Brand Concepts: The Tag Line

A "Mini" Positioning Statement

We're often asked to help companies create tag lines for their brands, many times sifting through previously brainstormed slogans that bear little or no relation to the brand's promise, or benefit. Our recommendation: start by knowing what the brand is, and does, why it's different, and why it's important. That's the brand's positioning. Then distill your brand's positioning succinctly and cleverly, and boom, you have a tag line, and a chance to make an immediate impact with your consumer.

Tag, You're It

A tag line defines you. It identifies your brand's position on the competitive landscape, and within the consumer's mind. Over time, tag lines may change with your market and consumer. For years Wal-Mart was Always Low Prices. Not now. Today it's, Save Money. Live Better. Living better is the benefit of low prices. Living better allows the mass retailer to position itself more broadly as a lifestyle brand as it evolves into healthcare, banking, and other arenas to meet the changing needs of its consumer.

Here's a few examples of memorable tag lines and their intended benefits:

Brand Tag Line Benefit
FedEx The World On Time global, reliable
UPS What Can Brown Do For You? service, convenience
GE We Bring Good Things To Life innovation
Coca-Cola The Pause That Refreshes rejuvenation
7-Up The uncola unique, different
Apple Think Outside The Box the "unWindows"
Taco Bell Think Outside The Bun the "unburger"
Wendy's Where's The Beef? THE burger
Burger King Have It Your Way the CUSTOM burger
Irish Spring Manly, Yes, But I Like It Too "manly" but gentle
Secret Deodorant Strong Enough For A Man But Made For A Woman "womanly"
Memorex Is It Live Or Is It Memorex? realistic quality
Clairol Does She Or Doesn't She? realistic looks
Wheaties Breakfast of Champions performance aspiration
Kix Cereal Kid Tested. Mother Approved. tasty, but healthy





Tag Line Pointers

A good tag line should:

  1. State the brand's benefit
  2. Be relevant to the target
  3. Connect emotionally
  4. Be simple and memorable