Brand Voice - Taglines

Brand voice refers to the brand's comunication style that helps to evoke ideas of a brand's personality. It encompassesevery conceivable element; from word choice, level of formality to cultural slant and so on. Just like other external brand elemnts, it has its own special place in the brand style manual. The 'brand voice' complements other external elements (like the name and logo) in delivering the human-like brand persona so consistently that it is memorable. This post will exclusively discuss taglines, which is one way in which 'brand voice' is expressed. 

A tagline is a simple, concise phrase that is reiterated after a brandname, at the end of every advertisement or other marketing material. 

Ideally, it is used strategically, often communicating a brand's unique value proposition, competitive advantage (or why the market should select your brand over others and or what a business does. In other words, the focus of a tagline should not be to sound catchy if a catchy expression is not very meaningful in any of these ways. As modern consumers grow wary of stiff corporate language, taglines need to sound more and more like the voice of a familiar person with a personality the target finds attractive. 

Types of Tagline & Their Application

The following are among the most common types of tagline. Notice how they stress the brand's competitive advantage. 

• Differentiation tagline. Use this when you need a rallying cry to the public about why they should join your tribe over the competition. This tagline can be very useful for exclusivity marketing or brand positioning. For branding positioning, you stress that your brand is 'the only one that does __X__' or 'can render y results' (within the context of industrial conditions that make those results otherwise unachievable).
• Example: Apple - "Think different" because the Apple tribe is 'more creative' and therefore different from PC users who they consider to be mundane. This tagline is a rally cry to other 'rebel' and 'creator' personalities; essentially calling to them to step away from the uncreative, normal plebes and into their exclusive tribe.
• Example: The nature of its business sets the expectation that Tampa Gemeral Hospital has a naturally 'caregiver'  personality, a personality one might expect to have a sweet voice about caring the most. However, this brand differentiates itself unlike others with such bold language that it is hard not to notice it when it says that it 'Other hospitals practice medicine. We define it.' Contrast this with the softer voices of other 'caregiver' hospital brands like 'keeping you\ well', 'exceptional care close to you' or the Salvation Army's 'caregiver' tagline of "doing the most good". 
• Example: L'Oreal - "Because you're worth it". Having the 'lover' brand personality archetype, this brand meets esteem needs (see Maslow's Hierarchy of needs) and appeals to the vanity with hints of prestige. It is unapologetic about how its higher-than-usual price and unnecessarily fancy packaging. This language will resonate with those of like mind, people who think they deserve the 'finer' things. 
• Value-creation, results-oriented tagline. Use this tagline if you want to stress what the product will surely accomplish, especially if this is your brand's competitive advantage. I find that brands with a 'wizard' personality traits speak like this because they promise transformation, they present themselves as the catalyst to 'make things happen'.
• Example: These taglines are often used for products whose competitive advantage is related to high levels of hard and measurable performance. This is evident in cases like; Energizer's "Keep going and going" stresses performance; Tide's "Tide's in, dirt's out"; Good Year's "More driven"; Volvo's "For life" which is likely backed up by strict compliance with health and safety requirements that ensure good life-saving qualities.
• Example: Geico's '15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance/' 

• Literal tagline. This tagline is not as emotionally exicting. Rather, it simply describes the brand's function or what it does, literally. It is ideal for situations in which the brand name on its own is not sufficiently descriptive of the business and or the brand is new in the market. 
• Examples. I think this voice reflects the sober nature of the 'sage' brand personality very well. It appears a good fit for situations in which the consumable product changes with each customer, thereby requiring a promise of the brand's work ethic. Illustrations include the following.  
• New York Times' "All the news that's fit to print" which suggests that it is a serious brand that only prints quality content. 
• Use taglines that are appropriate to your brand's stage within its life cycle. Specifically, resist the temptation to imitate the catchy and often vague nature of world famous brands. Remember that they are so well known that their voice no longer needs to inspire brand awareness. Literal taglines are more suitable than vague taglines like IBM's 'Think' are more suitable for a startup. Nike's 'Just Do It' would mean nothing for a startup but has great meaning for Nike. Literal taglines must use keywords to raise brand awareness. Examples: This type of tagline is useful for new businesses, especially when the brand name alone is not sufficiently descriptive of the offering. Illustrations include the following.
• Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium.
• By using the keyword 'car insurance, this example is include here. However, Geico's, '15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance' is also a great results-oriented tagline that can be emulated by even very new brands. This is such a winner tagline because it concisely says so much; what they do, the results you can expect and it contains keywords (car insurance). It is such a winner that it likely made sales. If prospective clients not knowing it alongside competing brands like Statefarm or Allstate, it delivers much more useful information. For instance, Statefarm's tagline is 'like a good neighbor, Statefarm is there'  and Allstate's is 'you're in good hands'. While both acceptable, they rely on prior brand knowledge.
• Janes Doe, on-call baby sitters in Charington Towers

TIPS TO RECAP

• Keep it simple, short and easily digestible for your target market.
• Use power words that forms your message's 'rhetorical appeal'-related trigger / brand positioning differentiator, whether the most powerful one emotion (pathos) or logical (logos) or ethics (ethos / principles). Rhetorical appeals are methods of influencing others as defined by Aristotle. Power words should resonate with your target. Research 'power words' for your industry if you need help.
• Experiment! For instance, associate the tagline with your target's frequent habits. This is the basis for the success of Kit Kat's 'Have a break, have a Kit Kat' because pretty much everyone takes (snack) breaks throughout the day.
• Reflect the tone of voice of your brand personality. The vocabulary and other stylistic choices shoould reflect the personalities of the target market and brand. If you sell gardening gear, talk like a gardener (NOT a banker). If you are talking to tweens, loosen up your language accordingly and so on. Here are some examples.
• The  'rebel' personality has a tone that is more harsh, direct and blunt than normal. It is unapologetic.
• Harley Davidson - "Screw it, let's ride" is consistent with the brand's personality. Its target feel that, when life is stressful, they should all go riding.
• 
• Apple - "Think different"
• Keep and follow a brand style manual. For  instance, have templates that reflect how to respond to different circumstances.

MORE CONTENT RELATED TO EXPRESSING A BRAND VOICE WITH TAGLINES

• Brand voice & Tone 
• Social media content management
• Emotional Marketing
• Brand Positioning, Strategy
• Brand personality
• Emotional marketing to emotionally engage your target market.
• Branding 101. See where this step fit into the process of brand strategy management.
• Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

• Packaging design strategy

• Brand mascot
• Examples of taglines of famous brands. 

• Food &/ Drink
• Burger King - "Have it your way"
• Cadbury - "Tastes like this feels"
• California Milk Processor Board - "Got milk?"
• Cheetos - 'Dangerously cheesy' (formerly 'It ain't easy being cheesy', 'Hail cheeesar' and 'Cheese that goes crunch'. 
• Coca Cola - "Open Happiness!"; "Taste the feeling!"
• Dunkin' Donuts - "America runs on Dunkin'"
• Gatorade - "Is it in you?"
• KFC - "Finger lickin' good"
• Kit Kat - "Have a break, have a Kit Kat"
• Lay's - "Betcha can't eat just one"
• McDonald's - 'I'm lovin' it"
• M&M's - "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand"
• Red Bull - "Red Bull gives you wings"
• Skittles - "Taste the rainbow"
• Snickers - "You're not you when you're hungry"
• Starbucks - "Start the day with great taste"
• Subway - "Eat fresh"
• Tesco - "Every little helps"
• Wendy's - "Deliciously different"
• Skin care
• Asepxia - Experts in deep cleansing / "Expertos de la limpieza profundo"
• CeraVe - "Developed with dermatologists"
• Eucerine - "We believe in the life-changing power of dermatological skincare"
• L'Oreal - "Because you're worth it"
• Maybelline - "Make it happen"
• Proactiv - "Be proactiv"
• Technology
• Apple - "Think different"
• Audi - "Advancement through technology"
• BMW - "Designed for driving pleasure"
• Energizer - "Keep going and going ..."
• GE - "We bring good things to life"
• Good year - "More driven"
• Honda - "The power of dreams"
• IBM - "Think"
• LG - "Life's Good"
• Mercedes-Benz - "The best or nothing"
• Nokia - "Connecting people"
• Panasonic - "Ideas for life"
• Samsung - "Imagine"
• Sony - "Make. Believe"
• Volkswagen - "The car"
• Volvo - "For life"
• Services (financial, insurance etc)
• American Express - "Don't leave home without it"
• Citibank - "because the Citi never sleeps"
• HSBC - "The world's local bank"
• MasterCard - "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard"
• Robinhood - "Democratize finance for all"
• Apparel & Other Personal Adornments
• Adidas - "Impossible is nothing"
• Nike - "Just do it"
• Kay Jewelers - "Every kiss begins with Kay"
• Experience
• Disneyland  - "The happiest place on Earth"
• Information
• The New York Times - "All the news that's fit to print"
• Housekeeping
• Tide - "Tide's in, dirt's out"
• Other
• Garnier - "Take care"
• IMAX - "Think big"
• Lufthansa - "Nonstop you"
• Philips - "Sense and simplicity"
• Verison - "Better matters"