Issue Number 26

Taglines

Your brand in shorthand

It's hard to imagine Nike without "Just Do It." Or Target without "Expect More. Pay Less." But for every "What Happens Here, Stays Here," there are hundreds of taglines few remember.

So what, exactly, is a tagline and why do we have them? A tagline is a succinct statement of your brand position, a phrase or sentence used to capture attention and communicate value. "The Uncola," "Betcha Can't Eat Just One," "M'm! M'm! Good!" (Come on, you know the products.) The best taglines convey a primary benefit in a memorable way — and have staying power, even years after they've been replaced. When you hear Chevy's classic, "Like a Rock," you can't help but think of trucks that are tough and durable.

Let's take a whirlwind tour of taglines — old and new — to discover what's behind these distilled marketing messages.

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