About Advertising Slogans

The advertising slogan has been around as long as advertising itself. A slogan is an effective way to build brand recognition and to cement a product in the memories of consumers. In order to be successful, advertising slogans should possess a few crucial elements.

Simple and Memorable

Many effective slogans are under five words. The short length aids in memorability, but the slogans must also cause a consumer to think in order to be truly memorable. Nike’s slogan of “Just Do It” causes a consumer to ponder what “It” is for them personally, and are they doing “It”? It creates a desire in the consumer to want to be doing “It,” and thus buy the product. Apple’s slogan of “Think Different” implies that anyone not using Apple products is unoriginal or boring, and that those who do use Apple products are unique and distinctive. The desire to be considered exceptional causes consumers to purchase Apple’s products.

Relevant to the Consumer

An advertising slogan must imply that the product is desirable to as many consumers as possible. Visa’s past slogan of “Everywhere You Want To Be" implied that a Visa card would allow consumers to buy wherever they happened to be; this idea of convenience and flexibility would appeal to many people. However, if the slogan had been “Everything You Want to Buy,” it would be relevant to far fewer consumers, as most couldn’t or shouldn’t buy everything they want with a credit card.

Unique to the Product

Slogans for marketing a product are most effective when they are also unique to the product. Mountain Dew’s slogan of “Do the Dew” or Budweiser’s “This Bud’s for You” could not be mistaken for any other beverage’s slogan. However, Sprite’s slogan of “Obey Your Thirst” could as well be a slogan for water as for Sprite.

Uses Consumer Language

In order for a consumer to identify with a product, the slogan should use the target consumer’s linguistic styles, slang and tone. Motorola’s slogan of “Hello Moto” echoes the popular texting shorthand that reduces long words to an abbreviation or acronym. It sends the message that Motorola and its products are in tune with young, savvy cellphone users.