In the last two posts, I’ve talked about one of the simplest and most versatile of marketing tools: the tag line or catch phrase.
Why is this tool so powerful? Because it can capture the essence of your marketing message in a small, condensed package that can be spread far and wide.
Think how hard a farmer’s job would be if, when he wanted a field of corn, he had to plant full-sized, adult corn plants. It’s much easier to spray little seeds all over the field.
The catch phrase is your marketing message condensed into a seed that can be planted in people’s minds everywhere.
In the past two posts, we said that a good catch phrase should start with a benefit; it should be concrete and specific; it should be fresh, unexpected and “sticky”; and it should talk the customer’s language.
Now, here are the final three ways to make your catch phrase more catchy, and more effective.
5. Evoke a Story
This is a little harder to do, but if you pull it off, it can be very powerful.
Try to come up with a tag line or catch phrase that evokes or triggers a story in the consumer’s mind. Why? Because for the human mind, there’s nothing more involving and engaging than a story.
To illustrate, let’s go back to the Avis line from long ago: “We’re number 2. We try harder.” This phrase calls to mind the story of the scrappy underdog who comes out on top; it’s the David vs. Goliath story, the Cinderella story. It’s one of the most loved stories, one that sports announcers regularly use as a metaphor when they talk about a team that is up against a much bigger, stronger, more favored team. Because it evokes such a powerful story, this line has deep hooks in our psyche (whether we’re consciously aware of it or not).
The line we used for Heritage Plumbing, “Honey, just call Heritage” evokes the story of a husband and wife trying to figure out what to do about a household emergency. We’ve all been there. We relate to that story. And this story gives the line deeper hooks into our consciousness.
The line, “Don’t get mad. Get Glad!” evokes the everyday story of someone wrestling with cheap garbage bags and getting frustrated. The line, “Can you hear me now? Good!” calls to mind a story we’ve all experienced with our cell phones.
Earlier I talked about the importance of tuning into the customer’s story. One way to look for your consumer catch phrase is to listen to the stories that customers tell you, or imagine these stories for yourself. If you can come up with a catch phrase that evokes or triggers a relevant story, you’ll have a powerful branding tool.
6. Express Your Brand Personality
Do you know who used the following line?
“I am the greatest!”
The boxer Mohammed Ali (formerly Cassius Clay) used this phrase in the 1960s and 1970s, almost every time he was on TV. The line summed up his flamboyant, cocky, aggressive style and helped Ali create an unforgettable brand. There was no question what this boxer stood for and what his mission was.
Any boxing fan who is old enough will remember this line and be reminded of Ali’s “brand personality”. Whether you like him or not, the Mohammed Ali brand still sells millions in endorsements each year.
And this is another way that a catch-phrase can function: to support and emphasize your brand image or brand personality.
When Southwest Airlines says, “You are now free to move about the country,” they are expressing a cocky, adventurous (and democratic) attitude and personality. This is appropriate for a company that has dared to do things differently in order to reduce the cost of flying for everyone.
And before you say, “Well, that’s just image and personality, what does that matter?” remember what a big role personality plays in selling. Would you rather hire a salesman with a good, strong personality or a salesman with no personality? All other things being equal, which one will sell more?
Think of your catch-phrase as a mini-surrogate sales rep that is out there everyday helping to promote your business. And give that sales rep some personality!
7. Capture the Essence
Now for the last idea. This approach is about trying to come up with a line that captures the essence of what your product or your industry is all about.
Nike’s line, “Just do it!” is not as concrete and specific as a lot of lines we’ve looked at, but it captures the essence of sports. There’s something very basic, very primal, very deep in our psyches, about gearing up for a great contest or challenge. The knights donned their armor. African tribesmen would make a big ceremony of putting on their warpaint before going to war. And when we get into a new sport, whether it be golf or tennis or jogging or whatever, what do we do? We first have to go get the gear. We’re literally gearing up for the challenge. We’re gearing up to just do it!
Any sports marketer could have used that line, of course, but Nike “just did it.” So now they own that idea in consumers’ minds. And that ties all of their communications together, and gives them a recognizable, appealing identity.
The line, “We bring good things to light” for GE, captures the essence of innovation for products that benefit everyday life. And the line, “Honey, just call Heritage” captures the essence of the situation when a person needs to call a plumber.
One of the great things about being able to capture the essence is that it creates the perception that your business virtually owns the category. You become the voice of the category. “Just do it” feels like the voice of sport; it helps to create the perception that Nike owns that category, that they are the leader.
Clearly, you may not be able to come up with a phrase that meets all eight of these criteria. But the more of these criteria you can satisfy, the better.
I hope that by now, you realize that a tag-line or catch-phrase can and should do much more than just impress people with how clever you are. After all, people don’t buy your product or service because you are clever. They buy because they remember you and remember the benefits you offer…and because they have come to trust your brand.
And a good catch-phrase can be an effective tool in helping to make that happen.
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