Highlights:
- A slogan is not a brand. A brand is a feeling, not a phrase.
- The goal of a slogan is to trigger an emotional response about the product.
What’s the goal of a slogan? To compress the brand into one moving and memorable point. There are product-focused slogans like this Mazda “zoom zoom” ad that sell a product feature.
This slogan is primarily about the car features, and boils down the brand to one point – Mazda is the zippy, fun car. But other slogans are not about a product feature. Their sole goal is to trigger a feeling.
McDonald’s “I’m loving it,” isn’t selling food. It’s selling a lifestyle.
Harley-Davidson has had numerous slogans throughout the years – everything from “live by it” to “screw it, let’s ride.”
But the words don’t really matter, because Harley’s brand isn’t a product, it’s a feeling. Any slogan will do, as long as it triggers the essence of their brand – bad boys who are respected and feared.
Sometimes it takes a second to get this ad. That’s the husband in the closet. So remember, don’t fall into the trap of picking a slogan that’s clever, but meaningless. Sell a product, or sell a feeling, but have a clear purpose.
Graeme Newell is a specialist in Emotional Marketing and is the premier expert in his field. He speaks at conferences and seminars as a keynote speaker to help instruct advertisers to create better advertising. Graeme Newell presents the best ads and best commercials to businesses to help them improve their marketing strategy. He advises business organizations and private companies on how to use emotional marketing to improve the effectiveness of their branding and how to increase customer loyalty and retention.
