The Importance of Taglines

Posted by Brenda Keener Aug 15, 2006

I have sat in the boardroom of many startups where the topic of discussion was whether or not to include a tagline with the logo. "Taglines are outdated", the critics would say.

It is my opinion that many a great brand was created or enhanced through the use of a wonderful tagline, and that taglines are a necessary part of creating a new company's brand image.

For example, one of the most successful chip companies in recent years is Marvell Technologies www.marvell.com . Their products include Wireless Access chipsets, and their tagline is Moving Forward Faster.

This is simple, to the point, and gets the point across that Marvell's products (and indeed they use high speed processors) move faster than others. It also conveys the point that the WHOLE COMPANY moves faster to get things done.

Taglines stick in the minds of potential customers, and very quickly convey corporate imaging.

Another great tagline was the brainchild of a friend of mine - the former Chairman of the Board of SS8 Networks. This company is a telecom company that started out by interfacing to the existing telco's SS7 signaling software. SS8's tagline? One Better. I was sad to see that this tagline is no longer on the site.

Product taglines have been used to establish branding for many years, especially in the consumer arena. I have noticed a recent trend for rebranding of consumer products through using a new tagline. Especially clever is Kellogg's " Earn Your Stripes" being used with Frosted Flakes, and the McDonald's

"I'm Lovin It".

Don't neglect a tagline when introducing a new product or company - it can convey in a few simple words what the essence of your offering is.

Our construction company's tagline is "Building Value Together".