“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” – Blaise Pascal
The 17th century French philosopher knew the human mind prizes brevity. Brand taglines prove our attention spans still can’t resist linguistic efficiency centuries later.
Reading the words “The Happiest Place On Earth” more than likely conjures an image of Disneyland’s gates. And “I’m Lovin’ It” probably just brought about a hankering for a Big Mac.
Although a diminutive few words, these micro powerhouses enjoy instant global familiarity – seemingly accomplishing more brand connection in a matter of seconds than most companies could ever dream of.
So what gives these pint-sized phrases the privilege to live rent-free in our collective consciousness? As we’ll uncover through dissecting examples from Nike to Skittles, when skillfully crafted, taglines create sacred bonds between brands and the people they serve by embracing the unsuspecting power of utter simplicity.
What’s in a tagline?
A tagline, in its simplest sense, sums up a brand’s identity, ethos, and uniqueness in a short, quippy phrase. While often confused with slogans tied to specific campaigns, taglines have real staying power when skillfully written with the brand’s future in mind. They crystallize what sets a business apart by conveying what they aim to deliver in years to come.
So why invest the time to get your tagline just right? When woven thoughtfully through marketing efforts and customer experiences, taglines generate major impact by:
- Instantly triggering brand recognition
- Speaking to what truly sets a brand apart for buyers
- Building an emotional link between customers and companies
- Reinforcing critical messages and brand ethos
Without a doubt, a great tagline has the power to evoke a clear image, emotion, and a connection with your brand.
How brands use taglines
Before diving into writing your own, you should first examine all the places that your tagline will show up. Some of the most common places to see a tagline are:
Packaging, products, and places
When etched onto packaging (or even featured on the product itself) and featured in the facade or decor of physical storefronts, taglines become a physical manifestation of the buying experience. By bringing the tagline into the real world, you can reinforce the emotional connection with your customers during transactions and interactions with your product.
Marketing campaigns
When taglines feature consistently over years within aspirational ads across channels, these brief phrases blend into audience awareness of a company’s ethos. Rather than one-off slogans tied to temporary gimmicks, enduring mantras fuse to perceptions of how brands fuel progress in consumer lives when spotlighted over enough touchpoints. Keeping taglines central amid long-term promotional initiatives allows consistent resonance building beyond surface impressions from single ads.
Digital destinations
Integrating a tagline into your website, app splash screens and email signatures provides implicit reminders of what an entire brand ecosystem promises each visitor. Although subtle, this bite-sized visibility during digital engagement focuses attention amid overstimulating device environments. Tagline integration humanizes and personalizes tech touchpoints by symbolically linking audiences back to an organization’s bigger-picture vision, even during brief mobile app or website visits.
Social platform bios
Anchoring LinkedIn or Instagram profile descriptions with a pithy tagline offers visitors first impressions that preview brand values before scrolling deeper into content. These brief phrases prime readers on what sets your brand apart without pushing beyond character limitations or visitor attention spans. Hinting at USPs (unique selling propositions) and ethos in tight taglines featured in bios allows brands to grab attention and pulls people to dive into the profile.
Major transition spotlighting
When leadership changes, taglines shine by providing familiar anchors amidst uncertainty, re-centering attention on enduring brand values that persist despite personnel turbulence. Enduring mantras play a leading role in nurturing brand loyalty in and outside of the company that transcends individual leadership.
Taglines that have made a splash
Which brands have mastered the art of the tagline? Let’s take a look at some of the most impactful examples of taglines that have cemented their place in our collective consciousness:
Nike – “Just Do It”
Nike’s famous “Just Do It” mantra flawlessly channels a sense of individual triumph and combats limitations that obstruct achievement. The timeless brevity and clear CTA of “Just Do It” continues striking a motivational chord with audiences by simply yet powerfully conveying perseverance against adversity.
De Beers – “A Diamond is Forever”
In spotlighting enduring luxury and heritage, De Beers’ elegant tagline tapped into perceptions of diamonds as heirlooms, passed through generations. By fusing exclusive diamonds with exceptional longevity, “A Diamond is Forever” elevated perceived gem value and rarity while evoking emotional ties to future generations.
Skittles – “Taste the Rainbow”
This colorful and hunger-inducing tagline taps directly into Skittles’ uniquely flavored candy by positioning each bite as a burst of fruity flavor and vibrance. The playful, whimsical phrase positions each bag of Skittles as a multisensory adventure.
Apple – “Think Different”
Before their meteoric rise, Apple’s “Think Different” tagline ambitiously questioned status quos and positioned them as the innovative leaders of the tech world. The two bold words fusing imagination and technical advancement clearly conveys Apple’s forward-thinking, boundary-pushing mentality.
Crafting your own tagline
Now that you’ve uncovered what effective taglines contain, here is a step-by-step guide to developing your own:
Do your research
Before reaching for words and phrasing, exhaustively examine company heritage, products, services, messaging, and customer feedback to pinpoint exactly why you and only you are positioned to make a profound impact in your customers’ lives. Comprehensively research target demographics as well – including values and needs – to determine vocabulary primed to strike a chord with your audience. This upfront legwork provides the building blocks for authentically and concisely representing your brand.
Brainstorm en-masse
Armed with your knowledge of differentiated capabilities and audience desires, widely brainstorm expansive lists of impactful single words, short phrases, descriptives, metaphors and concepts. The goal here is volume, not perfection, so don’t second guess before jotting down an idea. However, avoid surface-level statements that are purely descriptive. Remember that the goal of your tagline is to probe emotions, values, and benefits connected to your brand purpose. This broad starting idea is the top of the funnel giving you options to refine.
Narrow down to the unique and memorable
Once your spreadsheet runneth over with possible taglines, begin systematically narrowing selections by editing down to options explicitly conveying your competitive differentiation and brand essence. Run phrases through a memory test – can colleagues easily recall each contender with minimal exposures? If not, further syllable-trim. This filter ensures you hone taglines worthy of peak mental real estate.
Analyze fusion potential
As selections dwindle, scrutinize remaining taglines based on their potential to fuze seamlessly into diverse uses cases. How flexibly could each be adapted into scenarios like email sign-offs, product packaging, storefront branding, or even staff t-shirts without losing core effectiveness? Clever flexibility indicates that a tagline has the power to stick.
Test with target audiences
Directly sample final contenders by exposing core target audiences to tagline examples across different touchpoints, like ads and emails, to gauge impressions. Conduct surveys and focus groups to see which phrases are memorable, and if your audience associates them with your brand. If selections are further fueling brand confusion or not striking an emotional chord, work your way backwards to determine what isn’t working.
Ads are temporary. Taglines are forever
From “A Diamond is Forever” evoking timeless elegance to “Just Do It” igniting underdog resilience, it’s clear that skillfully crafted taglines yield outsized influence through emotional resonance and fluid versatility.
When strategically activated across diverse touchpoints, these compact powerhouse phrases shape collective consciousness by conveying brand essence at a glance. Taglines fuse company and consumer through shared beliefs, distilling brand identity to its simplest yet most evocative form.
Tagline-seekers should resist rigorous complexity. Instead, stay grounded in authenticity to your mission. While lengthy marketing messages can quickly vaporize into the abyss, a few perfectly chosen words can echo globally for years to come.