Taglines for Success

"Got Milk?," "Just Do It!," and "Good To The Last Drop." What companies do these taglines represent? The National Milk Processor Board, Nike and Maxwell House Coffee, respectively. These taglines have fulfilled their mission of achieving successful branding for the organizations they represent. Further, they have become integrated icons in business and in our culture.

Taglines help describe an organization’s unique selling points and add personality to a company’s marketing identity. Not all taglines become iconic, but most are expected to represent their company’s core message and help keep the company’s name in front of consumers.

Is your company’s tagline doing its job? Put it to the test with a bit of research; ask customers, employees and others in the community if they recognize the tagline. Does it capture attention? Are you incorporating your tagline in all marketing materials? Is your company in need of a new tagline? Taglines reinforce a company’s positioning statement and ultimately help increase sales. Is yours doing its job?

To begin creating a new tagline, seek a creative agency that understands your business and works well with your core staff. Bring critical material to the creative process. What does your organization do to improve your customers' lives? Know the benefits (not the features) that you provide to your customers.

The creative process of developing successful slogans or taglines is important. Successful slogans are short, snappy, and create excitement. Many taglines can also be described as "catchy" and should be universally understood by all of your target demographics. They are designed to attract attention and define the organization they represent. Slogans must also be easy to verbalize; you want consumers to repeat your tagline (either in their mind or out loud).

Once your tagline is created, consistently expose it to your target market. Incorporate your tagline in all marketing materials and have fun showing it off. A fitting tagline can become as well-known as a company’s name and helps increase sales.