«Just do it», «Impossible is nothing», «You can Canon», «Think Different», «A Diamond is forever», «Connecting people» – slogans, known for whole world alongside with their authors by right.
This constant of brand is portraying its uniqueness, energy, positioning, philosophy, finally “life” position.
The main goal of any slogan – «to sell» brand, no matter it is image or product one. It can both make a mark to be cultic and level to the ground. For example, “Ooa, how it refreshes!” from foam mark of beer “Ochakovo” sounds somehow senseless and not mannishly. And “Pink color. Confide in it – and no spots anymore” leads to controversial consideration about a product. What kind of thoughts were in copywriters heads while the further straplines composing it is hard to imagine: “I am tough as eggplant! Buy Tan Ajran!”, “Your feet will walk as the Swiss watches”. The Ukrainian copywriters also can “be proud” of the following masterpieces: “First-class mascara for whores”, “Mayonnaises that are worth of you”, “Answers to tomorrow questions … already today”, “Our power is your energy”, “One more drink and you become a queen!”
Sometimes people, involved in making slogans, forget that what they invented will not always be visualized by pictures on the screen, adding in slogan the deep philosophic sense (particularly it concerns clients, who do not apply for professional help of copywriters by some reasons). Your slogan to be perceived unambiguously and live its full life regardless it is print or audio advertising enough time should go by along with great investments in promotion. Unfortunately, the exceptions are can be counted on fingers.
To summarize what the recipe to success of advertising slogan is impossible, as for any rule there is an exception. Ipsos ASI from its side on the basis of great number of tested advertising slogans made the following criterions of straplines that make effective work for brand:
- slogan cannot be paraphrased for another product/ brand (“Have idea – there is IKEA”);
- slogan summarizes the mark position, deliver the main advantage of a brand (“Connecting people”, “Melt in your mouth, not in your hands”);
- rhythm and alliteration usage for better remembrance (“The Quicker Picker Upper”, “Nobody else’s tastes like Welch's”);
- the use of simple and clear language for target audience (“ Don’t pull up – have a snickers”);
- minimum of words, maximum of free space and absence of unwieldiness of words (“Kodak Moment”, “Just do it”);
- link between brand name and slogan (“Miller time”, “Cashmere j'adore”).
In process of elaborating slogan one should avoid the following mistakes:
- slogan should not be blurry, universal almost for any product category. Without linkage to brand there can be substitution of one brand by another one. The same thing often happens with practically identical advertising of product in the same category;
- usage of similar components of another one brand slogan with slight changes will be perceived as plagiary (“Why to do something If you can buy something”, “You/ we can more (allow/ do/ buy)”, “Either product N or something happens”);
- be careful with ambiguity (“Smelling like your grandpa since 1934”, advertising of men toilet water);
- slogans should not raise negative reaction, sarcasm, bewilderment (“Your safety is our #3 concern”, airlines slogan; “Cheaper than an abortion”, condoms advertising);
- slogan should not sound too pompously, plethorically, incredibly in case it does not correspond reality (“Up to 6 billion players”, play station advertising);
- slogan should not give vain promises and raise disbelief (“Speed up strategic changes”);
- slogan should not be overloaded, widely twisting, hard to spell.
And foremost not to make a mistake choosing this one slogan that will work for brand during many years it is better to conduct straplines testing before getting lost in crowd of similar ones.