Essential Elements of a Tagline or Company Slogan

“Just Do It,” “Good to the Last Drop.” “They’re Grrreat!” The odds are, just reading those phrases conveys an image for you – and maybe makes you want to head to the store. That’s because these famous taglines, also known as mottos or slogans, are among the most famous in the world. Millions of people think about Nike, Folgers, or Frosted Flakes the second they hear them. 

A great slogan explains something about a business or product to its target market without needing much time. A company that has one of these will have an edge in the market, because it’s shortened the process of selling itself. Here are the essential elements of an effective tagline or company slogan that you should have before you launch your marketing efforts. 

Alignment With the Brand

The essential part of any slogan or tagline is that it reflects your product and conveys the message you want it to be. If a slogan tries to get too clever, it runs the risk of not being clear enough and leaving people neutral or confused. 

If it’s just the name of your product, it doesn’t entice people to find out more or give them a positive emotion. Ideally, your tagline should be a collection of everything your business represents to the customer base and the world. 

This can be as simple as something tasting good, or as complex as an ambitious world-changing project. Expert branding merchandise companies like StickerYou can help you finalize your logo or tagline designs through a variety of stylized options and products, making it easier to produce high-quality physical branded merchandise you have no qualms about clients or customers receiving. 

Short

This might seem self-explanatory, but any company with a tagline that’s too long stands the risk of losing its audience quickly. Your tagline should convey your core message in as few words as possible – the ideal length is between two and four words, but a company with a more complex message to get across can expand to seven to eight words. 

There’s a place for longer messages, but your tagline is designed to be repeated often to get people excited, rather than to convey everything about your product or company. 

Encourages a Positive Reaction From Target Market

An ideal tagline is as much about emotion as it is about information. Thinking back to the most famous taglines out there, most of them evoke a feeling of time and place and often rely on nostalgia to drive interest. 

This should be combined with a call to action which tells them what to do next. This can be as simple as telling the audience where to find your product or service. The purpose of a tagline is to entice people to feel in a positive way, and that serves as a soft call to action on its own. When supplemented with more information, it’s a powerful signal. 

Easy to Understand

Looking at the most famous taglines out there, they all have one thing in common – there is no way to misinterpret what they’re trying to sell you. “Just do it” is a call to action and sets the tone that Nike is a brand for adventurous athletes. 

“They’re Grrreat” gives the impression that Frosted Flakes taste good in a whimsical way. On the other hand, a brand that gets too clever with its tagline might not hit its core audience, which can affect sales. It’s better to keep things simple and focus on your strong suits rather than to try to stand out by having a unique tagline – sometimes simple is better. 

Flows with the Name of the Business

The tagline doesn’t always need to include the name of the company or product, but it does need to be adjacent to it. This can be as simple as including the logo or saying the name in the product before or after the tagline. 

The goal is to create an association and get people to pair the tagline with the brand name in their minds. This is a simple step, but a critical one – after all, the final part of getting people to embrace a tagline is getting them to purchase your product or service. 

Make sure the whole ad flows naturally and that your brand name fits comfortably with the tagline. Having an attractive, eye-catching logo is also key. 

An Unforgettable Phrase

Do you have a tagline for your business? Many companies surprisingly don’t, and rely on dry but informative ads. It’s amazing just how much difference this little phrase can make. 

Your tagline should be short and easy to understand. It needs to flow with the name of the business, align with your brand, and evoke a positive emotion. All the most successful brands have this in common, and it’s the key to lasting success.