Slogans are quite simple and easy to remember. For example, when you hear “Just do it”, most people already know which company logo is next to the slogan. The slogan is one of the elements of the brand, as significant as other elements (logo, fonts, colors, etc.). The slogan perfectly conveys the main message of the company to customers.
What message should be conveyed in the slogan? It depends on the business. The message of the beer brand will inform beer drinkers about the respective values, and the slogan of the newly introduced brand will communicate what it is and at the same time what is attractive to its target segment. So, a slogan is an important element, but creating a memorable slogan can be harder than it sounds.
Creating an effective business slogan
To create an effective business slogan for a company, it is important to know where to start. Just like a company logo, a slogan should grab attention and help the business stand out from the competition. Too often, business slogans only act as forgettable sentences that don’t match the logo and convey an irrelevant message.
For example, such slogans as “Serving since 1992”, “Already 10 years”, “The largest in Russia” are irrelevant for customers and are quickly forgotten. Relevant slogans reduce the effectiveness of advertising. Although the company has been serving its customers successfully for a long time, this slogan does not convey any idea about the business and why customers should choose them. Let’s try to make the following slogans relevant: “How old, such a discount”; “Together with customers for 20 years!”; “Faithful to you for 10 years”; “The biggest, so the prices are the best.”
Slogans don’t have to be flashy, but they do need to be creative and easy to remember for the target audience. And in order to make them memorable, they must be peotic, conveying notes in colloquial everyday language. Why do ads sing phone numbers? Because it is easier for us to remember the melody, and then only the words. The same goes for slogans. To make them memorable, you need sound, rhyme, rhythm – how to connect the melody with the words.
Now that you know what you need, the next step is to start generating ideas. Remember, the more people trying to create a slogan, the faster it will be created. Some companies even organize slogan contests, where the employee who comes up with the best slogan wins an award for it.
Note that great slogans can come from unexpected sources. Involving people in the creation of slogans provides an opportunity to think more about possible slogans, which means that the created slogan is one step closer to reality.
Tips for writing powerful and creative slogans
There are various tips for creating the perfect slogan, in other words, a slogan. The main advice is to spend enough time creating it. Here are a few tips that have helped create great slogans for many companies over the years.
1. How unique is the business compared to your competitors?
The main motto is to tell about the uniqueness of the business. This will quickly and clearly highlight the benefits of your business and set you apart from your competitors. This means highlighting your brand or specific product and presenting it effectively. Think about the advantages your company has, especially those that outperform the competition. Your benefits should be relevant to buyers:
- Are you shipping significantly faster than your competitors? “Product in 1 day”
- Is your product better than the competition? “Scandinavian quality”; German precision; “Italian design”.
- Is there anything that makes the products or services unique compared to the competition?
- Is your company something unique and inimitable?
Sometimes it is important to highlight a particular line of business that helps best promote the benefits available to the company. For example, if you’re selling low-calorie foods, it’s important to focus on that. By focusing and emphasizing a specific area of the business, you can create a powerful slogan that will benefit you in the long run.
2. Customer Service
If you can’t think of anything that makes your business stand out from others, focus on how you serve your customers. Many of the slogans include business commitment to customers, especially when it comes to quality of service. Putting the customer first can help a business create a memorable and respected slogan. Slogans that work for public trust and customer service are pretty well done. If you can’t find anything you’re selling, then look for ways to provide a better service to your customers under a slogan.
3. The shorter the better
This means that the slogan should be simple and specific, using as few words as possible. Many marketing companies will say that the slogan should be 3-5 words. A longer slogan can become a sentence that can be messed up and quickly forgotten. Conciseness is the way to a memorable slogan. Also, the shorter the slogan, the easier it will be to place it in various marketing elements: advertising spaces or commercials.
4. Stay Loyal to Customers
Your motto must be true today, tomorrow and into the future. For example, the claim that your business is “number one in sales” is not always true, and the hedge “probably number one in sales” is unconvincing. In addition, many customers think that the company is just showing off. Saying you are “the best in the business” is a common saying that has nothing to do with the client. This means you need to focus on something more specific, more realistic, more personal—what matters to your client. The slogan should be related to the individual needs of the client. This slogan will last a long time and be remembered regardless of the sales situation.
5. Keep it out of time
Try to avoid using professional jargon, excessive vocabulary or buzzwords. All effective slogans use simple, easy to understand language. By avoiding buzzwords, you can keep your slogan timeless and associated with all generations. For example, the Groowy slogan was very popular in the 1960s. Not only is it not old today, but also many members of the younger generation simply do not understand what this slogan means. Don’t let your slogan fall into the same trap.
One of the best examples of the timeless slogan: In 1971, a young inspirational singer named Barry Manilow was paid $500 to come up with the slogan and its sound. The Copacabana customer received the slogan “Like a good neighbor”. Even after forty years, this slogan is still used in some countries.
6. Inspiration
While you shouldn’t copy other companies’ slogans, you can use them as inspiration to create your own slogan. David Ingram’s simple slogan “Common sense, extraordinary results” is simply amazing – two separate topics in just four words. The company says that they successfully offer the service, and so far no one has achieved such high results. That’s the essence of a good slogan!
7. Rhythm, rhyme and sound
Slogans are usually longer than individual words, most of which are short phrases. In order for a phrase to be remembered, it is important that it has at least three elements: rhythm, rhyme or sound. Whether the slogan is read or spoken, it should be used with these elements. In essence, this means that the slogan itself must have a certain sound in music.
Of course, if the slogan can be turned into a melody, that’s even better. There are many slogans and sounds that can be effectively included in a song. It is important to emphasize that a slogan does not need to have a sound to be effective, but it does help people remember it better.
Check mark
It may be that creating a good business slogan will show that someone already has the idea. So the final step is to check if your slogan is registered as part of a trademark in Europe.
If the slogan has already been registered, then you may just need to make a small change to the slogan, or even start creating the slogan again. If your slogan fits, then you should consider registering it.
Slogan function
Remember that creating an effective slogan does not have to be a separate product. The slogan should be well reproduced verbally and visually, especially so that it fits well with your brand. The success of your advertising will depend on how your slogan fits into the marketing campaign. A clean, simple and easy-to-remember slogan will make your marketing efforts easier. A slogan that looks bad or awkward will only make your business worse – there’s no better slogan than a bad one!
Four key points to consider when creating a slogan:
1. Take your time
Even if you have to rely on your feelings when creating a slogan, do not rush to do it, take the time to think. Setting a deadline is very important, but you should have more time to do a good job.
2. Humor is always good
A funny slogan that actually works is very rare, but a really well-made funny slogan is effective. The reason is that humor blends individually. This means that what may seem funny to one person may seem downright terrifying to another. Check it out – a funny slogan should be acceptable to all family members and timeless.
3. Company logo
If you don’t have a brand, then you don’t have much of what makes a business successful. You must create a logo before coming up with a slogan. The slogan logo works together to create a stronger position for the business.
4. Don’t be afraid of change
Remember that not all slogans are forever and many successful companies have used more than one slogan. In addition, many companies have revived old slogans and used them again in marketing campaigns. If you feel the need to change your slogan, do it responsibly and purposefully, for example, when business changes occur, you introduce new products or services, you reorganize the business. Urgent changes are needed if your motto is very similar to the motto of your competitors, or a new generation of customers creates unnecessary associations, no longer reflects the uniqueness of your business, and so on.
