Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand.

Etymology and nomenclature

According to the 1913

Webster's Dictionary ''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's n ...

, a

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group. Th ...

() derives from the Gaelic " sluagh- ghairm" (an army cry). Its contemporary definition denotes a distinctive advertising motto or advertising phrase used by any entity to convey a purpose or ideal. This is also known as a

catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recogni ...

Tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, s ...

s, or tags, are American terms describing brief public communications to promote certain products and services. In the UK, they are called ''end lines'' or ''straplines.'' In Japan, advertising slogans are called or .

Format

Most corporate

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

are short, memorable phrases, often between 3 and 5 words. Slogans adopt different tones to convey different meanings. For example, funny slogans can enliven conversation and increase memorability. Slogans often unify diverse corporate advertising pieces across different mediums. Slogans may be accompanied by logos, brand names, or musical jingles.

History

Beecham's Pills' "Beechams Pills: Worth a guinea a Box" from August 1859, is considered to be the world's first advertising slogan.

Use

Some

slogans A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

are created for long term corporate identity process, while others are interested for specific limited-time campaigns. However, since some

idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of be ...

s resonate with the

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

with persistence, many advertising slogans retain their influence even after general use is discontinued. If an advertising slogan enters into the public vernacular, word-of-mouth communication may increase consumer awareness of the product and extend an ad campaign's lifespan, or cause a company to adopt it for long term advertising and identity. Slogans that associate emotional responses or evoke recollections of past memories increase their likelihood to be adopted by the public and shared. Additionally, by linking a slogan to a commonplace discussion topic (e.g. stress,

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is ...

traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...

), consumers will recall the slogan more often and associate the corporation with their personal experiences. If a slogan is adopted by the public, it can have a notable influence in everyday social interaction. Slogans can serve as connection points between community members as individuals share pithy taglines in conversation. In contrast, if an individual is unaware of a popular slogan or tagline, they can be socially excluded from conversation and disengage from the discussion.

Social control

Advertising slogans as a system of social control include devices similar to

watchword A password, sometimes called a passcode (for example in Apple devices), is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of ...

s, catchwords, and

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

es.The slogan comes from the Scotch and originated in the clans wars for the objective of control."Slogans As A Means Of Social Control". By Frederick E. Lumley. ''Papers and Proceedings of the American Sociological Society'', Volume 16, 1921
p. 121–134
The use of slogans may be examined insofar as the slogans elicit unconscious and unintentional responses.

The ongoing argument

Quantifying the effects of an effective, or ineffective, ad campaign can prove challenging to scholars. Critics argue taglines are a self-gratifying, unnecessary form of corporate branding that is neither memorable nor pithy. However, proponents argue if taglines enter everyday public discourse, the company's market influence could exponentially increase.

Functional slogans

A marketing slogan can play a part in the interplay between rival companies. A functional slogan usually: * states product benefits (or

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

benefits) for users (or potential buyer) * implies a distinction between it and other firms' products"Making Better Box, Not Cheaper Boxes" Ought to be Slogan ''of'' the Day — Much Valuable Data Available. ''Packages'', Volume 22, December Issue
p. 21
1919—with constraints * makes a simple, concise,Including all important information. clearly defined, and appropriate statement * is either

wit Wit is a form of intelligent humour, the ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny. Someone witty is a person who is skilled at making clever and funny remarks. Forms of wit include the quip, repartee, and wisecrack. Form ...

ty, or has distinct "personality"Or, an externally evident aspects. * gives a credible impression of a brand or productSee also:

brand recognition Brand awareness is the extent to which customers are able to recall or recognize a brand under different conditions. Brand awareness is one of two dimensions from brand knowledge, an associative network memory model. Brand awareness is a key consi ...

* makes the consumer experience an emotion; Or, creates a

need A need is dissatisfaction at a point of time and in a given context. Needs are distinguished from wants. In the case of a need, a deficiency causes a clear adverse outcome: a dysfunction or death. In other words, a need is something required for a ...

desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like " wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...

Notes

References

External articles

*
The Advertising Slogan Hall of Fame
www.adslogans.co.uk
Advertising Industry Guidelines 2014

Advertising Slogans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Advertising Slogan Promotion and marketing communications Advertising techniques Advertising campaigns Marketing techniques