Everyone loves good tag lines and, whether we want to admit it or not, they are an integral part of our culture.We repeat them and incorporate them into our vocabularies (e.g. “Just Do It”). They become jumping off points for other campaigns (e.g. “Got Milk?”). They serve as bases for humor and entertainment (e.g. “Where’s the beef?”). Of course, not every tag line makes it into the cultural lexicon, but you should still strive to make yours as memorable as possible. In addition to being memorable, a good tag line should include the following information:
- Benefits of your product or service
- What makes you unique compared to your competition
- Your company’s personality or brand
Your tag line should complement your company name and use simple language to succinctly describe what you do. Writing good tag lines isn’t as easy as you might think. The fewer words you have with which to express an idea, the more important each word becomes. Try using the following steps to get the process started:
Make a List
Jot down as many ideas you can think of that you want to convey. Include the benefits of your products or services, keywords for which you want to rank in the search engines, and words that describe your brand. Think of this list from the perspective of the “take-away” message. That is, what is the ONE idea you want readers to take away every time they see something from your company or organization? For now you’re just brainstorming, but keep in mind that your tag line should convey that one idea.
Find a Format
Some tag line formats should be familiar to you. They include the directive (e.g. “Don’t Leave Home Without It”), the promise (e.g. “Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking”), the description (e.g. “The Quicker Picker Upper”), the question (“Does She or Doesn’t She?”), the tie-in with an abstract concept (e.g. “A Diamond Is Forever”), the values statement (e.g. “Quality Is Job One”), and the benefit (e.g. “Sheer Driving Pleasure”). Consider these formats and start to think about how the words you’ve listed might fit into one of them.
Associate With an Archetype
The book The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson offers an interesting perspective on branding that can be used for creating good tag lines. The archetypes they mention include the Creator, the Caregiver, the Jester, the Regular Guy/Girl, the Sage, the Hero, and the Outlaw. The authors propose that brands associated with one of these archetypes are more likely to endure. Consider which archetype you would like to associate with your brand, and try to use words that reflect that archetype. So, if you wanted to associate with the Regular Guy/Girl archetype, you would use words that evoke a down-home, no-nonsense, egalitarian approach.
Put Together the Pieces
With your list, your formats, and your archetype, start playing with some ideas. Don’t be shy, here. There are no bad ideas at this point. Write down as many as you can think of. This process lends itself well to a group effort, so get some staff, colleagues, consultants, or friends together to help. Again, don’t be fooled into believing that good tag lines are easy to create. They’re not. Take your time, and generate as many ideas as you can think of.
Narrow It Down
Once you have a good number of possible tag lines, start eliminating those that you don’t like, that don’t evoke the image (archetype) you want to convey, and that don’t specifically describe what your company or organization does. You should be left with several to choose from. Narrow it down even further: which five do you like the best? Check each one against your take-away idea. Give each one the “roll off the tongue” test. Check for simple language. Still stuck? Give it a few days, and come back to the process with fresh eyes.
What is the best tag line you have come up with? Please share in the comments.
About the Author: Karen Marcus, M.A. is a Northern Colorado copywriter and grant writer who has been helping clients in a wide range of industries to put their best word forward for 13 years.
Need assistance writing good tag lines? Karen can help! Click here for contact info.
