The Slogan & Tagline Blog

Catchy slogans to help get the point across for social media

It is apparent that a catchy slogan is a great way to promote a business, no matter the product or service.  Nearly every industry has jumped onto the slogan bandwagon, from automobiles to hospitals.  Social media is no exception.  Facebook and Google + each have a sloganto help promote their website.  Interestingly, sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram don’t have a slogan yet, although there is discussion among users, especially for Twitter, about what a catchy slogan could be.

Facebook’s slogan is “Share Something.”  At first glance, the slogan seems dull, although it certainly complies with the rule regarding length.  Where this slogan really shines, however, is in descriptiveness.  Facebook is all about sharing.  Users share posts, pictures, videos, their relationship status, time on each other’s farm in Farmville, and more.  Users will certainly find “Share Something” to be a fairly catchy slogan for Facebook.  Unfortunately, Facebook hasn’t done a lot with its slogan.  It doesn’t appear on its home page or any of its advertising.  As with all slogans, the more you put it in front of your consumers, the better results you will have.

Google Plus’s slogan is both catchier at first glance and better utilized.  “That’s a Plus” has appeared on nearly all of Google Plus’ ad spots, and is even the subject of an entire ad campaign.  Google Plus did an excellent job of keeping its slogan short, memorable, and descriptive.  Just like many of the most successful slogans out there (“Just Do It” or “I’m Loving It,” for example), “That’s a Plus” is easy to use in everyday language, keeping this social media site in the minds of its consumers.  The slogan is not very descriptive of the site itself, but immediately brings to mind the name of the website, which in this case, works just as well, if not better.

The social media industry is beginning to understand the importance of a catchy slogan.  Based upon Google Plus’s success is gaining market share against the giant that is Facebook, it won’t be long before Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites jump on the bandwagon.  If your business or product is among those without a catchy slogan to promote it, don’t wait for your competitors to start the trend.  Click here to start down the path to your very own catchy slogan.

The do's and don'ts of slogans for the medical industry.

One might think that to write a slogan all one needs is an understanding of the company or product requesting the slogan and a creative mind.  However, there are general rules to writing a slogan. Slogans must be short, honest, and memorable, for example.  In addition to these basic rules that apply to all slogans, there are some dos and don’ts for writing slogans in particular industries.  For example, the health care industry requires sensitivity to the attitude of patients targeted by the slogan.  Here are some of the additional dos and don’ts to consider when writing a slogan for a client in the health care industry.

• DO keep a positive perspective on the body in general.  This rule tracks with the general rule of staying positive in your slogan, but it is especially important because the health care industry deals with the human body, specifically in treatment of injuries or enhancing beauty.

• DON’T make any references to blood.  The majority of individuals are squeamish about blood.  This is especially true when looking at health care providers and products.  In fact, the industry as a whole has avoided the use of the color red wherever possible because people will associate red with blood in the health care industry.

• DO play to the strengths of the business.  Think about what makes this particular business or product great.  Remember, a slogan is a way to outshine competitors.  What do they do better than their competitor, or what can they offer that their competitor can’t.  Some common strengths are top quality care and access to the best products, and low wait times in the case of walk-in clinics and emergency rooms at hospitals.

• DON’T play on the fears or anxiety of general public toward health care.   Very few people enjoy seeking health care, as shown by the number of home remedies and sayings about how to keep away from the doctor.  Slogans should alleviate fears and anxieties without accusing the public of having them.

• DO know your audience.  A slogan for a hospital should have a different tone and language than a slogan for a drug manufacturer who only sells to medical providers.  Think not only about the level of education and familiarity with medical terminology, but also about the attitude of your audience toward health care and the ways your customer will use the product or service.

There are additional rules for the health care industry, and different rules for writing slogans for other industries.  Here at Slogan Slingers, our slogan writers are familiar with the dos and don’ts of slogans in any industry.  Let them write the perfect slogan for your company.  Call or click here now to get started!

A well written slogan created around an upcoming event can help a firm drum up some extra business. A classic example of this is Tax Day which as we all know is coming up on April 15.

A tagline such as “We know taxes” or “We can do your taxes for you” can take advantage of this upcoming event. There are actually man ways that you can incorporate an event such as tax day into slogan writing.

Take Advantage of Emotion

A good one is try to and deal with the fear of taxes that many people seem to have. This anxiety often builds to a crescendo as April 15 approaches. A clever slogan writer can easily take advantage of it and drum up business for accounting firms, tax attorneys and tax preparers.  Some taglines designed to take advantage of this include:

• “Don’t fear April 15, we’ve got it covered.”
• “Even if you forgot about April 15, we didn’t and we can deal with it.”
• “You may have forgotten about April 15 but the IRS has not.”
• “April 15 is no problem for us because we deal with taxes all year round.”

These taglines remind the customer that he or she may need certain services real soon. They also tell the customer that the business can deal with an unpleasant chore (taxes) for them.

Remind them about the Refund

Taking advantage of emotions like fear is one way to deal with an event such as Tax Day in a slogan. Another is to capitalize on the potential positive returns such as a tax refund.

Here are some taglines designed to capitalize on that aspect of the day:

• “April 15 is coming up fast do you know how much your refund is?”

Or a humorous approach might be more effective.

• “If you don’t want your refund, don’t file your tax return before April 15.”

Another method is to remind customers that you have expertise that they don’t. Humor can be a real helper here because taxes are a negative subject that turns many people off. Adding a little humor to a tagline can turn something that frightens people into something attractive. Here’s an example:

• “If you like paying more taxes than you have too, don’t call us.”

Another tactic is to use the tagline to remind potential customers of negative consequences:

• “Call us about your taxes before the IRS calls you.”

• “Even if you forgot about your taxes, the IRS hasn’t forgotten about you.”

The widespread fear of the IRS can work to the advantage of slogan writers as well. Here are some examples.

• “If you let us do your taxes you don’t have to be afraid of the IRS.”

• “A good accountant keeps the IRS away.”

• “You can pay us or pay the IRS.”

• “We’re not afraid of the IRS.”

• “The IRS is not on your side but we are.”

Tax preparation is a perfect example of a service that most people need but hate to think about. A well written slogan is a perfect means of reminding potential customers that they need it and a particular company provides it.

Events like Tax Day are also a great reason to hold a slogan contest. Adding an event driven slogan can make your advertising more compelling and effective.

Using a catchy slogan can act like a jingle.

Marketing slogans are becoming more popular as studies and consumer-purchasing patterns prove their effectiveness.  Most slogans are used as part of the script in a video advertisement or simply as the end of the commercial.  Some businesses use their slogan on other advertising materials such as posters and pamphlets.  As slogans become more common, it is even more important to have a catchy slogan that will stand out among the competition, and to use it effectively.  Do you have a catchy slogan for your business or product?  How are you using it?

Anyone can tell you that it is easier to remember a catchy slogan than a boring slogan.  And, anyone can tell you that the easiest way to remember something is by turning it into a rhyme or song.  A catchy slogan is often memorable alone, but a creative way to take your advertising slogan to the next level is to use it in a jingle or song.  However, a catchy slogan doesn’t automatically make a catchy jingle and vice versa.  In fact, some current slogans would be very difficult to set to music effectively.

Do you know that a single business or product can have multiple ad slogans?  If your current slogan doesn’t lend itself to song, you don’t have to worry!  You can use Slogan Slingers to choose a new slogan to integrate into a jingle or song, and keep the old slogan for other uses.  You can choose the slogan to fit a song you already have written, such as an existing jingle tune, or you can write a tune to fit your new catchy slogan.  If you don’t already have a jingle, you will need to be aware of copyright laws for pre-existing tunes.  Even if you hire a songwriter to write a jingle for you, you may need to consider copyrighting the new tune, so it can’t be hijacked by your competitors.

Once your slogan has been immortalized in song, it is time to integrate it into your video and radio advertising.  A catchy tune with a catchy slogan is one of the best ways to take your advertising to the next level.  Slogan Slingers can help you choose the best slogan to fit your business, and target audience, but only you can choose how to use your catchy slogan.  If you don’t have a marketing slogan, or need a new one for your jingle or song, click here to get help from our slogan writers now.

One constant in international business is the need for international shipping.  Whether you are shipping small quantities or large, shipping can take up a significant portion of your annual budget.  Individuals also rely on international shipping for things such as letters and even furniture. With such a high demand, a multitude of competitors, shipping companies have turned to catchy slogans to promote their image and message.  Each of the three biggest names in international shipping has a slogan.

UPS uses a single slogan, “What can brown do for you?” for all of its services.  “Brown” of course, refers to the easily recognizable brown trucks and uniforms.  The message is crystal clear—UPS is focusing on their excellent customer service and a wide range of shipping services that fit the need of a myriad of consumers, from big business to a single individual.  While UPS’s slogan is short, honest, and clearly promotes its message, it is not a very catchy slogan.  The lack of catchiness hasn’t seemed to hurt UPS in the least, however, as business continues to boom.

One of UPS’s biggest competitors, FedEx, didn’t stop at a single slogan.  In fact, the company has three that it uses regularly.  The first, “Relax, its FedEx,” is used to promote the company as a whole.  Anyone who has shipped a package overseas knows that the process can time consuming, expensive, and stressful.  FedEx’s slogan tries to take the anxiety out of shipping by saying, “Hey, we’re FedEx, and we’ll take care of it for you.”  In addition to being a message that the overworked consumer wants to hear, the short, rhyming slogan is catchy and easy to remember.  The second slogan, “The world on time,” is geared mostly toward its business consumers.  While it is not a very catchy slogan, it doesn’t need to be because the message focuses on one of the biggest concerns of business—will my package be delivered on time?  The third, used to promote its overnight shipping services, “when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight,” sends the same message as the second, with a sense of urgency.  The combination of these three slogans has helped make FedEx a giant in the international shipping industry.

DHL also has a slogan to help it compete for business—“Excellence.  Simply delivered.”  This slogan reflects a simple, no nonsense way of shipping, free of the usual complexities.  It also promotes the idea that DHL is the best shipping company.  The second part, “simply delivered” plays on the type of business DHL runs.  This catchy slogan captures a message that most businesses and individuals can relate to.

Does your shipping business have a catchy slogan?  If not, or if you are inspired by these catchy slogans to create a new one, click here

A catchy slogan is helpful to remember a company used around the world

to let Slogan Slingers suggest a great slogan for your company.

Slogans play an important place in politics and in patriotism. The very first words of the United States constitution: “We the People” can be seen as a tagline for the products called the United States of America, democracy and constitutional government.

Slogans and Revolution

Likewise: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” can be seen as the slogan of the French revolution. The purpose of that tagline was of course to promote the French revolution and its supposed goals. These words are still seen as the slogan of the French republic over 200 years after the revolution.

“Liberty for all” and “give me liberty or give me death” played a similar role in the American Revolution. The idea behind these slogans was to introduce a very new and radical concept: political freedom to average people. We tend to forget that just 250 years ago freedom was a radical concept that vast majority of people were unfamiliar with. Both the American Founding Fathers and the French revolutionaries had to figure out ways to introduce the concept to the masses, slogans were an effective means of doing just that.

The Dark Side of Political Slogans

There is a very dark side to such slogans as well they can be abused by tyrants and politicians into tricking people into backing some very questionable causes. During the American Civil War the Confederacy claimed to be fighting for states’ rights. “States’ Rights” was a noble cause unlike the defense of slavery which was the war’s real motivation.

Later on during the Chinese Civil war Communist dictator Mao Zedong fooled peasants with the slogan “land to the tiller.”  Mao and his followers used this to trick peasants into thinking they would give them land. In reality, Mao took all the land from the peasants and collectivized it. Mao of course was smart enough to realize that average Chinese wouldn’t fight for Communism, but they would fight for land. Just as poor southerners who wouldn’t fight for slavery would fight for “states’ rights.”

Motivating the Troops

Some slogans are designed to appeal to the masses, others to the members of an organization. The catchphrase used by the recent Occupy movement “We are the 99%” was designed for the movement’s members as much as anybody else. The idea was to convince the movement’s members it represented the majority when it didn’t.

Another reason for this tagline was to repackage something that has had little appeal in America; Marxist class warfare rhetoric, as something modern and distinctly American. Whether Occupy itself was a success or not is debatable but the tagline certainly was. It got the movement’s ideas across and appealed to a mass following. The slogan succeeded in appealing to large numbers of people who disagreed with Occupy’s basic cause.

Political slogans work just like any other tagline political leaders have products to sell just like businesses do. Like entrepreneurs leaders often face the difficult task of getting a product (an idea) across to people that neither understand it nor agree with it. In some cases people might be hostile to the idea a good slogan

The United States First Slogan

can help a political cause as the success of the United States proves.

How does a fairly common business with a product that many other people sell distinguish itself from the pack? One answer is with a very distinctive and original slogan. Car dealers often face this predicament there are thousands of them out there and many of them sell the exact same brands.

Original taglines are one cost effective method of setting car dealerships apart from one another. A major goal of such taglinesis to show customers or potential customers that the dealership is different. Another is to dispel popular negative notions about automobile dealerships many of which are based on experience. These notions include images of pushy salesmen and widespread dishonesty on the showr

Catchy slogans are great for car dealerships!

oom floor.

Interesting Car Dealership Slogans

Here are some interesting and very creative attempts at setting car dealerships apart from the rest of the industry with slogans:

The most popular and pervasive car dealer slogan around today is the tagline for the giant dealership network CarMax: “CarMax. The way car buying should be.” This tagline is saying that CarMax is different from other dealers, it lacks aggressive salespeople and questionable sales tactics. It also promises a laid back and easy going car shopping experience.

A similar tagline is utilized by a British dealership chain called the Car People: “The hassle-free way to buy a car.” This isn’t very original but it gets the point across. To a lot of people automobile shopping is a real chore. Many people dread going near the dealers because of past experiences. The idea is that the dealer wants to make it easy for you to buy a car.

The European car dealer Arnold Clark instead tries to play on the lack of trust many people have for car dealers. Its’ tagline is: “Arnold Clark. Promises delivered.” The not so subtle message here is you can trust us. A strong message especially for all the people who feel they’ve been lied to or deceived by a dealer.

Building a Relationship with Slogans

These slogans all have the purpose of building a relationship with customers in a business with a long history of questionable customer service. The idea is to create a long term relationship and repeat customers.

These slogans often go against the grain in an industry that often emphasizes low prices and value above all else. The writers of these taglines recognize the fact that mindlessly harping on value or low prices puts a lot of customers off. Many people equate an obsession with value and low prices with low quality and a lack of customer service.

People who might put up with such a state of affairs when they buy a low cost product such soap but they won’t accept bargain basement tactics in a high value purchase such as a new car. A person planning to spend a large percentage of her income on a purchase wants a good relationship.

Building customer relationships is a difficult task that requires a long term commitment, understanding and hard work. The tagline can only show that a car dealership is dedicated to such efforts. Unless the dealer is willing to back the promises made in the slogan with actions, the tagline is a waste of time and money.

You can use your slogan contest to also buy rights for a project headline.

Slogans can help a business become successful by making it memorable.  Slogan contests are a great way to get the perfect slogan for your business.  But did you know that the same slogan contest could give you more than a single slogan at a time?  Sometimes, our slogan writers do such a great job creating slogans for you that you have a hard time choosing just one winner.  No one likes a dilemma, even if it is only to choose between two great slogans.  Naturally, if you have already found multiple slogans you love for your business, you don’t want to start yet another slogan contest.  Well, Slogan Slingers has the perfect solution for you!  Why not purchase the rights to other, non-winning slogans for use in your business?

Any businessperson can use multiple slogans to promote their business.  After all, your corporate consumers don’t relate to the same thing as your individual consumers.  You can use the non-winning slogans from the slogan contest as headliners for other projects, including pamphlets, print ads, and more.  A business has many forms of advertisement outside of spots on the television or print ads in a newspaper or online.  Do you have motivational or corporate posters in your employee break or conference room?  Do you have business literature in your lobby or waiting room?  Do you give your customers pamphlets or other informational literature when they stop by?  Each of these is a new opportunity to expand upon the message you promote with your original slogan.  Consider varying the slogans and using them as headliners in each type of literature or media to fit the message to the audience.

If you haven’t yet created a slogan contest, it is not too late!  Setting up a slogan contest is easy.  Just fill out our simple and informative form to tell our slogan writers what you are looking for.  Then, set the prize amount and sit back and wait.  When the slogan contest ends, pick your winner.  Then, you can choose other slogans suggested by our slogan writers and purchase the rights to use these alternative slogans for the project headline or literature of your choice.  Click here to get started today!

Michael J. Roarty created some of the first catchy slogans for beer brands.

The life of a famous slogan writer isn’t one of fame although it can lead to fortune. Take the case of Michael J. Roarty Jr. the man who cooked up the legendary beer taglines “This Bud’s for you” and “Weekends are made for Michelob.” Almost every man, woman and child in the United States is familiar with those catchphrases but not with the man behind them.

Familiarity Breeds Success

Roarty was a highly successful slogan writer because he understood the product he was selling and the market. Roarty was the son of Irish immigrants from Detroit he knew beer and he knew the American working class and what they drank.

During his tenure as vice president and director of marketing for Anheuser-Busch from 1977-1990, Roarty proved the power of catchy slogans by nearly doubling the brewing giant’s sales. The taglines worked because they appealed directly to the American working class’s desire for a cheap beer that tasted good.

Roarty also understood the connection between sports and beer well hence the “Weekends are made for Michelob” campaign. He knew that beer was associated with recreation and sports. Roarty’s contributions to sports included buying advertising on an unknown network named ESPN in 1980 and creating the pop culture icon known as the Bud Bowl.

In 1993, Roarty was even named as the sixth most powerful man in sports by The Sporting News. He recognized the potential appeal of sports and sports related slogans before many other marketing gurus did. Roarty was so synonymous with Anheuser-Busch that he was known as “Mr. Budweiser.”

What you can learn from Mr. Budweiser

So what lessons can today’s slogan writers learn from Mr. Budweiser and his legendary taglines. Some very important ones including:

• Establish and constantly demonstrate a bond with your customers. “This Bud’s for you” indicates that Budweiser is for everybody or more importantly the common people. The slogan shows that Anheuser-Busch cares about beer drinkers and makes a product for them.

• Know your audience well. Understand what they like and care about, even if you don’t approve of it. If your customers like sports or comic books cater to their tastes. Roarty did that constantly with slogans like “weekends are for Michelob.” If you don’t know what your audience likes do some research and find out what recreational activities they enjoy. If the people in your community love football or soccer consider basing taglines on football or soccer phrases.

• Be honest with your audience and don’t make promises in taglines. “This Bud’s for you” and other Roarty classic “Gimme a light” (for light beer). Don’t promise anything to the customers nor do they raise expectations. Instead they simply note that those products are good basic beers. Many taglines fall flat because they make promises that entrepreneurs cannot possibly keep.

• Look for alternative advertising outlets. The advertising landscape is constantly changing, so take advantage of it. Back in 1980 ESPN was something of a joke broadcasting third rate wrestling matches and sports nobody had heard of. Yet Roarty recognized the network’s potential and got in on the ground floor. Whenever you see a new advertising medium take a close look you might be onto something big.

Slogan writing can lead to success, fame and fortune. It also takes perseverance and a good understanding of the market and human nature as Michael J. Roarty’s success proved.

Creating a slogan or tagline will help the crowd remember the team name. Think of it as an awesome battle cry.

Creating a tagline for a basketball team or other sports franchise isn’t as easy it seems. Many of the best taglines have been taken and a lot of slogans simply don’t work for sports.

A good way to think of a sports team slogan is as a battle cry. After all you’re trying to rally the team and lead it onto victory just as you would rally troops and lead them into battle. Therefore a really good sports team tagline should convey aggression and the competitive spirit.

Catchy Slogans for Sports Teams and why they work

A great one is “Our blood, our sweat, our tears” this paraphrases a famous speech Winston Churchill made during the Battle of Britain. The tagline shows what the team is willing to sacrifice for victory. It also shows what every athlete knows that every game is a struggle. There is no victory without struggle and sacrifice.

Another good slogan for a basketball team is “one spirit, one team, one wind.” This emphasizes teamwork and cooperation in a sport that often is plagued by show bating and grandstanding.

Emphasizing competition is often a highly successful strategy when building a sports team slogan. Yet something to remember is that the slogan is for the fans as much as the players. After all without the fans there is no sport and no game.

Show the Fans you want to win

Therefore one of the main purposes of sports slogans is to show the fans that you’re serious about winning. This is necessary because you have to show the fans that you care about them. After all the fans are giving up their time and often their money to support the team.

A good way to attract fans is with a tagline such as “Hustle, hit and never quit.” That conveys the aggressive spirit yet shows a little bit of humor. It also demonstrates that the athletes are willing to work hard to achieve their goals.

Demonstrate Your Love of the Game

An even better strategy is to show the fans the type of ball you intend to play. A great tagline for conveying this is: “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” That shows fans that you understand the game and more importantly care about the game and winning.

A fun variation on that tagline is “Defend to the end.” That shows that the team is willing to play to the bitter end and go the extra length. Yet it also demonstrates something more than mindless activity. It reminds fans and players alike that there is an ultimate purpose to all the activity. The purpose of course is to win the game.

Displaying ambition and pride is another great way to boost team spirit. This slogan is a highly effective means of doing just that: “Reach for the sky or don’t even try.” That slogan shows the whole purpose of sports to win the game.

Applying Sports Slogans to Real Life

The same slogans that work in sports can work elsewhere. The tagline that can motivate a basketball team can also motivate a sales team or a construction crew. Team work, hard work and the desire to win are universal motivators that can be applied in all fields of endeavor. Catchy slogans great way to convey those ideals to any group or team.