What Makes a Good Tagline?
My beach read this summer was The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan. It follows intertwined stories of a diamond engagement ring, including a fictionalized account of Frances Gerety, who coined the legendary De Beers tagline 鈥淎 Diamond Is Forever.鈥� It got me thinking: what makes a good tagline?
Over the years, I have written a few taglines for Dana clients, and the process never gets any easier. It鈥檚 part luck and part inspiration to create a tagline that resonates with your target audience. (Consider 鈥淕ot milk?鈥� vs. JC Penney鈥檚 last tagline鈥攚hatever it was). I recommend starting by measuring your tagline against the classic branding mantra: is it unique, believable, deliverable and memorable? Then ask yourself these questions:
Does the tagline reflect your brand personality? I read the classic tagline 鈥淵ou鈥檙e in good hands with Allstate鈥� as 鈥渃aring, ethical and service-minded.鈥� That says a lot.
Does the tagline help highlight a benefit or solve a problem? No tagline has ever done a better job of turning second-best into an advantage than 鈥淲e try harder鈥� from Avis. I also like how Michigan both spotlights benefits and overcomes negative perceptions in its 鈥淧ure Michigan鈥� tagline.
Does the tagline help tell your brand story? If your company has a backstory, a tagline can help. For instance, Toms鈥� 鈥淥ne for One鈥� tagline doesn鈥檛 say anything about footwear, but it does intrigue people to learn more about the company鈥檚 corporate mission to give a pair of shoes for every pair purchased.
Does the tagline engage your target audience? Ask a question (鈥淲hat鈥檚 in your wallet?鈥�), motivate (鈥淛ust do it鈥�), empower (鈥淏ecause you鈥檙e worth it鈥�) or offer an invitation like California鈥檚 鈥淔ind yourself here.鈥�
Need tagline help? Contact Lynn Kaniper at 609.466.9187 or lkaniper@danacommunications.com.