Have you ever wondered what a brand tagline is? It is more than just the phrase that is associated with or accompanies a logo. It should go to the core of your brand and communicate its uniqueness. What makes it different from other competing brands.
In this article we will analyse the role of taglines in the world of branding. Why would a brand need one? I will look at real examples to introduce you to the different types of taglines. We will look at 5 reasons why it could help your brand if you need one and also how they differ from slogans and claims.
What is a Tagline?
The term “tagline”, of American origin, appeared around the 1910s. It referred to the final phrase uttered by an actor at the end of a show. From 1935 onwards, the term entered the world of advertising and branding as more than just a catchy phrase. It is a short expression that sums up the essence, uniqueness and personality of your brand.
It is a phrase that is meant to evoke the image of a company in the consumer’s mind. Thanks to a tagline, people can identify a brand even when the logo is not visible. It is almost like a company’s signature. It is a brand asset and therefore one of the most effective ways to increase brand recognition.
Does every brand need one?
The short answer to this, is no. However, a tagline can act as a bridge between the brand name and its meaning. This is especially useful when the naming itself does not convey the essence of the brand on its own, because of being abstract, patronymic, acronymic… or when your brand is still being established.
However, not all brands need a tagline. An analysis of your objectives, your target audience and your brand strategy will give you an idea of whether such phrases are the right choice to make your brand grow.
Typologies + real examples
Let’s look at the different types of taglines and some examples of each of them. Although there is not always a clear classification. Many examples would fit into several categories.
Descriptive
They are short punchy summaries that capture the essence of a brand. They can provide information about the essential characteristics of the brand, its advantages, vividly describing what it stands for and what it offers.
Some examples:
- Skittles – Taste the rainbow.
- Airbnb – Belong anywhere.
- Youtube – Broadcast Yourself.
- UPS – We deliver.
Inspiring
They awaken people’s desires, ignite their passion and motivate personal development, as they go beyond product features and benefits. Instead, they address people on a more emotional and aspirational level.
Some examples:
- Adidas – Impossible is nothing.
- Imax – Think big.
- Toyota – Let’s go places.
- Lufthansa – Nonstop you.
Humorous
They use wit and lightness to capture our attention and entertain us. In this way, they create a positive and playful association with the brand.
Some examples:
- Staples – That was easy.
- Red Bull – Red Bull gives you wings.
- John Deere – Nothing runs like a Deere.
- KFC – Finger-Lickin’ Good.
- American Express – Don’t leave home without it.
Provocative
They challenge our conventional thinking. By pushing boundaries and daring to be different, these slogans captivate our attention and provoke reflection.
Some examples of provocative taglines:
- Verizon – Can you hear me now?
- Hinge – Designed to be deleted.
- The Washington Post – Democracy dies in darkness.
- Las Vegas – What happens here stays here.
- Citibank – The Citi never sleeps.
- Moët & Chandon – Save water. Drink champagne.
Call to action
They motivate the audience to act and interact with the brand.
Some examples of this type of tagline:
- Subway – Fuel your freshness.
- Hertz – Empower your journey with Hertz.
- Uber – Seize the ride.
- Expedia – Uncover the world.
- GoPro – Be a hero.
- Fitbit – Join the movement.
Rhythmic
These taglines use rhythmic patterns or rhymes to make themselves memorable and capture our attention.
Some examples:
- M&M’s – Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
- Bounty – The quicker picker-upper.
- Energizer – It keeps going… and going… and going.
- ABC Network – Easy as ABC.
- eBay – Buy It, Sell It, Love It.
- McDonald’s – I’m lovin’ it.
Brand essence
They describe what the brand does and stands for.
Some examples of brand essence taglines:
- Coca-Cola – Open Happiness.
- Disneyland – The happiest place on Earth.
- Marriott – Just like home.
- Nokia – Connecting People.
- Budweiser – The king of beers.
Competitive
They are intended to distinguish a brand from its competitors, mainly by highlighting its uniqueness.
Some examples of competitive taglines:
- Avis – We try harder.
- Apple – Think different.
- IBM – I think, therefore IBM.
- Bose – Better sound through research.
- BMW – Sheer Driving Pleasure .
5 ways a tagline can help your brand
A tagline can serve to highlight your brand and summarise its essence in one line. However, before we start, we should make one thing clear: only a good tagline will benefit your brand. In fact, a poor one could even harm your business.
That is why, before developing a brand and its tagline, we should thoroughly examine the company, its competition and its target audience. You may want to consider creating a brand strategy.
With that said, let’s look at five benefits a tagline can bring to your business:
1.- Reinforces your brand identity
A tagline summarises the essence of your brand and communicates your purpose, values, brand personality and/or mission at a glance. It can also immediately explain what your company does or what problem it solves. This is especially important for brands that do not have a descriptive brand name. If your brand name is not self-explanatory and your brand is not yet established, it can be difficult to identify what your company does. In this case, the tagline can help explain your offer.
For example, without the tagline “A diamond is forever”, people may not initially recognise De Beers as a jewellery company. Similarly, the phrase “Broadcast Yourself” clearly communicates that YouTube is a platform for sharing personal videos and that the creator is the protagonist.
In contrast, a brand with a self-explanatory name, such as Toys’R’us, does not need a tagline that clarifies what the company sells. Instead, the tagline could highlight the company’s values or the brand’s personality.
2.- Increasing brand recognition
A memorable tagline sticks in the mind and helps consumers recognise your brand immediately, even in a crowded marketplace and when the name or logo is not visible. This works especially well for established companies. Everyone knows “Just Do It”, “I’m loving it” or “Think different”. But the truth is that it can take years for consumers to get used to associating your brand with your tagline.
As a small business or startup, you cannot create a tagline and take it for granted that people will automatically associate it with your brand. Before this is possible, you have to settle in people’s memories and turn the tagline into a distinctive brand asset.
3.- Create an emotional connection
This is especially relevant when the brand name alone cannot do it. Let’s go back to the Nike example. The name itself says little, but “Just Do It” conveys the feeling of being able to do anything just by trying. Emotions are crucial to building brand loyalty. When consumers feel connected to your brand’s message and personality, they are more likely to identify with it, making them more likely to choose your company over others.
It also works the other way around: if a brand already conveys a certain feeling, the tagline can help reinforce or trigger that feeling. Some people may crave a McDonald’s meal when they hear “I’m loving it”. Others may feel the wind in their hair when they hear “Live to Ride, Ride to Live”, the Harley Davidson brand tagline.
4.- Differentiate yourself from the competition
A tagline can emphasise a brand and highlight its uniqueness compared to the competition, thus underlining its positioning. It can clearly express what benefits or advantages consumers can expect from your brand.
Avis introduced the tagline “We try harder” when the company was lagging behind Hertz in the car rental industry. The phrase openly acknowledges that Avis is not the first choice, which conveys authenticity to the customer. Or Dollar Shave Club with the tagline “Shave time. Shave money”. Here, the company emphasises that they sell cheaper razor blades and save time through their direct-to-consumer business model.
5.- They provide ideas for marketing campaigns.
Good taglines can be transferred to marketing and advertising and thus give the brand a common thread.
Avis example also helps to explain this case. The company has developed numerous campaigns around its slogan “We try harder”, with claims such as “We are only second choice; “We can’t afford not to empty our ashtrays” or “We can’t afford bad customer service”. Similarly, Coca-Cola consistently incorporates themes in its advertising in line with its slogan “Open Hapiness”, underlining the joy and sense of community associated with its brand.
Tagline, slogan and claim
For the graphic designer and any work related to visual communication, the terms slogan, claim and tagline are very important, but they are often used in the wrong way, creating confusion. Although they all play an important role in the identity and strategy of a brand, they have different purposes and functions.
Let’s look at how they differ in order to use them effectively to build a strong and coherent brand.
1.- Tagline:
As we have seen, a brand tagline is a short, incisive phrase associated with a brand name. It represents the company’s overall approach to its products and services and ideally should last forever. Defines your brand as a whole: its core values, its distinctive way of communicating and its personality.
A tagline goes beyond individual products and has a long-term focus. In fact, a well-crafted tagline can become inseparable from your brand identity over time, whereas a slogan can be forgotten.
Take Nike as an example. Since 1988, Nike has used its iconic tagline, “Just Do It”. It embodies Nike’s brand spirit of determination, motivation and overcoming challenges.
Nike consistently uses this tagline in its marketing materials, from advertising and packaging to other prominent places such as Google search results. It is so internalised to the Nike brand because of this consistent and strategic use.
Other examples could be:
- Apple – Think different.
- Heineken – Think green.
- Nokia – Connecting people.
- Red Bull – Red Bull gives you wings.
- McDonald’s – I´m loving it.
2.- Slogan:
A slogan, although similar in essence to the tagline, complements your brand as a whole to attract attention. It is a phrase that stands out for its originality, impact and for being easy to remember. Is used to position your brand, especially for advertising purposes.
It may seem very similar to a tagline, and in many cases it is. The difference is that a slogan focuses on the product or the company, while a tagline focuses on the essence and what defines the company.
Some examples might be:
- IKEA – Welcome to the independent republic of my home.
- Tenn – Cotton doesn’t cheat.
- Movistar – Shared, life is more.
- Avecrem – You make or you make rich?
- L’oréal – Because you’re worth it.
3.- Claim:
A claim is a phrase that is used to give value and draw attention to a product or service. It is used to reinforce a specific advertising campaign, being a differentiating phrase for a product or service. It is therefore a phrase with a limited focus in the short or medium term.
A claim is often confused with a slogan, but the main difference is that a slogan defines a product or a company. A claim, on the other hand, talks about the characteristics and qualities of a service or product. Being in turn more specific, more profound.
Some examples could be:
- M&M’s – They melt in your mouth, not in your hands.
- Mastercard – Some things money can’t buy, for everything else, MasterCard.
- Dove – Show us more women like me.
Slogan, claim and tagline are similar concepts. Often the boundaries are simply not clear. Think about their use. What is essential is that these phrases fulfil their mission and are attractive and memorable.
Let’s now look at some tips to follow if you are thinking of creating any of these elements, either permanently (slogan, tagline) or to support any campaign or situation (claim):
- Use short phrases and simple words.
- It should be easy to remember.
- It should be catchy.
- If it is likeable or funny, even better.
- It should clearly identify your product or service.
- It should highlight the main quality, especially in the slogan or tagline, which is a differentiating competitive advantage.
- You can use resources such as rhyme, repetition, double meaning, surprise… which will make it more fun and intelligent.
Conclusion.
A well-crafted tagline is a valuable asset to reinforce your brand identity, attract customers and differentiate your company from the competition. It not only conveys your brand values, but also fosters an emotional bond between the brand and your customers and can even serve as inspiration for your marketing campaigns.
Done well, a brand tagline can enrich brand perception and have a lasting impact on a company’s success.
Hi, I’m Roberto Vidiella.
I am the founder and Creative Director of VIDI. I am passionate about graphic design, and through this blog, I try to deepen my knowledge and share what I have learned during my career. If you leave me a comment, you help me to keep learning and improving, and I’m really excited about it!