BEST PRACTICES OF BRANDING

• Developing a logo/brand identity
• Developing a vision statement
• Creating an "elevator speech" or positioning statement
• Crafting a memorable and compelling tag line
• Creating a great advertisement

CRAFTING A MEMORABLE AND COMPELLING TAG LINE.

What is a tag line?
A tag line is a punchy phrase that follows a logo or company name. For example, Coca-Cola's tag line is "It's the Real Thing" or Nike's "Just Do it." The tag line evokes an image of the service or product whenever a person reads or hears it. It helps to establish a brand in a person's mind.

8 tips for writing a tag line

Keep your tagline:

1. Simple – Five brief, one-syllable words are easier to remember than 10. Nike's "Just do it" is more powerful than Iberia Airlines' "The best connections in the world mean nothing if an airline forgets the human one."
2. Positive – Negative statements don't catch on, so make your tag line very upbeat.
3. Original and interesting – Tag lines work best when they are unique, like "Beanz meanz Heinz." Be careful to avoid a tag line that could apply to many different organizations. This is very difficult to do!
4. Benefit-laden – You should try to include a primary benefit in your tag line, something that will appeal to a reader's own self-interest.
5. Memorable – If the tag line sticks in people's minds, then they will think of your organization before others.
6. Meaningful – If your tag line doesn't make sense, no one will remember it.
7. With a sense of the brand's personality in it. As an example: WeightWatchers' "The weight is over."
8. Free from the possibility of prompting a negative remark – Mobil's "We want you to live" could be answered with, "That's obvious."

Downloads/Links:
Sample Theme Line/Tagline

Return to the Toolkit Main Page