Just as people often confuse branding with general advertising, I often see a mix-up with slogans and taglines. That seems like as good a time as any to dissect slogans and taglines, as they are very important to branding. If they are implemented (and they often are) more-so as a tool for general marketing than branding, the results are usually less-than-stellar.
First things first…what’s the difference between a slogan and a tagline? A tagline is for a company as a whole, and ideally, is immutable and unchanging. This means a tagline is even more for branding than a slogan as it should not, unless it is a matter of necessity, change. Disneyland will never stop being “The happiest place on Earth” unless something drastic happens that requires a shift...like Disneyland falling into a sinkhole and re-dubbing itself “The happiest place under the Earth.”
Similarly, Nike will never stop encouraging “Just Do It” until either the sun burns out or they desperately need to change their image or face bankruptcy.
Slogans can be altered, but they should still reflect the company’s product. Mars Incorporated has lots of products, mostly of the chocolate variety. Despite this generalization it should be always kept in mind that people specifically associate one such product (M&Ms) with the slogan. That slogan is a promise that they “melt in your mouth, not in your hand.”
So what makes a good slogan/tagline? Just look at the above examples. They are memorable, unique, and most importantly, draw positive associations about their company/product.
The really important thing to take home here is that slogans shouldn’t be rushed or forced. They are easy to remember, but that also means they are hard to forget. Don’t cut corners making one or you just may be remembered for the wrong things, or forgotten despite having the right things.
Case in point, I’m helping out with an event for inventors and entrepreneurs which uses a slogan, “Innovations Move the World.” The link to the event can be found here.
