How To Create A Clever Slogan In 6 Simple Steps

How To Create A Clever Slogan In 6 Simple Steps

/ Branding / By

Learn how to create a clever slogan for your business in 6 simple steps with this ultimate guide to slogans. Discover the methodology that branding agencies use to give unforgettable slogans to the largest companies in the market and how YOU can get one for yours. The best part? completely free.

Table of Contents

What is a slogan

The slogan (Also called "tagline) is a short and memorable phrase that highlights a relevant aspect of a brand's value proposition or its philosophy towards the consumer.

Brief and original formula, used for advertising, political propaganda, etc.

- Dictionary of the Spanish language (RAE)

Where the slogan is used

The slogan can be used as an "advertising campaign phrase" or in communication pieces and institutional material (such as letterheads or official letters) as part of a brand's marketing efforts. It is typically seen below the logo as a small piece of text or on a brand's website.

Differences between a good and bad slogan

The difference between a good slogan and a bad slogan is that a bad slogan sounds generic (meaning that you have heard it before) and does not make clear any relevant or distinguishable aspect of the brand. On the other hand, a good slogan makes clear the brand's value proposition or a relevant aspect of it in an ingenious, concise and melodious way.

Examples of bad slogans are:

  • “We offer a quality service”
  • "Our commitment to excellence"
  • “Innovative solutions for your business needs”
  • "Customer satisfaction is our top priority"
  • “Building a better future for our clients”
  • “We believe in teamwork and collaboration”
  • “Experience the difference with us”
  • “We seek excellence in everything we do”
  • “Partner with us for success”
  • “Our passion drives results”
  • “High-quality transportation services”
  • “We help you fulfill your corporate dreams”

What is the process to create a great slogan

In my branding agency (Dizalo) we have a clear process when it comes to creating a slogan that leaves a mark on the mind of whoever reads it. To do this we have to understand the qualities of the brand and its differentials, because the slogan seeks to communicate this.

1. Define the qualities of the brand in a list

The first thing is to define in a list the qualities of the brand. Exactly what is good about your brand compared to others? Most business owners will tell you that "its quality and its good price" are its greatest quality and differential, but nothing is further from the truth.

They all claim to have the best quality, but it is necessary to go further and ask, in what do they have the highest quality? Exactly what aspect of your product or service is of high quality? We took your answer (or our own answer if we are the business owner) and wrote down a clear list of 10 qualities that the brand has.

2. Summarize the philosophy of the brand

Do you remember when in the movie Karate Kid the dojo of Cobra Kai had a big sign on its wall that said "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!" while, on the other hand, sensei Miyagi constantly told our beloved protagonist Daniel-San "The best fight is when you DON'T have to fight."

Well this is a great example of two brand philosophies.

Both philosophies (both Miyagi's and Cobra Kai's) are different and reflect the different approaches he has to Karate.

This is reflected in their slogans or "Mantra". Miyagi's philosophy was one of commitment: if Daniel was going to learn karate, he had to commit to doing it well. While Cobra Kai's philosophy was more focused on victory, hence his mantra, "Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!" which made them more aggressive in fights.

In order to create an incredible slogan that gives you customers, it is important to take into account the philosophy of the brand.

This implies that, if the owner of the company has a specific approach to how he does business, it is advisable to use this in our favor, especially if the product or service is not particularly differentiable from others as such.

Using a brand philosophy as a method to create a slogan is a very useful strategy.

An example of this is when a motor company has the philosophy that "Every good motor is silent" or when a cleaning service has the philosophy that "Every house should be tidy". It is there where our differences shine brightest. And the slogan is an ideal tool to communicate this to future customers.

3. List the differentials of the brand

The difference between a quality or benefit and a differential is that the former can be copied by other companies while the latter is something intrinsic to the brand, such as its business model or specialization.

After writing down the qualities that the brand has, we need to define the differential aspects that the brand has, that is, those things that other companies can hardly copy. For example, if our brand is characterized by using a specific material in the industry that only we use, a group of specialized activities that only your company knows how to do, or a service focused on a specific audience, it is necessary to use pencil and paper to record these differentials. , because they are pure gold to use in our brand slogan.

4. Brainstorm

Once we have clearly defined the differential aspects and qualities of our brand, it is time to brainstorm. We are going to take all the information that we have collected from the brand and set a timer (Typically 10 minutes) And we are going to write down all the slogan ideas that we can think of. It is very important to take into account that, at this stage, there are no bad ideas, only ideas. So there's no point in criticizing slogan ideas that we STILL have, because we're aiming for the quantity, not the quality of those ideas.

5. Filter the best ideas

Once we have completed our brainstorming, we are going to stop the timer and we are going to proceed to make a top 5 of the best ideas. On average we should have about 30 slogans at this point, so it's a wise decision to remove those that don't interest us. We are going to take into account aspects such as brevity, relevance, originality and sound.

6. Polish by removing or substituting words

At this point, after having our top 5 slogan ideas, we are going to proceed to play with the words and the composition of these short sentences to increase their effectiveness, for this we can eliminate words that we feel are excessive or replace words with others that we consider most appropriate, which will leave us with 5 high-quality slogans to choose the best possible.

How to create a great slogan quickly

To create a slogan or tagline it is necessary to carry out the so-called "creative process for slogans" which consists of: Clarifying the USP (Unique Selling Proposition), qualities, distinguishable aspects and philosophy of the brand, to go on to collect keywords related to our brand, to continue with brainstorming, proceed to choose the best ideas and finally discard those slogan proposals that are not clear enough and require our ability to polish the most relevant aspects of their writing.

Tips for creating a witty brand slogan

If you are one of those who loves to do things right, then these tips are for you. To create an incredible brand slogan, I share these 6 tips that every good marketer and entrepreneur should follow when creating an AMAZING slogan.

Motivate with brand values

Using values as a source of inspiration for our slogan is a very smart tactic because all companies inherently share a set of values, but it is on the values that we can hook customers by creating a rather likable and humanitarian slogan. This focus on values will help create an emotional and captivating slogan.

Apply a solid guarantee

If the product or service that you offer to a client does not work or is defective, it is logical to return their money, so why not turn this into a POWERFUL guarantee that is communicated in the slogan? It's like when Domino's Pizza in the past used their famous slogan: "We deliver in 30 minutes or less, or it's free!"

Keep it short and simple

A long, tedious, complex slogan has the potential to make your customers ignore your brand more easily than a cat ignores its owner when called by a name other than “pspspsps”. Your slogan should be easy to remember and easy to say. Stick to a maximum of seven words and avoid using complex or unfamiliar language.

make it emotional

An emotional slogan always works, because most of the time people buy based on emotions and not logic. An emotional slogan should attract people's emotions and connect with them on a deeper level. Insecurities? Desires? A slogan that hits that button has the potential to “click” in the mind of whoever reads it and create quite a magnetic emotional connection.

Try it

Not everything that looks like gold is gold. The same rule applies to slogans, not every slogan that sounds good on a corporate board, sounds good in the minds of customers. Keep in mind that once you've created a slogan, it's ideal to take the time to test it out with a small group of people to see if it resonates with them. Get feedback and tweak until you have a tagline that really resonates with your audience.

BONUS: What rhymes, doesn't hurt

A good rhyme is probably the easiest way to turn a slogan into the next hum and thought in your customer's mind when they think about your brand category. Adding rhymes helps make the slogan sound more appealing and more memorable.

58 examples of excellent slogans:

  1. “It melts in your mouth, not in your hands” – M&M’s
  2. “Music for every mood” – Spotify
  3. “Quiet nights, fun days” – Pampers
  4. “To lick your fingers” – KFC
  5. “We bring companies and clients together” – Salesforce
  6. “There are some things that money can't buy. For everything else, there is MasterCard” – MasterCard
  7. "Because you worth it" – L’Oréal Paris
  8. "Nothing is impossible" – Adidas
  9. “Belongs anywhere” – Airbnb
  10. "Think different" – Apple
  11. “The best that men can get” – Gillette
  12. “The ultimate driving machine” – BMW
  13. “Wait more. pay less” – Target:
  14. "Let's get the job done" – Caterpillar
  15. "That was easy" – Staples
  16. “Share the fantasy” – Chanel
  17. "Breakfast of Champions"– Wheaties
  18. “When you care enough to send the best” – Hallmark
  19. "Eat fresh" – Subway
  20. “Where you want to be” – Visa
  21. “Cleans more than just teeth” – Colgate
  22. "A diamond is forever" – De Beers
  23. “The happiest place in the world” – Disneyland
  24. "Just do it" – Nike
  25. “Buy it. Sell ​​it. love it” – Ebay
  26. “It's free and always will be” – Facebook
  27. "Together, everything is possible" – Shell
  28. “All the news that should be printed” – The New York Times
  29. “Lo mejor o nada” – Mercedes benz
  30. "Now you are playing with power!" – Nintendo
  31. “Try the rainbow” – Skittles
  32. "Red Bull gives you wings" – Red Bull
  33. "Does not abandon you" – Rexona
  34. “Broadcast yourself” – Youtube
  35. "Do it your way" – Burger King
  36. “15 minutes can save you 15 percent or more on auto insurance” – Geico
  37. “Conversational AI for everyone” – ChatGPT
  38. “Discovering and promulgating the path to safe artificial intelligence” – OpenAI
  39. “Spend more time searching than looking” – Netflix
  40. "The future is sustainable" – Tesla
  41. “We believe in what people make possible” – Microsoft
  42. "The few. The proud. The Marines" – El Cuerpo de Marines de EE. UU.
  43. “Created to help you grow your way” – Mailchimp
  44. "Can't you eat just one" – Lay’s
  45. "Keep Reinventing Us" – HP
  46. “Quality never goes out of style” – Levi’s
  47. "I love it" – McDonald’s
  48. “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” – FedEx
  49. “Maybe she was born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline” – Maybelline
  50. "Go and go" – Energizer
  51. “Our blades are fucking great” – Dollar Shave Club
  52. "The original. If your grandfather hadn't used it, you wouldn't exist." – Old Spice
  53. "Unbreakable" – Oracle
  54. "Take a rest. Have a KitKat” – KitKat
  55. "The Sports Fuel Company" – Gatorade
  56. “Above and beyond” – Land Rover
  57. “It tastes so good that the cat asks for it by name” – Meow Mix
  58. “All for freedom. Freedom for all" – Harley Davidson
Oliver Puente
Oliver Puente
Freelance brand identity and UI/UX designer based in Guatemala, Oliver Puente helps companies modernize their brands.
All Posts

Related Posts

0
    0
    your cart
    your cart is emptyReturn to the store
    Keep buying

    On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our website to a friend or colleague?