfully branded itself as the computer for creative professionals, and it’s this slightly elite image that allows them to charge higher prices than their competitors to this day.
