Short, snappy taglines that give context into a business, its offerings and its mission can do wonders for increasing brand memorability and value. In fact, The Manifest reported 50% of people look to a slogan to understand a company’s purpose, compared to only 7% who believe the logo is most important.

But even if a tagline sticks, that doesn’t mean it should remain stagnant as your business evolves. Most brands periodically refresh their messaging to keep it relevant over time.

For Campbell’s, “Soup Is Good Food” evolved into their signature “Mmm! Mmm! Good!”
For Victoria’s Secret, “The Perfect Body” aimed for inclusivity with “A Body for Everybody.”
For Aker Ink, “If You Can Think It, We Can Ink It” was recently revamped to “We Get It.”

Let’s look at what makes a great tagline, then dive into the story behind why Aker Ink — and so many others — choose to overhaul past taglines to set themselves up for long-term success.

 

Elements of a Strong Tagline

Just Do It.   Taste the Rainbow.   Eat Fresh.

What do all these concise and catchy phrases have in common? You instantly connect them to a brand. Ingrained in your mind as much as they are our culture, effective taglines have the power to perfectly encapsulate an organization in just a few, carefully chosen words — but only if executed well.

When creating a tagline people will remember and associate with your business, keep these tips in mind, along with a few past and present examples from top brands.

 

Sell Your Differentiators: What makes you unique?

  • Melt in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands (M&Ms)
  • Fifteen Minutes Could Save You 15% (Geico)

 

Appeal to Emotions: How do you want to make people feel?

  • Because You’re Worth It (L’oreal)
  • Save Money. Live Better. (Walmart)

 

Experiment with Play-on Words: Get clever with it.

  • Love the Change (Pampers)
  • Doors Are Always Opening (Uber)

 

Speak to Your Audience: Find your niche and target them.

  • Screw it, Let’s Ride (Harley Davidson)
  • The Few. The Proud. (U.S. Marines)

 

Be Strategic with Superlatives: If you’re great, you can say that.

  • The Happiest Place on Earth (Disney)
  • The Quicker Picker Upper (Bounty)

 

Showcase Your Personality: Stay true to your brand but have some fun.

  • ‘Betcha Can’t Eat Just One! (Lays)
  • So Good, Cats Ask for It by Name (Meow Mix)

 

Tell It Like It Is: Literal and direct taglines show integrity.

  • All the News That’s Fit to Print (The New York Times)
  • Don’t Live Life Without It (American Express)

As you can see, the best taglines are specific, short, descriptive and, most importantly, you. Cliches and “fluff” words that don’t provide any real information about your business and why it stands out will leave your consumers confused and unfulfilled, which is exactly what you don’t want.

 

When Should You Update a Tagline?

Taglines sometimes have a short shelf life, depending on the messaging they contain. While some brands have been forced to change their taglines to keep up with the times, others are simply ready for a fresh start. Here are some potential reasons why a business may change its tagline:

  • It’s outdated
  • It’s politically incorrect
  • It no longer aligns with brand messaging
  • It no longer aligns with the evolution of products or services
  • It’s not specific or indicative of what the company offers
  • It lacks emotional connections to your target audience

 

Aker Ink’s Tagline Evolution

Author Tony Robbins said it best: “By changing nothing, nothing changes.” Like our agency, our tagline has also adapted to fit a rapidly evolving digital world.

Aker Ink was founded as a public relations firm in 2007, when many of today’s marketing and PR tactics were virtually nonexistent. To gain traction back then, you couldn’t tell your story yourself in the same way you can now — you often needed a media outlet or third party to tell it for you. Thus, “ink” was the slang term coined for getting this sought-after coverage, literally referring to ink in a newspaper.

For 15 years, “If You Can Think It, We Can Ink It” proudly served as our agency’s tagline, and it’s still an integral part of our namesake. The play-on words, assonance and repetition made it clever and fun while also alluding to our top-notch writing capabilities and creativity. The only problem? It was primarily tailored to media, public relations and content development.

Today, we’re much more than that. The industry landscape and client expectations have drastically changed, and we’ve been at the forefront of watching it all unfold.

Now as the Valley’s top boutique integrated PR and marketing firm, we take on myriad projects in all facets of communication. We work closely with clients to understand their vision and realize their potential. We create sound strategies for long-term success. We delve into the complexities of digital tactics like SEO, social media and content marketing — all of which evolved long after we established our original branding. Yet, we stick to the strong journalism and PR roots that enabled us to roll with the punches through it all.

 

In short, We Get It.

Although simplistic on the surface, these three little words are packed with meaning. Our new-and-improved tagline works on three levels.

  1. We Get Our Clients: Every day we encounter complex challenges within complex industries, and our clients trust us to resolve them with tact, strategy and innovation — because we get it. We take time to learn your story, meet your people and truly understand what makes you tick. We’re a reliable, relatable go-to for helping clients overcome barriers and reach their goals.
  2. We Get Digital: Technology is tricky, but we get it. We invest the time and energy to keep pace with ever-evolving website tools, data-informed decision making, social media trends and lead-capture processes that businesses need to scale and thrive.
  3. We Get Coverage: No matter what the marketing and PR world brings in the future, when it comes to traditional media coverage, we get it. With former journalists on staff, keen relationship-building abilities and connections with industry-leading publications, we know how to land the right message in the right place at the right time. And, as we continue to shift and adapt through the years, we’ll always stay at the top of our PR game.

Is your business in need of a refresh, too? Our team can help with everything from a simple tagline makeover to a total branding overhaul. Learn more about our full suite of marketing department management services.