Straplines – an essential part of your brand?

Strapline, tagline, hook, sign-off, signature, throwaway line, slogans... call them what you will. There are dozens of marketing terms for them, they all pretty much amount to the same thing – a memorable slogan attached to a brand to establish a brief summary of the company, product or service.

Every consumer focussed company should have one as part of it's brand arsenal. It's an essential part of the brand, perhaps as useful or necessary as your logo.

Take these popular phrases for example. Is there anyone who hasn't heard of these?
– The future's bright, the future's orange.
– A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play.
– Vorsprung durch Technik
– For mash get Smash
– Every little helps

Just by reading these you know exactly who the company is, you know what products they make, the quality, range, tone etc. You can remember the logo and possibly even the ads, whether on TV or printed. All from half a dozen well thought out words.

Essentially, all a strapline is is a catchy, witty, emotive or insightful way of remembering a brand or product. Once a consumer has been exposed to the line a few times they will remember it and make an association with the brand. It helps to channel customers to your products.

Simplicity is the key. Don't try and cram your whole product range, company history and outlook into it. Think of your target audience. How do they speak? How do they see you? It's part of your overall brand so even though it's text it should fit seamlessly with your image.

Think of it like twitter – you have lots to say and communicate but you have to do it in a succinct and brief message!

Simples...

Contact Liv Design, the branding specialist in Nottingham, if you would like further help and ideas.