Every time you hear the words “Taste the feeling”, what image pops up in your head? Some people automatically think: “How can I taste a feeling? It is not possible”.However, Coca-Cola is telling you that it is. In this article we share 6 Approaches to Writing a Great Brand Slogan.
They are telling you that every time you open that cold bottle of Coca-Cola and gulp that sweet fizzy liquid, you are tasting a feeling. They are telling you that a feeling can be sweet and you can taste it.
They are imprinting a message on your mind. That is what a slogan should do. More than just being a short line of words that people should remember when they think about your product, it should give people an experience, or rather a taste of one.
Another slogan that has power is Nike’s ‘Just Do it’. Most of Nike’s ambassadors are sportspeople, so when Nike tells you ‘Just Do It’, they are saying that you can do just about anything with their shoes on.
Even though you may never be able to jump as high as Michael Jordan, Just Do It. A slogan should be short, memorable, and more importantly, it should encompass the general experience that you want your customers to have when they use your product.
There are so many remarkable slogans that have been used by different brands, and all of them have one thing in common: they communicate customer experience.
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What Makes a Good Slogan?
You may be wondering what makes a good slogan. There are a few features your slogan must have before it can be called a good one. Your brand slogan can either be your favourite set of words or not, but if it is not communicating customer experience, it is wrong.
Similarly, the fact that you are creating customer experience via your slogan is not a valid reason to cram a lot of words into one line. It has to be succinct and easy to understand.
This way, you can talk about your brand in a way that completely differentiates it from other brands out there.
The ultimate purpose of a slogan is to convey a message. The message it is conveying has to be interpreted to the consumer in a way that the person grasps everything the product or the service is all about.
This has to be done in very few words, and it must not be cryptic. After all, you’re trying to pass a comprehensible message, not a secret one.
Imagine if people had to do a double take each time they see your slogan. While it may seem flattering, the fact that potential customers have to second guess your slogan is a huge branding flop. When people have to think twice to understand your slogan, its purpose is largely defeated.
If you’re trying to create a great brand, you should definitely include an interesting, easy-to-grasp slogan in your brand strategy.
How to Come up with an Amazing Brand Slogan
Wondering how to write a slogan? Now that we’ve gotten the basics out of the way, here are the best approaches you can take to help you come up with a great brand slogan:
It Has To Be Short
Sure, we’ve said this a couple of times already but you know what they say about repetition being the mother of learning. The first thing you need to keep in mind when creating a slogan is the fact that no matter what happens, it has to remain short. No matter how important or voluminous the message you want to pass is, the slogan must stay short.
Think of what would have happened if a brand like Walmart, whose current slogan says “Save money, live better”, went for something that said “Shop from Walmart. Everything that is sold is at its cheapest” .
Sounds like an annoying, uptight mantra, doesn’t it? This explains why your slogan has to be short.
Stay Consistent
Everything you portray as a brand owner talks about your brand. From the logo to the mission statement, to the vision statement and even the content uploaded on social media eventually. Everything has to pass one clear message.
Your brand has to scream “Consistency!” and this consistency must reflect your slogan. This simply means that a person who is reading a blog post from your brand and a person who just drives past a billboard with your slogan must be hit with the same message.
There has to be consistency when creating a slogan. It should never speak differently from what the other aspects of the brand are talking about.
Make It Comprehensible
This is yet another point that should be repeated until it sinks in. Your slogan is definitely not a Twitter clapback reply.
So, why should it leave someone wondering what it is about? No one should have to ask their friend what your slogan means when they see it.
The moment a slogan gets into the line of people’s sight , the comprehension should be delivered immediately too.
To come off as creative and witty, some brands pick slogans that are witty and not easy to understand. Your customer is not looking to play interesting mind games where they have to penetrate your mind to get the message or understand the slogan meaning. Your customer may be in a car going home from a terrible day at work and stumble on your slogan somewhere.
Please make it easy on them.
Be Realistic
A lot of people might say you should be honest, but the right term here is “realistic”. Your slogan should not show the things that you are unable to do.
Whatever your brand can’t do or achieve should not even be in your slogan in the first place. Coca-Cola can tell you boldly to taste the feeling because they are aware of how their drink makes you feel.
KFC can boldly have a slogan that says ‘Finger-lickin’ Good’ because they are aware that their chicken will have you licking your fingers at the end. If your slogan is portraying something that your brand is unable to do, then you are not being realistic. Your slogan is not an object for wishful thinking. Save that on your strategy notepad.
While you work to attain the slogan that you want, make sure your brand is portraying the slogan that you already have. Besides, a slogan is not cast in stone. Coca-Cola changed their slogan to suit their brand status as they grew. As you grow, you will see a need to change yours to suit your brand image.
Put Your Target Market Into Consideration
If you are selling to young people, you know that your slogan should be fun, jivey and playful. On the other hand, if your target audience belongs to the older class, you will have to adjust your slogan to fit in. If you intend to go international with your business, you will have to understand language barriers, and that they can completely change the message of your slogan once translated.
Throw It Out There
People are often afraid of dissenting opinions, and there is no reason to be. When a small business owner gets the first set of logos from their designers, they upload them on social media and ask their friends and followers to help them pick one. You can do the same with slogans. Create them into images, upload them online and attach a poll.
The poll will help you understand which one works better with your audience, and which one they relate to. This should be your focus – creating a slogan that your audience relates to.
One common error people often make is mistaking a motto for a slogan. Hence, the motto vs slogan argument. These are two different things and people need to understand that or else, they’ll face the risk of not being able to pass their message.
A motto is a short phrase that talks about the values of a company. A popular motto of the United States is “In God We Trust”.
Think of this for a second. If the United States was a company that sold grilled chicken, how does their trust in God make you want to buy chicken? Do you see now that these are two different things? A slogan is meant for advertising while a motto simply communicates values.
If you’re ever in doubt, simply refer to the typical slogan definition which states that a slogan is basically a phrase used in advertising.
Final Thoughts
Your slogan is like a sales marketer standing on the road and calling people to come over and buy from you. It has to be perfect, convincing, creative and memorable. It has to be a lot of things, but you know what it is not allowed to be? Cliche.
You are not allowed to have a slogan that sounds cliche. Whenever anyone hears the words of your slogan, the image of your brand should immediately appear in their minds.
In this article, you’ve discovered the secrets to writing the perfect brand slogan. Now, go on and start brainstorming. You have a brand slogan to come up with.
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Author bio
Amanda Dudley is a writer and lecturer with a PhD in history from Stanford university. She also works as a part time essay writer, providing quality essay writing service and academic projects, providing satisfaction and offering these services with professionalism.