Summing up your brand in (just) a few words: Difficult, but so worth it.
I have a love/hate relationship with taglines.
I hate bad taglines, the ones that are obvious, mediocre or are an indisputable waste of words, like “Our name says it all” or “Your satisfaction is our top priority.” (Is there any business worth their salt that wouldn’t want to satisfy their customers?)
I also hate the typical reaction to a tagline when it’s first presented, which is total indifference. I hate that it’s easier to write a 10,000-word annual report than it is to come up with a halfway decent tagline.
Now, for some love.
I love great taglines. I love when they sum up the soul of a brand so succinctly. I love when they stop you cold and get your mind working, how they invite the reader to be an active participant in the brand. I love when they’re a bit unconventional and punchy, like a big, long swig of strong coffee.
So what’s a great tagline?
There are many. Here’s one of the very best:
“Just do it.”
What’s so great about it?
It’s timeless.
Nike introduced it years ago. It’s only gotten better with age.
It’s customer-centric.
It’s not about Nike. It’s about what makes us all tick and what keeps us up at night. It’s not really about shoes. It’s about human nature, and how the first step is the hardest step in doing something great.
It’s inclusive.
Ask 10 people what “Just do it” means and you’ll get 10 profoundly personal answers. “I just want to lose 10 pounds.” “I just want to run a marathon.” “I just want to stop smoking.” “I just want to climb Everest.” “I just want to climb two flights of stairs without running out of breath.” Nike remains primarily a shoe company, but their tagline says they know what we’re all thinking.
It’s conversational.
Does it really need “just,” the word John Lennon allegedly condemned as being “meaningless,” a “fill-in word”? Maybe not. But people say “Just do it” when they’re sick of waiting, of procrastinating, of NOT doing something when they know they should be doing it, dammit.
So…
…how important is a tagline for your automotive OEM supplier brand?
It’s kinda like your first smart phone. You lived your entire life without one and you survived. But now that you have one, you can’t live without it.
A great tagline can add a bit of magic to your brand.
Because of its brevity, your tagline can be used just about anywhere your logo goes – business cards, social media posts, brochures, websites, even your email signature.
A great tagline can say something immediately about your brand and position you apart from your competition. More importantly, it can say that you have insight into your customers, and invites them to have a closer relationship with your brand.
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