Why Are Commercials Remembered? The Power Of The Tag Line

What is a tag line? It is a short sentence that identifies or brands you to your product. So how can you create a catchy phrase or sentence that makes your product or service stand out in prosective clients minds?

First get a clear vision of your main marketing message. Here are some clues in helping you focus in on your main message.

• What is the focus of your mission statement? 
• What are the benefits your clients will receive from you?
• What is your branding or image-how are you different from your competition?

Lets take some examples of some of the tag lines used in classic commercials and see how they help you in recognize ways to come up with a tag line for your company.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut, sometimes you don’t 

This sentence is a double meaning. In their case, they are talking about nuts in candy bars. So when you think of this tag line it makes you think about the product. But the commercials also focused on the other meaning of nut (crazy or silly) so it gave the people the idea that when you ate their product you could act silly. Since this commercial was focusing on teens (their target market) this tag line worked. What kind of double meanings can you use in your tag line to help your target market take notice?

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is 

This tag line actually is instructions on how to use the product. You take two Alka Selzer tablets, plop them in a glass of water, they fizz, and then you drink it for relief from an upset stomach.  Can  you find a catchy sentence to explain how your product of service works?

Two mints, two mints, two mints in one! 

This was focusing on the value of the product. Two mints in one-it was like getting their product for half price. What type of value does your product or service offer?  Can you create a sentence to describe that?

It’s the real thing 

This is a tag line that pointed out the difference between their product and their competition. Coke was the original soda flavor. Many other companies copied them. Using the word “Real” makes them stand out as the first and the best. How can you use words in your tag line to show your product or service stands out for the competition?

Now it is time to come up with a tag line

List a number of keywords you use in describing your business or product.

List a short sentence to describe your mission statement, the purpose of your business.

List ways your clients benefit from your products or service

List how your product or service is superior to your competition.

Now with these notes write down a few sentences that combine all of the above. Do you think you have come up with a winning tag line? If you think you have a winner, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Is it concise?
2. Is it distinctive?
3. Does it communicate your message?

If you noticed in the above commercial all these tag lines were combined with another powerful ingredient to tell their story.  Did you catch what that was?  It was music.  In commercials they are sometimes referred as jingles.  How can you use music or jingles to create a powerful message on video?  We will cover that in our next blog.