The power of the strapline
How can you better define your brand in an instant? Just like a logo, a strapline can communicate a great deal in one glance…
WHY HAVE A STRAPLINE ANYWAY?
While many successful brands can navigate an increasingly busy market without a strapline, those with a famous line following their name and logo often have greater brand recognition. It’s a competitive market, so communicating what your brand offers succinctly (and the Holy Grail – memorably) is an incredible advantage over those playing in the same space. So what should a good strapline do?
1. Make a promise. Deliver it.
If you can capture your brands values in one simple phrase, you’re onto a winner. If you can wrap this up with a touch of personality then even better (we want to make it memorable, remember?). You’re making a promise with your audience that you can deliver on. You’ll make their life easier, more enjoyable, exciting, less monotonous, dull, or boring. The key to this is never overpromising or presenting something you can never achieve.
2. Sell, sell, sell
Think of your strapline like an amazing opportunity for a piece of self-promotion. Getting to the heart of what your brand has to offer takes longer than the three or so seconds it’ll take your audience to read your strapline but convincing them you’re worth their time is the goal here. Demonstrate that you know your audience and understand what they’re looking for. This can be everything from selling a service to a product that’s going to solve a problem.
3. Think Different
At every opportunity you should be thinking about how to set yourself apart from your competition. It’s a busy marketplace with a strong chance someone else is offering something very similar to you, possibly for less money. Having a strong strapline (with a unique brand identity to match) is a way to set yourself apart. It’s all part of the brand experience for a customer and sells them the dream of buying from you over your competitors.
Iconic straplines are so in tune with their brands that many of us can think of them at the drop of a hat. Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s…. Just do it…Taste the rainbow… (or our founder Judy Andrews’ favourite), Every little helps… Each of these are brilliant examples of capturing a brand’s essence, and in all but one example they’re just three words long.
So, is crafting a strapline as easy as 1,2,3? Far from it, it’s harder than you might think but here’s some ways you might be able to approach the process of finding yours that will help.
WHAT SORT OF STRAPLINE ARE YOU?
1. Tell your audience what you do. (It does what it says on the tin)
Is your brand all about solving problems? Is it a fancy new toothpaste, a meal kit delivery service or something new to the market that the average consumer may not be familiar with? You’ll want to craft a strapline that is firmly on the nose with this one. Brevity is the soul of wit, but don’t lose the meaning in the pursuit of being clever.
Eve sleep captures this well with their own strapline ‘Beds designed for better starts’. It also manages to hit that sweet spot of offering a little more aspiration while being incredibly clear to an audience.
2. Make it relevant for your target audience
Try a super clear descriptive headline – these are full of brash, unapologetic confidence. They’re a good opportunity to convey a bit of personality, demonstrates what makes you special amongst your competitors and tells your audience you’re a brand that understands their needs. They’re a balance between totally aspirational and completely perfunctory.
As part of a full rebrand for Asian supermarket brand, Giant, we crafted a strapline that adapted this approach. “It’s the little things that make a Giant difference” captures the many things to love about the brand. It’s the quality of the food, the choice, the service – everything adds up to a better customer experience.
3. Focus on what makes you different
Is it a bit crowded in your space? A real way to sell your USP can be in an aspirational strapline that’s simple and effective. This may not be the most direct ‘Ronseal’ approach, but it tells a story and shares your vision with your consumer. These are especially great for those brands looking to find a long-term ‘tribe’ of advocates that fully endorse their brand to the point where they’ll extol your virtues on your behalf. What could be better than free marketing?
For the award-winning rebrand of Sad Girls Club, inspiration for the line ‘small talk real talk’ came from listening to the founder, Elyse Fox, speak about the community she had created. It digs deeper than the small talk, exploring issues which are both personal and critical for wellbeing. It also came from knowing and understanding the audience – humour, pop culture references and memes were used to convey messages of hope, understanding and empowerment.
WHOSE STRAPLINE IS IT ANYWAY?
And there you have it, a few ways in which you can begin to decipher how you’ll present your brand to the world in just a few words. First, decide what you want to convey to your audience and then choose a way in which you’ll go about communicating this idea. The key is to make it distinct from your competitors and memorable to your audience.
Looking to capture your brand’s story in a few words and not sure where to start? If you’re an emerging or established brand seeking some word wizardry, please do get in touch.