Published: September 16, 2024
by Justin Difazzio
Just do it.
Is it in you?
That old car is worth money.
Chances are, you can name at least two of the companies whose taglines these are. You may even know all three if you’ve been in the Chicagoland area for a while (although now that old car only MIGHT be worth money). We all know a tagline or two, whether we realize it or not. We’ve all been hearing them our whole life. Whether “it’s in the game” or it’s only found when you “think outside the bun,” you could probably come up with a few on your own. But why do some stick and some slide off our brain like “nothing sticks to Happy Pan,” Teflon’s original tagline? We’re here to shed some light on that and, hopefully, help you be more like Nike and less like Teflon.
What Is a Tagline?
A tagline is a short phrase that encompasses a company’s personality, essence, range of service, or mission and sets it apart from competitors.
A note: taglines and slogans are different, although they’re sometimes used interchangeably. Slogans tend to be for specific products or ad campaigns, where taglines represent the whole brand. Coke as a brand, for example, had the 1984 tagline “Coke is It!” but Diet Coke specifically had the slogan “Just for the Taste of It.”
In a study on what makes a slogan or tagline catchy, scientists landed on two big things:
It has to be likeable, and it has to be related to the brand. Easy-peasy. Talk about yourself, turn the “likeable” dial to 11, and you’re good to go.
If only it were that simple.
How do you even measure likeability? Aren’t we sort of striving for that in many areas of our life? If it were as simple as turning a dial, we’d all like everything. Obviously it’s a more complicated issue than that. Your best bet, though, is to make sure your tagline is clear, creatively phrased, and illustrates the benefit of your service.
Let’s look at Nike’s tagline, for example. They couldn’t be more clear and concise than “Just do it.” And those three words send the message that when you use their products, athleticism is as easy. Like blinking or breathing, you can just…do it.
Making “Real Magic”
Unlike the 2021 incarnation of Coca Cola, we don’t really believe in magic. Real magic at OC Creative just boils down to hard work, team effort, and a lot of brainstorming. A great tagline probably won’t come out of the ether or strike like a bolt of lightning. And if you look at many major brands, their tagline changes more often than their logo. Some stay for years, and some fall out of favor pretty quickly.
So how do you create that tagline magic?
The first and most important thing to remember is that you can’t rush it. Give yourself enough time to come up with options, weigh them with a team, take suggestions, iterate on an idea, and be open to the unexpected. Sometimes a thought that feels like a rabbit trail can lead you to some surprisingly fruitful ground. Like Dole’s tagline, you never know what might be “powering you” toward a breakthrough.
Secondly, you have to know your brand’s heart. Consider your mission statement, your company values, your core beliefs. No one knows these things better than your team. Is there a way to marry what you do with who you are as a company? What would your customers say about you and what you do? See if your coworkers can distill your brand into a few words. And remember, this isn’t magic. It will take time.
Enter the Thunderdome
When you’ve gathered your thoughts, it’s time to enter the Thunderdome, so to speak. Many words will enter. Few will leave.
Your first step is to dump the contents of your brain. Figuratively. We don’t want to have to explain that mess to your next of kin. Write a paragraph explaining who you are and what you do, as a brand.
Next, start the elimination process. Here’s where you throw out all the words that aren’t fit to make it, condense, and distill the essence, and turn that paragraph into a SINGLE LINE. Things to remember: likeability matters; inject emotion into it; less is not always more.
Once you have your one line, let it sit. Take a rest. Come back to it in 24 hours or more. How does it sit with you? If it’s no good, start that process again. If you think it has potential, parade it around the office. See what coworkers think. Test it with clients.
If you determine it still needs work, try switching out individual words with synonyms. Revisit your mission and values. Hopefully, with some seeking and tweaking, you’ll have your new tagline, fresh from the trial, ready to represent you out in the world.
And if you don’t? At least you’ll know what doesn’t work. Get different perspectives. Maybe get clients you trust to brainstorm for you. Keep at it. With persistence and hard work, you’ll make it there. And if you do find some magic spell to conjure up a tagline, let us know. That would save us a lot of time.