How to write powerful slogans for your business

Stand out or lose out 

Writing a powerful  slogan that your customers would love is easier said than done. Good slogans are punchy, effective, and catchy. With practice and the correct writing principles in mind, you too can create amazing slogans and make your competitors envious.

Here are 10 practical tips on how you can start writing great slogans for your business or clients.^[1]

1. State a benefit within the slogan

Stating a direct benefit in a slogan allows customers to instantly know what they will get out of purchasing from you.

2. Kiss 

Keep it short and sweet or simple, stupid! For a slogan to make a statement, it needs to be persuasively short.

You are not describing the entire product or organization here; you’re just giving people a taste of what it’s all about. Generally, keeping a slogan under 7 words will ensure greater impact.

3. Don’t give it an expiration date

When it comes to crafting a catchy brand slogan, you want it to transcend time. Don’t include references to current events or social/political climates. The world is always changing, evolving, and growing.

If your slogan is not current, it won’t be relatable into the future and people will forget about it.

4. Make it stand alone without any added effects

Can your Tagline stand alone without any props? Slogans run alongside logos, but make sure they don’t need any context or boost from other images and phrases.

The most successful and famous advertising slogans can stand alone. Your product or brand will be known for these words, so make them count.

5. Don’t be over fanciful with words

When it comes to word choice, keep it simple. You don’t need to assume that consumers are not intelligent, but trying to throw in big, fancy words to make your brand or product seem super smart and sophisticated can turn away a whole audience or come off as pretentious.

In addition, big words are sometimes not as catchy; when every word you’re using has 3 syllables or more, the slogan can become to longwinded and clunky.

6. Be honest

While marketers and advertisers want to puff up their products, they shouldn’t lie. A slogan shouldn’t dishonestly portray a product or brand. If your slogan says your product does something that it doesn’t, your audience will find out and you will lose all credibility.

7. Align it with the logo

Brand consistency is key to building trust and recognition. If consumers can’t recognize your brand across different channels, it may confuse them or have them thinking they found the wrong business.

This is precisely why it’s wise to keep your logo and slogan aligned, if not together like glue.

8. Keep it consistent across different channels

Your slogan must the same fit across different platforms. Have you ever had a slightly different-looking brand on your website, social media accounts, and other channels?

This can cause confusion. You need your customers to instantly recognize you or they may become confused.

9. Ask a question relevant to the customer

One of the best ways to get someone’s attention is by asking them a question.

This makes stop in their tracts to think, even just for a millisecond.

Take for instance, Microsoft’s slogan “Where do you want to go today?”

10. Target the customer’s pain points

Consumers buy products to solve problems. These can be emotional, health, financial, spiritual, etc. Knowing this is a huge part of slogan copywriting.

Targeting these pain points helps consumers harmonize with an ad, realize they’ve found a solution, and take action. Remember all humans are driven by pain and pleasure.

40 world famous slogans^[2]

Even with all these tips and insights, it might still be difficult to create a slogan that rings a loud bell. Get some inspiration from these famous slogans.

1. Nike – “Just Do It”
2. Uber – “Move the way you want.”
3. FedEx — “When There Is No Tomorrow”
4. Samsung: “Do what you can’t.”
5. Walmart – “Save Money, Live Better”
6. EA – “Challenge Everything”
7. Disney – “The Happiest Place on Earth”
8. McDonald’s – “I’m Lovin’ It”
9. Apple – “Think Different
10. Kentucky Fried Chicken “Finger-Lickin’ Good”
11. Emirates — “Hello Tomorrow”
12. Gatorade -“Is it in you?
13. Nikon — “At the Heart of the Image”
14. Adidas — “Impossible Is Nothing”
15. De Beers — “A Diamond Is Forever”
16. Subway — “Eat Fresh”
17. M&M — “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands”
18. General Electric — “Imagination at Work”
19. Energizer — “It Keeps Going and Going and Going”
20. Capital One — “What’s in Your Wallet?
21. Gillette — “The Best a Man Can Get”
22. Wendy’s — “Where’s the Beef
23. Visa — “It’s Everywhere You Want to Be”
24. Airbnb — “Belong anywhere.
25. American Express — “Don’t live life without it.”
26. Audi — “Advancement Through Technology”
27. The New York Times — “All the News That’s Fit to Print”
28. BMW — The Ultimate Driving Machine”
29. MasterCard — “There Are Some Things Money Can’t Buy, for Everything Else, There’s MasterCard”
30. Dr. Pepper — “What’s the Worst That Could Happen?”
31. Coca-Cola – “It’s the Real Thing.”
32. ”HSBC – “The World’s Local Bank”
33. Jaguar — “Grace, Space, Pace.”
34. Zurich — “Because Change Happens”
35. Google — “Don’t Be Evil
36. Greyhound — “Leave the Driving to Us”
37. Pirelli — “Power is Nothing Without Control.”
38. Levi’s — “Quality Never Goes Out of Style.”
39. Nintendo 64 — “Get N or Get Out.”
40. Volkswagen — “Think Small.”

Nigeria too

• Gulder- the ultimate
• Satzenbrau- the final word
• Milo- food drink of future champions.
• MTN- Everywhere you go.
• Honda- End of discussion

Write and roll 

Creating famous advertising or PR slogans and taglines is a difficult business, but it pays off for years to come. So go ahead, and write and go.