A quality slogan can say it all

Published by Ryan Paugh on October 30th, 2007 in Productivity, Work | 5 Comments

Working out at the gym is almost certainly the only part of the day that helps me maintain my sanity. Not only do I get the chance to let loose and release some steam, but I also get to observe my fitness center's absolutely outrageous slogan: "Feed your mind some body."

"Feed your mind some body?" I think to myself. "What the hell does that mean?" Ryan Healy agrees. It's one of the most ridiculous taglines we've ever heard.

Luckily, I don't think our gym has to worry too much about competition. But it got me thinking about just how important a slogan can be. How do you go about choosing the right one?

Speak for your company

What important objectives are ambiguous when reading your company name? There's bound to be something missing, so make sure it becomes tangible in your slogan.

"Don't pick a slogan that simply reiterates your company name," says Karen E. Klein, BusinessWeek. "It should enhance and complement that primary statement about your company and provide would-be customers with new, positive information about you."

Put your vision into words

If a picture is really worth a thousand words, this part should be a cinch. Keep a rolling list of energetic words that speak to your vision.

If you don't have a white board you can devote to this task, tape a large sheet of paper to the wall and leave a couple markers near by. It's important that you can reference your list over and over again.

If you don't already own a Thesaurus, buy one or use thesaurus.com. If you use Microsoft Word as your Thesaurus, that's okay too. But in my experience, it's a far cry from an all-inclusive resource for finding like words.

Give yourself options

Finally! It's time to put the puzzle together. At this point, it's easy to come up with one slogan you think is flawless and call it a day. I strongly suggest that you fight this urge.

Unless you're working solo, the odds are against you. At least one member of your team is not going to like your idea and you'll be left with nothing.

This is why it's always best to work together – it's really the most fun part anyway. Still, not everyone wants to be a part of the creative process. Some people just want to assess and criticize, so provide options.

Just like the word search, keep a running list of all the prospects. No matter how stupid you think any idea is, write it down. It only takes a moment for something seemingly worthless to turn golden.

Highlight your top picks

At the conclusion of your brainstorming session, rank the best. This way you can prepare to sell your top ideas to the rest of your squad.

"Ideally, a slogan should be fewer than seven words," says Klein.

"It doesn't have to be funny, clever, or rhyme," says Eric Swartz, president of TaglineGuru.com, "but it should be simple, positive, believable, memorable, competitive, original and benefit-oriented. Always avoid [slogans] that are vague, awkward, confusing, complicated or communicate an unintended double meaning. Don't use trendy business jargon."

Watch Your Back

A few months ago, Bon Jovi had a little disagreement with a Jersey businessman who was marketing an energy drink called Mijovi. The businessman named the beverage after his girlfriend, Jovita (nicknamed "Jovi"). But Jon saw it as a direct assault on his famous name.

Once you've lined up your top slogans, run them through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to make sure you're not asking to get sued. Fortunately, for the creator of Mijovi, the Jersey rocker had no grounds for a lawsuit, but with all the excessive litigations we hear about in current events, it's not worth having to deal with the high-powered lawyer of a spoiled celebrity.