It's as Simple as That

Taglines that hit home

Jun 13, 2024

You may have noticed I’ve been a bit quiet on social media lately. Although, let’s be honest- between the evil LinkedIn algorithm, and an overflowing Inbox, you probably haven’t missed me. <sigh>

I’ve been focusing on some non-marketing things for a while, and so my podcasts and newsletters have been less frequent. It does make you think, though. Sometimes, we try too hard, when simple is best.

Case in point - this ice-cream ad I saw at the airport this week:

It’s a simple - nonsensical - sentence, that somehow makes sense.

[An aside: Do you think ChatGPT would be able to come up with something as abstract and interesting as this?]

Keeping it simple

This is especially true for technical products. We talk ad infinitum about specifications. We trumpet our latest certifications. We dig deep into application notes. When what people really want to know is “How does it solve my problem?”

Yes, we all know we should be selling the hole, not the drill. But our drill is so shiny, and is so much drillier than our competitors…😏

BASF ran a campaign many years ago that still sticks with me. “We don't make the products you buy, we make the products you buy better.” They sell thousands of complex chemical products, all too difficult to encapsulate in a tagline. So they chose something that sold the benefit. and created a positive association with the brand.

I also love this Drink Driving campaign from our Aussie friends. Short and to the point:

The key is finding a straightforward statement that conveys an emotion. A sentence that says something to the audience without overloading them with info. And that gives you room to breathe as the company evolves.

But not too simple

Sometimes, it doesn’t hit home.

Why, oh why, do Apple run ads about the color of their iphones, and ignore the capabilities altogether? [Maybe I just don’t understand the zeitgeist on that one]

For my British readers, you’ll be familiar with “The Carphone Warehouse” which has somehow stayed in business despite its namesake category becoming obsolete.

And in my time at Panasonic, I never really clicked with the corporate tagline “Ideas for Life.” As an insider, it does actually represents the spirit of the company well - making peoples lives better by providing quality, accessible consumer tech.

But I don’t think it communicates well to the buying public. It’s been simplified to the point of being meaningless.

A Goldilocks Tagline

Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.

👉So it’s got to be simple enough to be memorable. But detailed enough to make a point.

👉 Short enough to fit on a banner ad. But long enough to say something impactful.

👉 Clever enough to spark an emotion. But simple enough to be understood.

Hey, I didn’t say that writing a simple tagline was easy! But spending the time to get it right is time well spent.

The reality is, there are only a handful of corporate taglines that are truly memorable. And for most B2B tech companies, that’s really not the goal anyway. What you do need is a statement that encapsulates how you help the customer.

It’s about the hole. Not the drill.