Taglines Don't Matter Anymore

Taglines Don't Matter Anymore

At this very moment, it's very likely that many of us have sweaty palms as we rush to finalize our client's new brand tagline presentation. Tensions run high along the way, excitement builds, then presentation day comes and you sell it in. Great job all around, everyone get's a bonus, and the agency sends out a release. Job well done right? Nope. Not in today's market. If it was 1965 and you're name is Don Draper, perhaps.

Taglines do still matter—just not as much. The thing is, over the last decade, consumers (especially young consumers) have become less and less likely to connect brands with taglines. Why? Simply because there are too many of them. Too many brands, too much information, and to be honest—it's just screams "advertising". Effective brands such as Virgin America, Red Bull, and Gatorade realize what it's all about—being vs. claiming to be.

Today—taglines are an organic process. We've switched to a time where people come to define your brand's "claim". What they say about you and how they feel when they purchase your product—all come together to define your product. Your brand's tagline today isn't written—it's lived. Your service, the smell of your packaging, and the personality of your call center team all come together to write your tagline.

People don't ant taglines—they want to 'feel'. Listening to what your owners, your mom and everyday people say are a good place to start if you want to get to the right place. With some quality brand planning, deep insights, and most importantly-current feedback from your customers you'll get a true sense of the current 'vibe' of our product in the marketplace.

Gatorade, Apple, and Nike all have dropped their taglines—because they can—they're leaders (and they've done their research). But what can a smaller brand like yours learn from this? Here's one thing that's for sure—if you listen, then deliver communications that extends the true tone of your product—you'll do fine. Perhaps then, you won't even need to pitch that expensive, temporary tagline you or your agency made up.

Until then, let's stop making temporary taglines, and let's get back to marketing. And as all good marketers know, that starts with some in-depth research that open's a dialog with your potential customers TODAY.

Comments

[Allan Finkelman]

I don't completely agree with your point. The logical extension is that all messaging is devalued. While creating relevant and positive experience resulting in customer advocacy has become a key marketing objective, that doesn't mean that messaging is dead. It's yet another brand touchpoint. The messaging loses value if the promise is not delivered upon, or if the messaging is so interruptive in nature to cause a negative brand association.

Brand has always been defined by others. We engage in branding strategies to try and influence perception. Is that no longer a viable activity? Nike and Apple can drop their taglines because the symbols speak so loudly. You can't look at the swoosh without thinking "just do it," nor can you look at the Apple logo without connecting "think different." They can drop their taglines specifically because the taglines have been so effective and so representative of the brands that they are now inherent. I'll pass on Gatorade for now. I think they are going through some brand struggles. At least they kept the lightning bolt.