Importance of Brand Slogan and Tagline and Their Examples

Importance of Brand Slogan and Tagline
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“Think Different” to live a successful and fulfilling life.

This iconic slogan, representing the global tech giant Apple, perfectly summarizes the brand’s voice and what it stands for. Brand slogans and taglines are identities the brand holds and is known for.

A slogan is an attention-grabbing statement used to promote products and services. Companies use slogans to tell their audience what their products want to be known for. A tagline is a phrase depicting the company’s overall brand value.

The difference is that the former is used for marketing purposes, while the latter is used to increase brand awareness. Both phrases are seven to ten words long. Companies create their tagline in the early development stages, while the slogan changes when and if required.

How to Create an Effective Slogan and Tagline?

Before delving into the details, let’s pave the way to crafting an effective tagline or slogan.

  • The key to writing an effective slogan is keeping it short, sweet, and memorable. Best-performing ones are only 3-6 words long, so keep it simple.
  • Don’t invest your time and money into slogans/taglines; make them meaningful. If you don’t know how to give your brand meaning and value, consider skipping the idea for now.
  • It must be clear with its wording and meaning. If it arouses questions in the reader’s mind, you are doing it wrong.
  • Customers care about what’s in it for them. So, focus on benefits instead of features.
  • Make good use of storytelling. Comes up with a great story to tell your customers.

You don’t need a writer or marketer to write a slogan/tagline. You can follow these steps by yourself.

  • Start by answering a few basic questions, such as what makes your brand special and your unique value proposition. People look high for brands that value ethics or what are the values your company is built upon. You can take motivation from your company mission statement, history, values, and target audience.
  • When done with the basic question-answering stage, define clear goals you want your slogan to achieve. Keep your sales and marketing goals, values, and vision in mind.
  • Now, brainstorm and start writing it. Write whatever comes to your mind. Narrow down the best ones and find room for improvement. Remember, it needs to be short, simple, and persuasive, and don’t forget to give it an emotional appeal.
  • Don’t go behind trends; try making your slogan a timeless piece of writing. Use easy, universally understood words and get straight to the point. A tip to remember is to try writing in the language your audience uses. They will understand and connect more.
  • Do A/B testing to check which one performs better and stick to it?

Timeless Taglines and Brand Slogans

You are now aware of brand slogans and taglines and how to write one. Let’s look at examples of a few timeless pieces:

Apple- Think Different

The slogan, introduced by Steve Jobs himself in 1997, is still used and relevant. It urges people to think outside the box and match exactly what Apple is known for in terms of innovation. It essentially means staying crazy, bold enough, and expressive about our choices.

Airbnb – Belong Anywhere

This tagline indicates the company’s commitment to helping people anywhere feel at home. Although it is a two-word phrase, it represents the true essence of the business and highlights brand identity.

Nike – Just Do It.

Created in 1988, Nike’s tagline represents the enthusiasm involved in sports, competition, and life in general. It motivates its readers to live life through adversities and triumphantly emerge from them. This message resonates with a larger audience, making it memorable and resonant.

Dunkin – America Runs on Dunkin

On average, 3 million customers eat at Dunkin Donuts daily in America alone. It’s a daily routine for them to grab their coffee and donuts for breakfast from Dunkin. Although introduced in 2006, this slogan exactly summarizes the behaviors of its customers.

Walmart – Save Money, Live Better

Walmart opted for this slogan in 2007 to represent the company’s mission of always being the affordable option, letting people live better lives. The slogan also showcases Walmart’s mission to improve people’s lives.

Mercedes-Benz – The Best or Nothing

This car giant devised its slogan in 1902, and it still perfectly resonates with its brand. Mercedes promises to deliver the best in every aspect. Whether it’s innovation, performance, design, safety, or environmental friendliness, you will find Mercedes cars fitting perfectly.

L’oréal – Because You’re Worth It

Coined in 1971, L’oreal still adheres to its legendary slogan. It highlights the importance of self-confidence, women’s empowerment, and belief in one’s sense of beauty and worth.

MasterCard – There are Some Things Money Can’t Buy. For Everything Else, There’s MasterCard.

This slogan has been in use since 1997 and resonates with an audience of 46 languages and 98 countries. Putting aside a few things that money cannot buy, this tagline perfectly tells the story every MasterCard holder would like to tell. It simply says everything is just a swipe away.

McDonald’s – I’m Lovin’ It.

This slogan was adopted by McDonald’s in 2003 and has been used since then. The brand has always tried to connect with its audience, and this slogan focuses on customers’ experience, is easy to remember, and makes them smile.

KFC – It’s Finger Lickin Good

The slogan used by KFC was introduced in the 1950s and still resonates with the brand. This slogan specifically refers to the quality and taste of food that propels visitors to try it.

Burger King – Have It Your Way

Launched in 1973, this slogan allowed customers to enjoy their personalized food. They launched this slogan in contrast to their tough competitor, McDonald’s, who were stuck with a strict menu with no customization options.

Subway – Eat Fresh. Feel Good

Subway leverages its made-to-order menu, where customers can customize sandwiches using the fresh ingredients available. Their slogan represents the freshness of their ingredients compared to fried fast food that others offer and highlights the importance of why fresh ingredients will make them feel good.

Coca-Cola – Open Happiness

In the era of economic upheaval caused in 2008 and afterwards, Coca-Cola launched this campaign and stood out as a leading example of empathic branding.

Rice Krispies – Snap! Crackle! Pop!

This slogan first appeared in a radio show in 1932. The sound and rhythm that these Krispies create when poured into a bowl make them memorable and relatable.

M&M’s – Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands

In the late 1940s, M&M’s introduced this slogan, clearly specifying the benefits it offers. The slogan also helps evoke a sensory experience, making the product more desirable.

Lay’s – Betcha Can’t Eat Just One.

In the 1960s, Lays ran an ad introducing this tagline, and afterwards, they decided to stick with it. This tagline necessarily challenges the user, thus encouraging them to consume their product. The idea was also to enforce that the product is tasty enough that it’s hard to resist.

Target – Expect More. Pay Less.

Target’s slogan sets it apart from competitors by highlighting that buyers can always expect more by paying less without compromising quality.

Levi’s – Quality Never Goes Out of Style

Levi’s emphasizes the timelessness of their brand via this slogan. They connect the users to themselves by invoking nostalgic emotions while keeping it relevant to modern users’ standards.

Ford – Built Ford Tough

This slogan resonates with Ford’s commitment to durability, quality, and strength. It reinforces the idea that Ford’s unmatched capabilities include being tough, long-lasting, and reliable.

BMW – The Ultimate Driving Machine

Like Ford and Mercedes Benz, BMW emphasizes its strongest selling point and attracts practical buyers who want a strong machine. This slogan also helps the brand maintain an image of luxury and high engineering efforts.

Toyota – Let’s Go Places

This slogan accomplishes two things for Toyota. First, it demonstrates the company’s commitment to its customers, who can visit anywhere. Second, it enables them to showcase their vehicles’ reliable, adventure-enduring nature.

Maybelline – Maybe She’s Born with It. Maybe It’s Maybelline.

Like Loreal, Maybelline emphasizes women’s empowerment by promoting enhanced beauty that boosts confidence. This helps the company stick in users’ minds, thus making it more recognizable.

De Beers – A Diamond Is Forever

This slogan resonates with the company’s capability of being superior, luxurious, and sophisticated, thus enduring timeless value. It also highlights the cultural impact that De Beer created, as before them, diamonds were considered a luxury for the wealthy only.

Bounty – The Quicker Picker Upper

The rhyming tagline suggests the exact functionality of the product—it wipes out all the liquid quickly. The playful phrases make it fun to pronounce while making it memorable.

Allstate – You’re in Good Hands.

This slogan exactly translates what a customer expects from an insurance company: safety and security. It also nonverbally sends a message that fosters a sense of belonging, personalization, and protection.

The New York Times – All the News That’s Fit to Print

This tagline ensures its readers that it focuses on printing what matters. It also sends a message to its users that their time is important, making them feel special. It also lets the newspaper company maintain its credibility in the market and showcase its commitment to quality.

Disney – The Happiest Place on Earth

This tagline evokes an emotional connection that people of all ages and countries have enjoyed with Disney. Whether they are animated cartoons or their magical park, Walt Disney has always been a place for amusement and joy.

FedEx – We Live to Deliver

This slogan reassures the company’s commitment to its audience—they live to deliver. The use of words like “We Live” bridges an emotional connection between both ends, i.e., it’s not their job but a passion. This slogan is concise, easy to remember and conveys a straightforward message, making it more memorable.

Dollar Shave Club – Shave Time. Shave Money.

This slogan directly targets the pain points of young users, namely, expensive razors and the need to purchase them only from physical stores. The pun-based slogan highlights convenience and showcases the overall brand personality.

Energizer – It Keeps Going, and Going, and Going

This slogan highlights the company’s unique selling point: a reliable battery that never goes off. The slogan’s repetitive nature and easy choice of words make it easy to remember and appeal to customers who value reliability in batteries.

Analysis of Tagline Trend

All the above-mentioned timeless pieces have a few things in common. They are

  • Short, sweet, and direct to the point.
  • They highlight benefits and promise positive outcomes.
  • They instill confidence in their users.
  • They are highly persuasive and memorable.
  • They are easy to understand and avoid vagueness.
  • They stick around for more than a decade.

Impact on Branding

A brand slogan or tagline is not just a mere thing but an important part of marketing strategy. It lets your audience connect with your brand on an emotional level. In a crowded market, it enables you to stand out from the competition, enhances brand recognition, builds essential connections, and lets the brand tell its story.

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

Our dedicated customer services are available to answer your questions. Ask our experts about your concerns and queries.

A slogan’s main purpose is to convey a brand’s message to its audience. They are often written in a way that captures the audience’s attention at first glance.

A slogan is crafted in a way that evokes feelings and forms a deep connection with your audience.

They are usually shorter as, in this way, it is easy for customers to remember them. It also makes the brand more likable in the eyes of potential customers.

Yes, the slogan/tagline does work. It has been found that brands with memorable slogans usually enjoy higher brand calls and customer loyalty, which leads to increased sales and, thus, a higher market share.

Yes, slogans usually depend on a company’s marketing efforts. Thus, it can have multiple slogans, showing numerous marketing campaigns.

A successful slogan comprises elements like memorability, simplicity, emotion, and differentiation. It must be capable of evoking humor in the audience’s mind. It must also be short, sweet, and easy to remember. A successful slogan could also capture the audience’s attention by arousing emotions and giving a sense of luxury, relief, security, or inspiration.