Make Your Company Memorable With a Tagline

Taglines are rarely discussed, seldom analyzed and hardly ever researched. In fact, they're woefully missing across the industrial landscape. When I work with a newer company or a company considering a logo or brand identity change, I generally suggest they consider adding a tagline if they don't already have a good one. I personally think that more than ever, well crafted taglines are what differentiate a company or product from its competition. Advertising messages are bombarding people everywhere they turn. With few exceptions, a company name or logo with a tagline is much more memorable than one without.

"Tagline" is what we marketing people call the words or phrase used with a company's name or logo on all of their marketing communications: American Express' "Don't leave home without it," or Apple's "Think different" or some that are less well know like: Sprint's "Yes you can" or Computer Associates' "Simplify, Automate, Secure" or Unisys' "Imagine it done."

A good tagline should be such a natural expression of a company's positioning that the two are inextricably linked. It can convey a company's personality, concisely communicate its reason for being, add consistency to its marketing message and become the common thread woven throughout the company's communications. It also provides the litmus test for all marketing efforts. With every new ad, brochure, trade show display, email campaign, the question must be asked if the message in the campaign in any way conflicts with the company's tagline. If it does - go back to the drawing board.

Own your taglineThe purpose of the tagline is to reinforce your logo, or brand, with the goal being to "own" a unique benefit in your customers' minds. In a well crafted tagline, the difference between you and your competitors is either obviously stated or strongly implied. This strategy pre-empts your competitors from using the same idea and reinforces your value proposition. Go the extra mile to ensure ownership and have your tagline trademarked.

Reveal your purposeA handful of brands are so well-known that the company can create a tagline that focuses on a benefit of their product or service without directly relating to the product or service. However, for most companies, a good tagline should be so clear that even if your audience had never heard of your company, they could figure out what business you're in. Marketects' tagline is "Marketing communications designed to build business." No company name or logo is required to know what Marketects does. The same rule applies if your company name says little about what your business actually does which is often the case with consulting and other service companies.

Differentiate your brandIn mature markets that are overcrowded or when a company name becomes confusingly similar to its competitors, it is really necessary to introduce a tagline to the brand identity. A good example of this is in the field of high-tech companies. This market has exploded over the past decade, with company names using "micro," "net," "link," and "com" growing every day. A tagline can set one of these companies apart and make it easier for its audience to separate it from the "me too" players.

Give substance to an acronymThere's a real alphabet soup of companies using initials instead of words for their names. A tagline is almost essential in this case, because it provides a clue as to the company's business. If your company name and logo alone cannot evoke an image or picture of what your company does, a tagline is essential to help create the brand identity.

Don't confuse taglines with slogansTaglines are often confused with slogans. Slogans are primarily used in advertising campaigns and only for a short period of time; whereas taglines are associated with the brand identity and while they may change over many years, are expected to stay current for quite some time. A tagline should be designed to be used for a minimum of five years. One that is created with great effort, energy, concentration and a solid knowledge of marketing can be used indefinitely. Since taglines need to withstand the test of time, companies should avoid being trendy with them. Slogans, on the other hand, can be quite trendy and speak to a cultural phenomenon of the moment.

Guidelines for a good taglineThere's no secret formula in this highly subjective area, but here are a few guidelines to remember if you're in the process of developing a tagline:

• Ensure that it's consistent with your company's positioning strategy
• Communicate one, clear idea
• Use as few words as possible
• Think about longevity
• Test it to see if it's "ownable" (make sure a competitor isn't using something close or very similar)
• Communicate a clear, jargon free message

Some of my all-time favorite taglines

• Cotton Incorporated: "Cotton - the fabric of our lives"
• MasterCard: "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there's MasterCard."
• Las Vegas Convention & Tourism Authority: "What happens here stays here?"
• General Foods: "Celebrate the moments of your life."
• Radio Shack: "You've got questions. We've got answers."
• Disneyland: "The happiest place on earth"
• Chevy Trucks: "Like a rock"
• Taco Bell: "Think outside the bun."
• Bissell Vacuums: "Life's messy! Clean it up!"
• Nikon: "At the heart of the image"
• Harley Davidson: "American by birth. Rebel by choice."
• Lending Tree: "When banks compete, you win."
• Jaguar: "Don't dream it. Drive it."

I hear you saying, "But none of these taglines are for industrial companies; not even for B to B companies!" Sadly, you're right. However, the taglines that resonate most with me (and probably with you) are primarily for highly advertised brands that have almost become part of our culture's media landscape. The strategies and creative techniques used to create memorable and significant taglines are the same, whether for an industrial or retail company. So, if you're considering adding a tagline to your company's brand identity, in the words of Carnival Cruise Lines and Nike - "Get out there" and "Just do it!"