Does Your Business Really Need a Tagline?

Dingo Out West Women's Suede Cowgirl Boots
Enjoy classic western design with these Dingo Out West women's suede cowgirl boots.

Neato Robotics HEPA Filters (4-Pack)
Neato's ultimate allergy-busting true HEPA Filter for Neato D10, D9, D8, D7, D6, D4 intelligent robot vacuums uses H13 HEPA material with mesh to capture up to 99.97% of allergens and fine dust particles as small as 0.3 microns that make us sneeze and itch.

Your brand is everything.

How you market it is key to your success.

For many years a tagline has been seen as a vital ingredient in your brand’s marketing, regardless of your company’s size.

Those all important well-chosen words sum up your brand’s promise and values, but is it still relevant today?

If you look at some of today’s giants, such as Amazon, Apple, eBay and Google, they don’t really have taglines and instead rely on their logo.

Admittedly, the chances of your business commanding the same kudos in your industry is unlikely (you don’t have their marketing budget for a start), but if they can go tagline-less can you?

The trend is that more and more companies are moving away from them, but is that because the vast majority of taglines are, well, not to put too finer point on it, bad?

What’s the value of a tagline?

Advertising is moving away from selling.

Blatant sales pitches don’t cut it any more (did they ever?).

Consumers want to be wooed; they want to be shown how great their life will become if they buy your product. In other words, your marketing has to be all about them and not about you.

The inclusion of a tagline however, creates a hook that attached itself to their mind permanently telling them:

  • I’m lovin’ it – McDonalds
  • Just do it – Nike
  • We’re better connected – 02
  • Every little helps – Tesco
  • It gives you wings – Red Bull
  • The make-up of make-up artists – Max Factor
  • 8 out of 10 cats prefer it – Whiskas

The best taglines can evoke memories – who doesn’t remember the Frosties, They’re Grrrrrrreat!?

It instantly conveys what your brand stands for and your customers’ attitude towards it.

Creating a winning tagline

Only time will tell if you’ve come up with a cracker, but here are a few tips to try and get you on the right course.

  • Do you want it to reflect your values or your product/service?
  • Does it reflect the emotions and feelings of your customers?
  • Does it gel with your businesses ideology?
  • Use simple language without any jargon
  • Will it date quickly or does it have longevity?
  • Is it memorable?

What that basically comes down to is whether it adds value to your brand?

If you’re really struggling to come up with something perhaps it’s worth going to market without one.

In time, as your business grows and you understand it better (and your customers), you can always do a mini rebrand exercise and introduce one.

When I started out mine was “Powerful. Persuasive. Creative”, but after my last rebrand I dropped it all together.

So the answer to the question does your business really need a tagline? is it’s up to you. There are no hard and fast rules, just go with what you feel is right.

You may also like...