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How to Define Brand Personality With a Catchy Slogan

By Justin |  May 6, 2014 (5 min read)

Branding | Marketing

Can you describe your company in ten words or less? It’s not easy to encapsulate everything you do in such a short sentence. Yet, your customers won’t always know your offering just from your name.

This is why a slogan can be valuable for your digital marketing.

Slogans are short, memorable phrases that are typically used in advertising campaigns. Since the 1930s, these have helped brands to grow their market share and audience, and sell more of their products and services. And they are still relevant and valuable today.

Slogans are the modern battle cry

The etymology of the word slogan comes from two Scottish Gaelic words, ‘sluagh’ and ‘gairm’. In modern translation, this means “battle cry”. In marketing terms, it is meant to represent the current cause or focus of your product.

Slogans are sometimes confused with the tagline of the company, which is more of a definition of what the company offers or represents as a whole. Slogans focus on a particular product or service and what it aims to do in the current moment.

In the late 1970s, FedEx had a very effective slogan that made clear what their focus was “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Notice that the slogan doesn’t define what ‘it’ is? This is because FedEx wasn’t just a mail carrier like the USPS, they wanted to be known as the overnight delivery carriers. Today, FedEx has evolved their slogan to “The world on time”. This now represents their global reach and the importance of speed and deliverability.

Why should you consider a slogan for your company?  It can help you communicate your goals and services quickly so that your customers remember what makes you different.

Your slogan makes you different

Pepsi and Coca-Cola have always had an ongoing battle for market supremacy. And when you review their slogans over the years, it’s easy to see how they position themselves differently.

In the late 1930’s Coca-Cola had the slogan “Thirst asks nothing more.” This was a clear call to the benefits of the product. At the same time, Pepsi had the slogan “Twice as much for a nickel”. This was an attempt to take market share away from Coca-Cola by claiming that the value was better for Pepsi’s product.

Of course, neither Coca-Cola or Pepsi is more ‘correct’ than the other. They are simply attempting to guide the expectations and motivations of their customers through marketing.

When it comes to your business, developing a slogan can help your potential customers notice you, and become intrigued. The key is to focus on what you can do differently and more effectively than other businesses.

What makes you stand out?

In almost every business today, there is only a small degree of difference from your competitors. Yet, you can easily position yourself differently through slogans.

Here some questions to ask yourself when developing a slogan:

– What is one way your customers will benefit from using your service?
– What is the underlying (secondary) benefit that they get if they choose you?
– How does what you do change your customers’ situation?
– Do you customers often use a phrase that describes your product or service?

It may take you a while to come up with something that really hits home with your customers. That’s ok. There is no perfect slogan for any business, but if it ties into the value you offer, it is more likely to stick.

Be simple, and relatable

Remember that the broader your slogan, the less it impacts. If you have words such as ‘service’ or ‘satisfaction’ in your slogan it loses relatability. Why? Because every business offers ‘service’ and ‘satisfaction’ in some form.

The car company Avis created a simple and relatable phrase in ‘We try harder’. This was a direct admittance of their number two ranking below the company Hertz rental car. This honest slogan was refreshing and gave the company more relatability in the market. Many people know how it feels to not be number one and to have to ‘try harder’. This underdog slogan actually worked to grow Avis’ market share, and give them their first profitable year in decades.

A calling for your customers

The main goal of your slogan is to describe your company in a way that hits home to your audience. You want them to say ‘Ah, that makes sense.’ Not every business has such an obvious goal as Coca-Cola or FedEx, but you can still create an excellent slogan that they can relate to and will remember for the future.

Take the time to think about how your business impacts your customers. That will likely lead you to some effective explanations of what you do. Your slogan may not always bring you immediate new business, but it helps keep you in the minds of your customers. And that, after all, is the true goal of all effective marketing campaigns.

Brandastic is a digital marketing agency located in Orange County California. We work with companies in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and all the surrounding cities to enhance their branding and customer reach. Talk to us today about stepping up your online marketing game.

 

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