Seth Godin seems to suggest the most important element of a slogan is living up to the inherent promise in it — the underlying story of the brand.
I suppose that is hard to dispute; a catchy set of words that isn’t true to the brand doesn’t help, instead the noticeable disconnect probably hurts the brand.
At the same time, I wouldn’t want to underestimate how much value a truly creative slogan adds to a brand, assuming it speaks the truth.
Nick Olson demonstrated this so nicely when he assessed the poetic devices used by Apple and others in successful slogans.
So, what is your favorite slogan of all time, and why?
And from the perspective of a trademark type, don’t forget, the law tends to reward creativity and subtlety more than it does clear and direct descriptions, with a few exceptions. In other words, better to show than tell, in most cases.
As for me, Nike’s “Just Do It” call to action, is hard to beat, or is that more of a tagline, or can it be both tagline and slogan at the same time?
Marketing types, help wanted here please.