Should I use my tagline in my header?
What should my tagline say?
OMG! I don’t have a tagline in my logo.
Any of these lines sound familiar? And if they do, I have some answers for you today.
Taglines are used for IMAGE campaigns.
Taglines are your Brand IDENTITY.
Taglines are NOT added to your logo.
A Tagline is the BASE for ALL your communication (in addition to your Brand Promise and Values & Beliefs).
Let me explain this visually.
We all know THESE top brands.
Red Bull – Giving you wings to fly (‚cause base jumping off a friggin highest tallest building is not everybody’s daily thing to do – life WTF?!)
Nike – Just Do It
Apple – Think Differently (although at the moment…I dunno)
Nespresso – What else?
Audi – Vorsprung Technik
Coca-Cola – That’s life
Each brand is KNOWN for their TAGLINE.
Not because they ADD it to their LOGO (nope – you’ll see Registered Trademark signs happening here). But because it’s in the SOUL essence of their ADVERTISING (not BRANDING).
And almost ALWAYS in their IMAGE Advertising.
IMAGE ADVERTISING? What’s this?
These are all those big billboard ads, Sunset Boulevard, Car/Busses, high gloss magazine ads that you see everywhere in the 80’s and 90’s…
Ad agencies LOVE doing Image Ads because it’s based on a THREE-POINT system (and really puts creativity and strategy to the test and sets the amateurs from the experts apart):
Visual +
Headline +
Logo +
= One-helluva-statement
(Check out fashion labels eg Tommy Hilfiger or check out perfume labels like Jennifer Lopez or Christina Aguilera)
The TAGLINE is NOT spread all over their WEBSITE.
Nor is it in their social media posts as part of their LOGO.
A Tagline is a powerful statement – your Brand IDENTITY.
And it’s PART of everything you communicate with your BRAND MESSAGE.
Now to bring things a notch down to a not-so-famous-Brand (yet)…Here’s BrandSashka’s TAGLINE (Brand Identity):
We Brand Your Soul.
My visuals are thought-provoking-creative and make a statement without necessarily writing an essay about it in my posts/advertising.
Which is why, when you head on over to the landing page of my website, the FIRST image you SEE isn’t my TAGLINE: Show me your soul and I’ll create your brand. But the ESSENCE of the tagline.
So what are YOUR next steps for YOUR Tagline today?
>> KNOW your Brand IDENTITY.
>> Ensure your Brand Identity (Tagline) is FELT through your visuals, copy and BRAND-ING. How? Check out examples of top brands: Red Bull: Giving you wings to fly
Visuals are bold and risky and adventurous
Headlines are pushing your fears to the limit and encouraging you to get some balls and FLY
Logo – so that you don’t mistake any other imitation for the real stuff
And lastly,
>> Your Tagline does NOT need to be added to your Website headline OR your logo. Your Tagline makes a BOLD statement.
And this is applicable to BOTH Product or Service-based businesses. ESPECIALLY when you’re creating IMAGE campaigns.
So out of interest – WHAT’S YOUR TAGLINE?
