What’s in a Tag-Line

Tag-lines are all about branding. Yes, they can call someone to action in a direct response ad but the real purpose is to bring your company to mind when someone needs a service or product. You have two ways to go about this, and both of them follow a set of rules. But the number one rule that both share is: make it short.

Your tag-line should convey an idea in as few words possible. One sentence is pushing it. Half a sentence works well. Three or four words is perfect. This makes it easy to remember, and it keeps you from straying from the central idea of your tag-line…which brings us to the two different types.

Explanatory Tag-Lines

These explain your service or product. Usually, you would only use these if your company name (or the name of your product) isn’t self explanatory. For example, we only know what Bounty is because of popularity…but the tag line, “the quicker, picker, upper” certainly helps clarify it. But Office Depot wouldn’t use such a tag-line because the company name already tells customers what they sell. A competitor of Office Depot (like ESS) would need one of these tag lines…like “For Everything Office”.

Invoking Tag-Lines

If potential customers already know what you offer, your tag-line should invoke a sensation or emotion. It’s the backdrop for your company name. Consider it the decoration in your store. If it doesn’t set the proper mood, customers won’t buy. Think of Nike’s “Just do it”. It gives the audience the feeling of aggression and ambition…ideal for sports equipment.

What do you want to say

It’s not impossible to combine these types…but it’s not advisable. The tag line should have one idea and nothing more. Consider, in one word, how you want people to feel about your service. Go through a thesaurus and find similar words. Now find a creative phrase that can stand by itself, but sounds great with the company name. Or just let a professional do it.