People like to throw out tag lines all the time. If it’s catchy enough, it sticks and everyone likes it. And sometimes, that’s all you need—fun, catchy, memorable.
Other times, it’s the completely wrong vibe to put out for your organization.
When the tag line you pitched goes viral for the wrong reasons and people are asking you why you put those words together in that order … “fun, catchy and memorable” can sound a little underwhelming.
So here are some tips I’ve picked up to avoid writing a bad tag line:
- Check for copyrights and trademarking.
- Run your tag line through the lens of your audience.
- Make sure your tag line is not offensive.
- Future-proof your tag line.
1. Check for copyrights and trademarking
This is easy enough to do and good practice for most copywriting.
There are live databases that list active copyrights and trademarks for organizations. Determining whether or not your phrase belongs to someone else is a matter of searching for it in both places.
This step is really simple, which is why it would put you in a very awkward situation if something went wrong with your tag line and it turned out you didn’t bother to check it off.
Pro-tip: Even if your phrase clears both the TESS and copyright searches, you should also pop it into your search bar to see what comes up. While you may not be infringing, you’ll want to check that your phrase isn’t so close to a familiar phrase already in circulation that people think of that thing first.
2. Run your tag line through the lens of your audience
Do not create your tag line in the silo of your personal preferences and bias, or those of your coworkers.
Just because it sounds good to you or around the conference table doesn’t mean your audience agrees. You need to imagine how they would feel and respond.
For example, what if you’re creating a tag line for a farm management company? You may be tempted to use a play on words, like “We’re ‘ear’ to listen.” It’s fun, catchy and memorable … so, what’s the problem?
Well, that tag line represents a company that is pursuing clients in a $2.1 billion dollar industry. Those clients are relying on that company to help them make decisions like when and where to plant certain crops—types of decisions that, if poorly advised, can cost them significant financial setbacks.
In this example, your audience doesn’t need to know if your company is clever or fun. They need to know they can trust you. A better tag line could indicate your positive track record, your unparalleled expertise or how you’re different from other companies like you.
3. Make sure your tag line is not offensive
Save yourself a viral moment.
In a world where everything offends someone, it matters what your organization says and who they’re saying it to.
We live in a world with 6,000-plus different languages. That number doesn’t account for unofficial languages that are born out of subcultures created by industries, pop culture and politics.
So seriously, what are you saying and who are you saying it to?
A good place to start is with this site called Word Safety. Word Safety will allow you to search for your word or phrase and get a feel for how it plays across different languages.
But that’s only a start. Here, you’ll need to rely on whatever data and information your organization maintains about your audience. And you may also need to do additional research.
The automobile industry has learned this lesson with naming, time and time again. What sounds cool in the U.S. may literally signal “death” in another country or language. Do. Your. Homework.
4. Future-proof your tag line
Because tag lines are so often equated to cleverness, they are susceptible to being dated by the context of the time they’re created.
Take the word “cool,” for example. Imagine if we created a timeline of popular terms meaning “cool” over the years. “Cool” things have been “dope,” “bomb,” “sick,” “ill,” “fire,” “lit” … I’m probably dating myself listing some of these but you get the picture.
Future-proofing your tag line goes beyond pop culture though. You should also consider things like where your industry and the world is headed.
If you’re using a play on words, will it make sense in future years? If your company specializes in mobile app design and your tag line is, “X in just one tap,” are you confident that phones will be touchscreens for the foreseeable future?
In conclusion
In the process of avoiding a bad tag line, you’ll find your options will be stronger and align more closely with the overarching goals of your organization or client.
These are tips I’ve picked up from my experience. What would you add? Let’s start a thread of useful tips for creating strong tag lines.
