Does Your Tagline Do Your Brand Justice?

Let’s talk branding…

Taglines are all about telling consumers how to feel in as few words as possible. But saying something powerful or inspiring enough to personally impact a consumer (and enough to drive a sale) in 7 words or less… that’s not easy!

Then, on top of being emotionally enticing, there’s a whole other set of characteristics a tagline needs to meet in order to stand out and produce the highest ROI for you and your business.

The strongest, most effective taglines are typically:

• Short
• “Sticky” and easy-to-recall
• Compelling and emotionally-driven
• Easy to understand and communicate
• Unique (sets you apart from competitors)
• Informative (speaks to what you do or sell)
• Relevant to your ideal target audience
• Available in today’s crowded marketplace!

So, you see? Not easy! BUT, with the right team and creative strategy, tagline development can feel like a piece of cake. Even more, it can be fun!

Brainstorming Should Be Strategic and Purposeful

All that being said, tagline development is still a creative process. And with any creative process, it’s important to stay on track and be efficient. Without an effective brainstorming strategy, time can quickly get away from you and the whole process can start to feel more frustrating than fun.

When brainstorming taglines with a group, remember not to just bring your own ideas to the table, but also explanations as to why you like them for the brand. Have a few quick rationale statements in the back of your mind or jotted down on paper that you can reference during the group conversation. And then, after you present your ideas, allow everyone some soak time to process your reasons and form an opinion of their own.

The best thing about brainstorming with a group is the ability to get creative in an open, judgement-free zone. There are no wrong answers when you’re brainstorming taglines — just new ideas in the form of bite-sized phrases. And since you never know which idea will spark inspiration and lead to the right tagline, make sure to keep an open mind and be respectful of all opinions in the room. As Asen CEO, Paul Scoonover, always says, “it’s not who’s right that matters, but what’s right.”

So, now you probably want to know HOW to develop a strong, creative tagline…

Consider the Brand’s Mission Statement

One of our favorite copy tips is this: when brainstorming new taglines, work backwards from within the company’s mission statement.

Take the message behind the mission (not the actual statement itself) and break it down into the simplest terms for your audience. Ask yourself, how can we summarize this mission into one concise, but complete thought?

Making an Example Out of Nike™️

As an example, take a look at Nike’s current brand purpose (found on their site). Then, work backwards to simplify the message and get to the core of what the brand is trying to say…

Nike’s Purpose:

“Our purpose is to unite the world through sport to create a healthy planet, active communities and an equal playing field for all.”

Example Strategy:

Get to the core of what the brand is trying to do:

“Uniting and bettering the world through sport.”

Add a flare of emotion:

“When the game’s getting tough and you’re feeling weak, play to win anyways.”

Then, simplify (in Nike’s case, by sharply delivering an enticing call-to-action):

The game is tough. Play anyways.
Just play the game.
Just do it.

And there you have it. Before, you probably wouldn’t have read Nike’s purpose and thought, “Just do it.” Now, you may have noticed that a call-to-action tagline fits perfectly for Nike, given that the brand’s purpose (at its very core) is to unite the world through sport.

Don’t Have a Mission Statement?

In general, branding can be challenging. You need the right team of people and a pre-established mission (or purpose) to guide the way during the creative process.

If you don’t have a mission statement, or just don’t know where to start in the seemingly-overwhelming branding process, we’re here to help. Like your internal team and core mission, Asen also strives to be a guiding light for our partners on the path to successful branding.

Over our 36 years in business, Asen has collaborated with brands of all sizes and industries to develop compelling, memorable taglines that improve recall and drive sales. We’re passionate about good branding because we believe in its ability to make a positive impact— not just on a company’s sales, but on the crowded, consumer-driven marketplace.