Persuasive Advertising - J. Scott Armstrong [158]
Slogans can be useful for advertisers seeking long-term relationships with customers. Given the difficulty of creating good slogans, and the dangers of disrupting customers from strong arguments, they should only be used when a strong case can be made. This implies that many slogans should be tested before deciding that one might work.
Can you identify the companies or products that used each of these slogans?
A. We do it all for you
B. The world’s favourite airline
C. Have you had your break today?
D. You’re in good hands with Allstate
E. We love to see you smile
F. Where’s the beef?
G. I’m loving it
H. The ultimate driving machine
8.4.1. Consider a short memorable slogan with the brand name and benefit
Slogans should express the brand’s benefit in a short and catchy phrase—such as in slogans B, D, F and H in the box above. Those slogans came from the “Hall of Fame” at adslogans.com.
Raymond Rubicam implied a benefit in 1921 with his slogan for Steinway pianos: “The instrument of the Immortals.” The advertising executives at Steinway were skeptical but ran it anyway. Sales rose by 70 percent, and Steinway used this slogan for decades (Watkins 1959; Fox 1997). Other slogans that captured the benefit include Yellow Pages with “Let your fingers do the walking,” Greyhound Bus with “Sit back and leave the driving to us,” and Wal-Mart’s “Always low prices. Always.™”
If possible, include benefits in slogans. Many advertisers do this. In August 2005, I examined the 29 English-language Hall of Fame slogans on adslogans.com. Over half referred to a benefit.
Ideally, slogans should refer to a unique selling proposition (USP). This is difficult to do, yet example H does it. This slogan, initiated in 1992, focuses on the skills and joys involved in driving a BMW.
Notice example D. When the brand name is in the slogan it leaves no doubt as to the brand. Other examples: “If anyone can, Canon can.” “I’d walk a mile for a Camel,™” and “It’s Miller time.™”
Now look at slogans A, C, E, and G. They lack a brand name, product, or benefit. McDonald’s spent heavily on advertising these slogans; however, few people could recognize the sponsor (USA Today, 2003).
If you do use a slogan, make it short. Adslogans.com listed 119 English language slogans in its Hall of Fame as of October 8, 2008. They averaged 5.4 words and 7.5 syllables.
In recent years, slogans seem to have become shorter. However, they should not be so short that they lose meaning. Consider these vague slogans: “Inspire the next,™” “Where else?,” and “From thought to finish.”
Make the slogan memorable. It should roll off the tongue. A good example is the 2004 slogan introduced by Wawa convenience stores, “Gottahava Wawa.”
Ideally, the slogan should survive across time. It should be relevant when a company adds or eliminates products, when fashions change, or when the company expands its markets. In 1935, DuPont began using “Better things for better living … through chemistry.” The slogan lasted until the 1980s, when it deleted “… through chemistry.” DuPont used the revised slogan until 1999.
Of course, some slogans are successful though limited to a certain time period, such as Kodak’s 1890 slogan for its Brownie camera, “You press the button—We do the rest.”
If properly designed, slogans can be persuasive. If poorly designed, they can distract customers. This can be detrimental, especially because they typically appear at the end of the ad—when you would like the customer to be thinking about an action step.
Sullivan (2003, pp. 105–07), a copywriter, claimed that few slogans work, and he often discourages clients from using them. It does seem that slogans are often forced onto situations where they are not appropriate. Consider the problem of developing a slogan for a U.S. state. Few states have a strong benefit, much less a USP. In 2006, New Jersey paid a marketing company $260,000 to come up with “New Jersey: We’ll win you over.