Slogans

There are many things that help make your business successful, some are large and some quite small, but one of the most overlooked aspects of a successful business is having the right slogan. This seemingly small thing can actually be quite significant in fueling the success of your business efforts. Business slogans have been used for many decades to help convey what a particular business can do for their customers.

Successful business slogans are often quite simple and easy to remember as well. For example, “You’re in good hands with…” most people would know which company name is at the end of that slogan. The power of a business slogan certainly cannot be underestimated. However, creating a memorable business slogan may seem harder than it really is.

The actual word “slogan” comes from Scotland and means “battle cry”, something that soldiers did before entering a conflict. Today, a slogan is basically a recognizable statement that customers can identify with businesses.

These are examples of slogans that have remained in the public consciousness over the years, resulting in countless advertising and marketing campaigns all on their own. Some companies have more than one slogan, such as American Express, and they can even be used in the same advertisement. For many companies, a slogan is as much a part of their business as their name.

The advantages to having an effective slogan are many, starting with the great tag line that can be used in any form of advertisement. By having a slogan, companies can effectively bookend their advertising efforts, which can increase their effectiveness. Plus, slogans can often be used alone or simply with a business logo as their own form of advertisement. In essence, it is creating a less expensive, but highly powerful way of reaching customers.

It helps to know just where to begin when creating an effective slogan for your business. As with your business logo, a slogan should be something that is eye-catching and helps place your business apart from the rest. All too often, business slogans merely act as a rather forgettable support sentence to a business logo rather than something that stands all on its own.

For example, slogans such as “Serving you since 1992” are exactly the type of canned, forgettable slogan that actually reduces the effectiveness of the logo or other promotional efforts. While serving customers for a long time is nice, it does not convey any real sense of the business itself, who they are trying to reach or just why customers should choose them.

Slogans do not necessarily have to be bold, but they do need to be creative, catchy and offer a rhythm whether read or spoken in order to remain memorable. Why are so many phone numbers of businesses sung in ads and commercials? It is because it’s easier for our minds to remember the tune of the song first, then the words. For slogans, that same type of rhythm needs to be present in order for our minds to associate those particular words with a business.

Below are some examples of slogans used in the most successful ad campaigns of all-time.

With the advent of the Great Depression, corporate America worried that sales would suffer. Not so with Coca-Cola, whose ads depicted carefree people and an idealized view of American life when real life was rather dreary. During the first year of the campaign, sales actually doubled! The economy may have been depressed, but "the pause that refreshes" appears to have been just what Americans needed to lift their spirits.

Coca-Cola Co. President Robert Woodruff envisioned Coca-Cola as more than an everyday soda. As America became increasingly urbanized in the 1920s, Woodruff hoped to position Coke as one of the pleasant things in life -- a break from the fast pace that was taking over America.

Woodruff's friend Archie Lee, a copywriter for the D'Arcy Co., was given the task of interpreting Woodruff's idea. In 1923, Lee wrote the slogan "Pause and refresh yourself," accompanied by copy that read: "Our nation is the busiest on earth. From breakfast to dinner there's no end of work."

Finding that too negative, in 1929 he refined the slogan with Woodruff's help to "The pause that refreshes."

The slogan first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in an ad featuring three women at a soda fountain. "All think about the pause that refreshes" read the headline, which was later shortened to allow the last four words to stand alone.

"The pause that refreshes" hit America just months before the stock market crash of 1929, but Coke sales soared nonetheless. Except for a 30% drop in earnings in 1932, Coca-Cola set sales records during every year of the 1930s. Profits of $14 million in 1934 had doubled to just under $29 million by 1940.

Over the next 30 years, the line became synonymous with Coca-Cola. The line was resurrected across the world in a 1990s campaign, "The moment that refreshes,"

Now that you know what you need, the next step is getting started. Remember that the more people who are focused on creating a slogan, the more quickly one can be created. Some businesses actually offer contests for slogan suggestions, allowing employees to participate and providing a nice reward if their selection is chosen. One of the most memorable slogans ever, “N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestles makes the very best” was created by Bert Sugar, an advertising man who went on to become one of the most famous boxing writers in history.

Be aware that great slogans can come from unlikely sources. Getting people involved in creating your slogan puts more minds to the task, which means that your great slogan is one step closer in becoming a reality.

There are a number of different tips to creating the perfect slogan. If there is any secret involved, it’s that enough time needs to be taken in order to create the right slogan for a particular business. Whether it comes quickly or takes a while, it can be controlled to a certain extent by following some simple guidelines that have been used to create great slogans for many businesses over the years.

The core purpose of a slogan is to highlight your business and separate it from your competition. This means taking your brand or particular product and highlighting it effectively. Think about the advantages your company has, particularly those above and beyond your competition.

· Is there something that makes your products or services unique compared the competition?

· Does your company mean something different or unique to your customers compared to everyone else?

Sometimes, this takes isolating a particular area of your business that helps promote the best in what you offer. If you sell food products that are low in calories, then that is an area you can emphasize. Whatever it is, focusing and highlighting this particular aspect of your business can create a powerful slogan that can be used for a very long time.

If you cannot think of anything that separates your company from the rest, then focus on how you serve your customers. Many slogans incorporate a business’s dedication to their customers, especially in terms of quality of service. Emphasizing how you put the customers first can really help your business create a slogan that is memorable and respected. Slogans that work on the public trust or emphasizing customer service do quite well. If you cannot find something in what you sell, then look towards how you provide customers with the best service in your slogan.

Basically, this means that you need to keep your slogan simple and direct, while using as few words as possible. Most advertising companies will say that slogans should be around six, seven or eight words. Anything longer and your slogan becomes a sentence that can become jumbled and ultimately forgettable. Brevity is not only the soul of wit as it is also the path towards creating a memorable phrase. Plus, the shorter your slogan is, the easier it will be to fit into your marketing campaigns.

Basically, this means that your slogan should be true today, tomorrow and well into the future. Saying that your business is, “Number One in Sales” for example simple will not be true all of the time. In addition, many customers find that kind of boasting a big turn-off anyway. Most customers are not impressed by where a company is, but in how it treats them. In addition, saying that you are the “Best in the Business” is rather generic and does not connect with customers as well. This means that you need to stay within your business model and focus on something a little more specific, realistic, personal and clever. A slogan should relate to the individual customer in a way that is more direct. That is the type of slogan that will last no matter your specific position in sales or the like.

You’ll want to avoid using industry jargon, overtly fancy language or trendy terms. Basically, all effective slogans use simple, straightforward language that everyone can relate to. By avoiding trendy words you can keep the slogan timeless and relates to all generations. For example, the term “groovy” was certainly a hip, popular phrase in the late 1960s. Today, it is not only outdated, but many in the younger generation may not fully understand what that term even means. Do not let your slogan get caught in the same trap.

One of the best examples of a timeless slogan is the one used by State Farm. In 1971, a young aspiring singer named Barry Manilow was paid $500 by State Farm to come up with a slogan and a jingle. Mister Copacabana delivered the jingle with the slogan, “Like a Good Neighbor.” Fifty years later, it is still State Farm’s primary slogan.

While you should not copy slogans from other businesses, you can use them as inspiration to draw from. A simple slogan such as “Common Sense, Uncommon Results” from David Ingram and Associates is simply brilliant, which contains two separate themes in just four words. Here, they are telling you that they offer years of service that can be relied upon to get results that others have not achieved. This is the essence of a good slogan.

Slogans are generally longer than a single word, with most being a short phrase. In order for that phrase to become memorable, it needs to have at least two of these three elements; rhyme, rhythm or ring. This should be true whether the slogan is read or spoken. Essentially, this means that the slogan itself needs to have some type of musical quality about it, such as the aforementioned, “N-E-S-T-L-E-S….” The slogan needs to be relatively simple and flowing in order to posses this quality as well. Nestles commercial - start at 1:20

Of course, if the slogan can be transformed into a jingle, then that’s all the better. Many slogans are also jingles, which can be effectively incorporated into a song. It must be noted that it is not necessary for a slogan to be a jingle in order to be effective, but it does help in getting people to remember your slogan.

Take a look at the stories behind the most famous slogans in the world so that you can get a better idea of how to use these techniques on your own slogan.

It is certainly possible to come up with a really great slogan for your business, only to find out that someone else came up with the idea first. The final step is to see if your slogan is trademarked through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). If it has already been trademarked, then you may only need to make a minor modification or have to start all over again. If your slogan passes the search, then you might want to consider having it trademarked for protection.

The image below will take you directly to the page that allows you to perform a search.

Remember that in all your work to create an effective slogan, it is not a stand-alone product. Your slogan must work well in both spoken and visual terms, especially with your logo. How your slogan fits into your marketing campaign will help determine the success of your advertising efforts. A clean, simple slogan that is easily remembered will help make your marketing efforts easier. A slogan that is clunky or off-putting will only put your company in a more difficult position.

While it is easy to say that you should go with your gut feeling about which slogan feels right for your company, do not get into a rush about it. While it is important to set a deadline, you should still provide enough time to get the job done right.

A humorous slogan that really works is one of the rarest, yet effective slogans around. The reason is that humor is more attuned to the individual. This generally means what is funny to one person may simply fall flat with someone else. A humorous slogan that works is generally clean, acceptable to all members of the family, and is timeless in appeal.

If you do not have a business logo, then you are missing out on a big part of what helps make your company successful. In fact, before you go about creating a slogan you should get your business logo produced. Both the logo and the slogan work together towards creating a powerful statement for your business.

Remember that not all slogans are timeless, and many successful businesses have used more than a single slogan. Also, many companies have gone back over time to use an old slogan again for a marketing campaign. If you feel the need to change your slogan, then do so as long as the reasoning is sound. Change for the sake of change is simply not good enough.

Whenever you think of the brands you know or perhaps love, there are chances that you not only recall the brand name but campaign slogans too. Today, almost every brand is coming up with catchy slogans so that they can make a long lasting impression in the minds of their target audience.

Slogans are the taglines or phrases that are used by a company to express the importance or the core idea of their products or services. In other words, it is a mini statement about business. In today’s competitive world, every day we get to see a lot of catchphrases. But only the catchy and best slogans win the heart and remain memorable in our minds for a longer period of time.

What makes a slogan memorable? Apart from evoking brand name, it has the positive ‘X’ factor which makes us look at it twice or even thrice. According to Charles Whittier book ‘Creative Advertising’- A slogan should be a statement of such merit about a product or service that is worthy of continuous repetitive advertising; is worthwhile for the public to remember, and is phrased in such a way that the public is likely to remember it.

Here Are Top 20 Campaign Slogans For Advertising

01. Nike – “Just Do It”

‘Just Do It’ is one of the most popular campaign slogans in the history of advertising. Their apparels have this slogan printed on it. People recognize the slogan and associate it with the brand. The slogan is 30 years old and was created by the famous advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy.

Dan Wieden, in one of his interview, revealed the story behind this famous slogan. As per him, the campaign slogan was based on the last words of Gary Gilmore – a criminal murderer from Portland. When Gary was put in front of the firing squads, he was asked about his last words.

He casually said ‘Let’s do it.’ Although the co-founder was quite doubtful about this slogan, Wieden assured him that it would work. Campaign Magazine later described this slogan as ‘the best tagline of the 20th century.’

02. Apple – “Think Different”

The slogan was first introduced in Apple’s advertisement ‘Here’s to the Crazy Ones, Think Different.’ This advertising slogan helped the brand in achieving one of the biggest corporate changes in the history of the business. To highlight the slogan, Apple makes a selection of famous personalities like Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Gandhi, etc. who never got scared to ‘think different.’

As soon as the slogan accompanied Apple advertisements everywhere, people started realizing that the brand was not just an old computer; it’s so powerful and user-friendly that it made computer users feel like tech-savvy and innovative. According to Forbes, within the launch of the campaign, the stock price of the brand tripled.

03. L’Oreal – “Because You’re Worth It”

It is another one of the most famous campaign slogans in the history of advertisement. Who doesn’t want to feel like they are worth it? L’Oreal, one of the most renowned cosmetic brands came up with this slogan in 1971. It is the first slogan that was created from a women perspective.

Through this catchy slogan, the brand wanted to communicate that woman wears makeup to make themselves feel desirable, wanted, and worth it. And if they are buying and applying makeup, they are not doing anything wrong.

The TV commercial featured a woman rationalizing her choice to purchase high-quality branded beauty products for the first time. Today, we all may resist accepting the idea of cosmetic company indicating feminism, but L’Oreal ads were evidently revolutionary at the time of featuring a woman speaking for herself. Even today, L’Oreal advertisements have powerful women as brand ambassadors.

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04. KFC – “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good”

Though this famous tagline has been replaced with “So Good”, but it remained with the brand for 50 years. It proves that if a company has a catchy slogan, trends can do nothing. The slogan came into existence to communicate that the taste of the chicken is great.

Generally, there are writers to write business slogans, but if we talk about KFC, the slogan originated accidently. When David Harman (franchise) got caught eating chicken in the background of U.S T.V commercial, a viewer complained to T.V station that Mr. Harman was licking his fingers.

The story goes and Harbough (the restaurant manager) spontaneously replied ‘Its finger lickin’ good.’ Who knew that this would become one of the most famous campaign slogans?

05. Coco- Cola – “Share A Coke”

When you have a brand that is so popular and big, there is often pressure to something innovative. So what did Coca-Cola do appeal to the audience? They appealed them by putting their names on bottles. The company replaced Coca-Cola from one side of the bottle with the famous slogan ‘Share a Coke.’

The campaign personalized bottles with 250 most popular names. Consumers were motivated to discover bottles with their names. Additionally, they were asked to share their stories or experience with #ShareaCoke.

Although the campaign was first launched in Australia in 2011, in 2014, it released its first T.V commercial with this popular slogan. Over the years the campaign has evolved with new lyrics, names, and flavors.

According to Coke’s brand manager, the first year was all about introducing the new idea, but after that, it has become more about the experience and moments shared.

06. Dunkin’ Donuts – “America Runs On Dunkin”

An American multinational coffee company launched this slogan with its new campaign in 2006. It was the most important repositioning in the history of the company. The campaign focused on how Dunkin Donuts keeps Americans energized while they are on the go.

In one of their advertisement, they demonstrated a person changing a tire, another putting a leg on the table, and the third person is fixing pipes along with other tasks. In each shot, they put Dunkin Donuts cup to communicate their message. Apart from its logo design, this famous slogan appeared on all their products – from coffee cups to napkins.

07. Kit Kat – “Have A Break, Have A Kit Kat”

One of the world-wide best known advertising slogans ‘Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat’ was first launched in 1957. Even after 62 years, its impact is still profound. The slogan was created by Donald Gilles. After one year of the launch, it was used on brand’s first T.V spot.

In the beginning, the slogan was used to welcome 11 o’clock morning tea break (common in British), but after it gained popularity, especially on television, the flexibility of the slogan makes this slogan lasts for a longer period of time. The benefits of taking a break from something could be applied in all kinds of stressful situations.

08. De Beers – “A Diamond Is Forever”

During the 19th century, Diamonds were considered to be a symbol of power and wealth for extremely rich people. It was 1947 when Se Beers came up with one of the iconic campaign slogans of the century. Through this slogan, the brand wanted to communicate that just like a relationship, De Beers diamond is eternal. The brand succeeds in connecting with the audience emotionally. In fact, right from the evolution of advertising, its main objective has been to establish an emotional connect with the target audience.

Through the campaign, they ended up creating a demand creating a demand for diamond by convincing people that marriage is incomplete without a diamond ring. After the launch of the campaign, the sales of the brand got increased by 55%. Today, almost every bride in the U.S wears a diamond engagement ring.

09. Panasonic – “A Better Life, A Better World”

Panasonic, a multinational electronics corporation came up with its new business slogan to explain the vision that the company aimed for towards the 100th anniversary. It is based on the company’s ageless basic management objective and the vision and direction that the company is trying to achieve.

The slogan also expresses the brand’s idea of expanding and pursuing a better life for every customer in every field like business, home, travel, etc. The brand contributes to environmental activities in both B2B and B2C businesses as well.

10. Dollar Shave Club – “Shave Time. Shave Money”

With this slogan, the people at Dollar Shave club have proved that when it comes to marketing and advertising, they clearly know what they are doing. The slogan makes its position in the top campaign slogans list because of its cleverness.

The slogan cleverly incorporates the two services of the brand i.e convenience and cost. They want their customers to save time in going out to buy razors again and again. The brand has tried to play with words, making it one of the funny slogans in advertising history.

11. Disney – “The Happiest Place On Earth”

Business slogans that are created carefully always communicate the brand’s values and promises successfully. And Disney’s “The Happiest Place on Earth” slogan is one the great example. People from all over the world come to this magic kingdom to experience that promise.

The company has created most loved cartoon characters and still hold the record of winning the highest Oscar awards and nominations throughout its journey. The theme park attracts people of every age from all over the world, making it one of the happiest places on Earth.

12. Wendy’s – “Where’s The Beef”

This famous slogan came into the limelight in 1984. The main objective behind this campaign was to set apart from big brands like McDonald’s, Big Mac, Whopper, etc. The advertisement featured three old ladies, out of which one demands more meat in a big hamburger.

One of the famous campaign slogans “Where’s the Beef” was used in the film to point out the less beef in competitor’s burgers. The campaign was such a big hit that even today; the slogan is used to question the authenticity behind anything.

13. Old Spice – “Smell Like A Man, Man”

A carefully designed campaign can help the failing brand in getting a new brand identity. Old Spice “Smell like a Man, Man” is a classic example of it. Earlier the brand was only associated with old men.

The advertisement showcased how a body wash can change your ideal man to ‘manly man.’ The ad winds up with one of the famous campaign slogans ‘Smell like a Man, Man” with the company’s jingle that plays in the background. Soon after the launch of the campaign, it succeeds in generating a word-of-mouth buzz both online and offline.

14. Visa – “It’s Everywhere You Want To Be”

In 2014, Visa bid adieu its 20 years old slogan. The new slogan communicates the idea that no matter in which part of the world you are in, Visa cards are accepted everywhere. It also conveys that under the same brand i.e Visa, various other options are available including electronic and mobile payments.

Apart from the slogan, the brand also came up with its new logo. If you are planning to create a logo for business or have thought to revamp the older one, then we would suggest you to take the help of professional graphic designer. Logos have the power to make or break the business.

15. Jaguar – “Grace, Space, Pace”

Although one of the most luxury car brands started its journey in 1933, the brand came up with this slogan in 1950. The slogan perfectly defined the brand the way founder wanted to, and today it has become one of the most popular campaign slogans of all time. The slogan perfectly captures the essence of the brand.

Do you want to create a slogan for your brand? Use our slogan generator tool. The tool helps you to create a slogan within minutes.

16. Compass – “Let Us Guide You Home”

For many of us, home is the biggest purchase we can ever make. Compass has one of the best real estate slogans that offer security we always look during the purchase process. The slogan succeeded in extracting what all big agents are doing. Big agents help their customers, and Compass recognizes that offering value to customers’ means providing assistance at the time of biggest purchase of their lives.

The branding of Compass has always been outstanding. Since the brand offers its services to high-end markets (covering all the major metro cities) and sells seven-or eight-figure properties on a routine basis, its slogan is warm and welcoming.

17. McDonald’s – “I’m Lovin’ It”

“I’m lovin’ it” is another of the top campaign slogans in the history of advertising. Although this famous tagline got launched in 2006, even today it is part of the brand. The slogan has become be one of the longest running campaign slogans in McDonald’s history. It has also proved to be the best example of resonating with the brand’s audience.

People might not find McDonald’s food healthy, but it is not what the brand promises. They only promise about taste and convenience. Did you know that the famous McDonalds jingle ‘ba da ba ba ba’ was originally sung by Justin Timberlake?

18. FedEx – “When There Is No Tomorrow”

“When there is no tomorrow”- this is the promise that the brand made. The slogan communicates that your courier will be processed the very same day because tomorrow will be too late. The slogan perfectly communicates the company’s vision and mission.

Currently, on average, the company delivers 14 million packages a day. Apart from the slogan, which is one of their top campaign slogans, the brand also developed an identity through its logo. So if you are also looking to create a solid brand identity, then Designhill should be the first stop for all your designing needs.

19. Budweiser – “The King Of Beers”

A few years back, Budweiser came up with the new advertisement that features the close-up shots of the beer and the slogan – ‘The King of Beers.’ The cap of the bottle has been upturned to symbolize crown. The advertisement encouraged the target audience to be confident and take charge of their lives.

Apart from its logo, the brand has used the slogan in their product design. One of the famous branding sites had also listed its new packaging at their top spot. If you also want to have a unique packaging design for your products then getting graphic design services from reputed service providers can be a wise option.

20. Levis – “Quality Never Goes Out Of Style”

One of the oldest and internationally popular brands is mainly known for its jeans. Although over the years, the brand has come up with a number of memorable T.V commercials, ‘Quality never goes out of style’ is one their most popular campaign slogans. It has helped the brand in defining number one Jean brand.

The slogan is straight to the point and true to Levis’ style. It endorses the promise of an everlasting classic wardrobe essential that is worthy of every penny.

Honourable Mentions

Unfortunately we have to draw a line somewhere. But we also loved; Red Bull – Red Bull gives you Wiiings, Google – Don’t be Evil, FedEx – Where there is no tomorrow, Garnier – Take Care, Nokia – Connecting people, Lays – Betcha can’t just eat one.