This story appears in the
August 2005 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Maybe you feel, as I do, that most company slogans are insipid,
forgettable self-indulgences. Even some of the most respected
companies in America end their ads with such tag-line turkeys as
"The possibilities are infinite," "It works"
and "Get more out of now," to list just a few.
OK, so now that the trash talk is over, what constitutes a good
slogan? Perhaps the most compelling slogan I've ever run across
was the tag line on pioneering book discounter Crown Books' ads
of nearly 20 years ago. It read, "If you paid full price, you
didn't buy it at Crown Books." What made this line so
special was that it was powerful enough to stand all by itself and
induce prospects to buy.
If you're looking for a real authority to help you develop a
great slogan, check out www.adslogans.com. They're experts at identifying
the dos and don'ts of slogan making and even have an
advertising-slogan Hall of Fame to inspire you. Some on their list:
"You're in good hands with Allstate," "Betcha
can't eat just one" (Lay's potato chips) and
"Finger-lickin' good" (Kentucky Fried Chicken).
Bottom line: Don't just attach a bland, antiseptic chain of
words to your company name. Test your slogan's power by asking:
Would I be willing to use these few words all by themselves to sell
my company?
Jerry
Fisher is a freelance advertising copywriter and author of
Creating Successful Small Business Advertising.