Once upon a time, company names offered a window on what the company did. For example: Frigidaire, International Business Machines, and National Cash Register. In other words, the name went a good distance in letting a potential customer know what the company offered-or at least what industry it operated in.
Today the case is often quite different. Company names may provide little or no guidance as to what the company does. For example, Kindle, Landslide, Napster, and Song.
Of course, if money is no object, a company can buy its way into consumers' minds by broadcasting expensive messages over a long time period. There was a time (long ago) when consumers had no product associations with the words Colgate, Crest, or Tide. But even in a robust economy, few companies have the resources to advertise until everyone knows who they are and what they stand for.
So, what's a budget-minded marketer to do? One step that can pay for itself over and over again is to develop a tagline that helps orient customers. This is especially the case today, when many company names reveal little or nothing about the company's business. The following examples are offered as a reminder of how powerful a well-chosen tagline can be. In a very few words, these taglines go far to demonstrate what the companies stand for.
BMW: The ultimate driving machine
Bose: Better sound through research
Club Med: The antidote for civilization
FedEx: Absolutely, positively overnight
FTD: Say it with flowers
Greyhound: Leave the driving to us
Hallmark: When you care enough to send the very best
Hebrew National: We answer to a higher authority
M&Ms: Melts in your mouth, not in your hands
Maytag Appliances: Our repairmen are the loneliest guys in town
The New York Times: All the news that's fit to print
Taco Bell: Think outside the bun.
If you're ready to develop your own tagline, here are a few guidelines:
1. Devote some time. You're looking for a phrase that will last for years. It doesn't have to be written overnight. It may take some time to capture the essence of your company in just a few, well-chosen words.
2. Try lots of ideas. For instance, 100 tagline ideas is a good number to aim for. Some of these may only differ by one or two words. But the right words can make a powerful difference. You want your tagline to "sing." (In fact, jingles are often taglines that have been made more memorable by combining them with music.)
3. Make it unique. This may be the single hardest step. You want to develop a tagline that is unique to your company. Your tagline should fit your company so precisely that no other company can use it.
4. Test it out. Try it on people in every area of your organization. Bounce it off a few trusted customers. If you can test it with a large group of potential customers, that's ideal.
Once you've created something that works, use it. Put it on your business cards, invoices, letterhead, web site-every customer touchpoint. You'll be positioning your company in the consumer's brain before he or she ever does business with you. And that is likely to generate dividends for years to come.
William S. Mayer is a Senior Copywriter and Marketing Consultant at Bullseye Marketing Communications. He can be reached through the Contact page at http://www.BullseyeCopywriter.com
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