# How Are Important Are Taglines?



## stubrad1982 (Sep 21, 2008)

*How Important Are Taglines?*

I’ve been thinking about taglines today after hearing a story about a new small company who changed their tagline three times in the same year then wondered if that might hurt their brand.

That got me to thinking about the importance of taglines. Of course, taglines are a great way to draw attention to one of the most important attributes of a brand’s image or mission, but can taglines pigeon-hole a company or brand, particularly a new company or brand that is just starting out and trying to find its place in the market?

Naturally, each brand needs to have a position in the market, but I wonder if adding a tagline to describe your brand is wise for a new company or brand. Would it be better to wait to choose your tagline or should you create a tagline upfront at the risk of realizing later it’s really not the best one for your brand once the brand picks up momentum and then change it? I can think of pros and cons to both strategies.

What do you think? Should a new brand or company (particularly a small one that doesn’t have a big budget to brand) roll out with a tagline or wait until the waters have been tested and add a tagline later?


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## trytobecool (Jan 21, 2009)

Brand name matters more then Tagline. I guess Tagline can be modified in the process of making Brand but Make sure you choose good brand name which has potential in the long run. you don't want to get stuck after year with common brand name or unrelated to your geo.

-Tagline, I have seen bunch of brands changing or modify now a days to their customer's taste. Best thing is to have good from begining. I won't risk of damaging Brand by changing every now and then.


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

I think taglines are a holdover from the old world. The value in some of them is undeniable (e.g. "Just do it."), but generally? Meh.

With great effort I'm sure I could recall some others. If you gave me a list of major company's taglines I'm sure I could match them to the company name. But who really cares? I don't see that having a direct effect on sales.

If you're advertising in a formal context you need a proposition (e.g. "Great quality, even better prices."), but I don't like the idea of tying that to your brand name every single time it is mentioned.

The important thing is, what do I think of when I hear the name "Ford"? What does "Reebok" mean to me? et cetera. In other words, brand perception. A tagline is certainly *one* way to shape that, and in that sense it can be a useful tool. But it's only one way, and I don't see it as a _necessary_ tool.

I think many companies need to be reminded of that important principle in writing: show, don't tell.

A tagline is meaningless if it's not backed up by your brand. If your brand already embodies your idea, then articulating it is at best unnecessary, and at worst trite. There is a mid-ground, but I don't think many brands need to occupy it.


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## PromoTshirtCrazy (Jul 13, 2009)

If you create your company logo including a tagline you should be wary of changing it too often. Think of corporations like McDonalds or Subway, their taglines are simple and to the point and people associate those one-liners with the brand name.

However, you're fairly safe if your original brand name doesn't include a tagline.


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

Well spoken Lewis my thoughts exactly.

Katrina


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