SILICON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA
SOCIAL MEDIA
AN INVITATION TO YOUR BRAND
Taglines are the invitation to your brand. They telegraph to your audience the kind of party you are throwing for them. They are always different because exactly like your company name, taglines are always in the unique voice of your business story. Are they powerful – considering Presidents run their campaigns on taglines/slogans I’d say they can influence a nation or more.
THE GOLDEN RULE
The Golden Rule Of Branding is CONSISTENCY. Speak in a consistent voice otherwise your audience will be thinking: “Are you talking to me? You sound weird. Are you not what I thought you were? Maybe I shouldn’t trust you. I gotta go.” And poof they’re gone. Trying to get them back is harder then getting them in the first place.
Consider: “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.” Not Short. Not exactly simple. It hits story like a mac truck. It’s savory. It’s succinct. I recited it to myself almost perfectly to write this so it has great “recall” for a longer tagline.
Your name is the first chapter in your story it’s my goal to help you write an epic tale. MasterCard’s current advertising campaign tagline is “Priceless”. They’re building on their story. They’re being consistent in their voice. They’re writing an epic tale that is read by generation after generation. Together, we can, too.
TAGLINE CHEAT SHEET
Story
Short
Simple
Savory
STORY
Does my tagline continue the story of my name?
What story does “Just Do It” tell? Can you see the main character; her struggles, her obstacles?
Can you hear the voice in her head? Can you see her overcome this struggle?
Can you see her in the future being who she wants to be?
If you can see those things with your tagline you will be seeing her buying your product.
SHORT
Got Milk? Short is memorable. Short is shareable. Short is confident. Short is how we receive calls to action. – “Clean Your Room,” “Brush Your Teeth,” “Stay In School.” Short taglines engage us. They pump us up.
SIMPLE
Taglines do not explain everything you do. They don’t explain your name either. They DO invite you into the emotional experience of the brand. “Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Maybelline.” What is the emotional experience? It’s the experience of being a beautiful woman. Being a woman people think can’t possibly be born so beautiful. A woman people are curious about, talking about, looking at closely, admiring. Also notice how many Ms are in that tagline. M for Maybelline. Notice how Maybelline is has the word Maybe in it.
SAVORY
Does your tagline wet their appetite? Do they want more? Your name is a call to a greater future. Your tagline paints that picture. Does your tagline make people see how you will help them call into being a greater future. Are their senses activated, engaged heightened? Kay Jewelers: Every K begins with K. What sense is activated? What emotion What picture? What story? You can see it right. Can you almost feel the touch of a kiss? That’s a pretty savory tagline. Get savory.
TAGLINES THAT DON’T SUCK…
THE LIFE OUT OF YOUR BRAND
This is a cheat sheet. There are exceptions to every one of these basic principles. So when you’re picking your final tagline from the list of taglines you create, make sure you’re hitting all four of these. If it’s not the shortest or not the simplest but it’s a succinct and a savory story, don’t sweat it.
Consider: “There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard.” Not Short. Not exactly simple. It hits story like a mac truck. It’s savory. I recited it to myself almost perfectly to write this blog so it has great “recall” for a longer tagline.