Slogan craze drives customers to the funny farm
Published on 04/28/1997 under Ad Strategy
It occurred to me as I was flipping through the pages of a leading trade publication recently that yet another advertiser was attempting to use the slogan, "Whatever It Takes."
Upon further investigation, I confirmed at least four companies (Digital, Aristech, Torrington and Bank One) that have adopted this line in their ad programs.
Another company, Quill Office Supplies, obviously afraid of trademark violations, has come up with the very clever variation: "We do what it takes."
I would like to respectfully request that all of these companies do whatever it takes to find something more original.
But originality really isn't the problem here, because ad people have gone crazy for slogans. If you don't have one, make one up quick! Virtually every ad is now signed off with a slogan and the effect is mind-numbing. Here's a few examples.
Offering solutions:
Solutions are a popular slogan theme. Halliburton bills itself as "The solutions people." Graybar offers "Real solutions," and CRC provides "Your best solution." And if any of these companies have trouble living up to these promises, Emery Worldwide offers "Solutions delivered daily."
A better life:
I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of companies concerned about my well-being, or at least the well-being of my company. Calswitch says "We make your life easier," while Baldor claims "Our job is making yours easier" and GE Capital Services asserts that "Our business is helping yours."
It's like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.
Best of the best:
Slogans can be very helpful in pointing out which companies are leaders in their fields. And it's not always the ones you might suspect.
For example, NMB Corporation is "The world's most trusted name for quality." Bet you wouldn't have guessed that, huh? And ZDNet is "The world's most trusted computing site," a dubious claim to be sure.
Castelle, a company I've never heard of, is "The leader is information delivery," and British Airways, a company I have heard of, is "The world's favourite airline." Not necessarily the one most frequently traveled or the biggest or most profitable, just the favourite.
In my opinion, if you can't spell favorite, you can't be favorite.
Delivering the goods:
One category that has gone totally overboard for slogans is the freight transportation industry. Everybody has a slogan, and the resulting blur of words and claims makes it difficult for any one company to stand out.
UPS is "Moving at the speed of business" (is that good?), CCX says "Your business moves us" (is that good?) and Burlington Air Express promises "We get it done" (lose your package? smash it into thousands of tiny pieces?).
There are, however, examples of company slogans in each of these categories that help position a company and make it easier for customers to differentiate it from the pack.
In the freight business, Norfolk Southern uses dramatic, classy shots of horses with the theme, "The thoroughbred of transportation." Since they have been consistently using this line for many years, it sticks in your mind.
BMW has taken a "best of the best" line, The Ultimate Driving Machine, and has made it believable through several decades of aggressive and creative use. Smith Barney's "We make money the old fashioned way, we earn it" line really sets it apart from other investment firms.
It helps if your slogan has "teeth" (like BMW), or at least an interesting word or combination of words (Norfolk Southern, Smith Barney). But good slogans can be very helpful in positioning or repositioning companies in an ever-changing market.
For example, American Express blunted the onslaught of no-fee, pay-whenever-you-can credit cards, with its famous "Membership has its privileges" campaign. When my wife and I stayed free several nights in one of Paris' finest hotels thanks to American Express points, I understood that phrase like I never had before.
And Xerox, having surrendered its position as the premier copier company, repositioned itself as "The document company" to gain new momentum as a leading player on a much bigger playing field.
So it is possible to employ slogans in ways that will give your ad programs extra kick. Here are several questions you might ask when evaluating the potential value of a proposed slogan:
1. Does the slogan describe something unique about your company (or could it apply just as well to several competitors)?
2. Will it make it easier for your customers to remember why they should buy from you?
3. Is it skillfully and creatively worded so they will be able to remember the slogan at all?
Speaking of questions, several leading business-to-business advertisers have started using questions for slogans. Compaq Computer wants to know "Has it changed your life yet?" MCI asks, "Is this a great time or what?" Avery Labels is curious, "How will you use us today?" And Microsoft wants to know, "Where do you want to go today?"
The answers are, in order, NO, NOT REALLY, I PROBABLY WON'T, and TO BED. All this slogan stuff has made me very tired.