What is a Tagline?

What is a Tagline?

What is a Tagline? Jonathan Poland

A tagline is a short, catchy phrase that is used to summarize the core message or value proposition of a company, product, or brand. It is often used in marketing and advertising materials, such as commercials, billboards, and social media posts, and is meant to be memorable and distinctive. A good tagline can help to build brand recognition and differentiate a company or product from its competitors. Some well-known examples of taglines include “Just Do It” for Nike, “Think Different” for Apple, “I’m Lovin’ It” for McDonald’s, “The ultimate driving machine” for BMW, and “The King of Beers” for Budweiser.

The following are common ways to create a tagline.

Promises
Making a promise such as “everything you need to know about …”

Benefits
Stating benefits such as “all of your wildest dreams will come true.”

Emotion
Statements that have the power to trigger emotions such as Nike’s well known trademark “Just Do It.”

Call To Action
Directly command a customer to do something such as “call us to …”

Humor
Light humor such as “great trilogies come in threes” from the movie poster for Scary Movie 3 (2003).

Understatement
An understatement that sounds humble, confident or humorous such as “the classic story about a boy and his mother” from the promotions for the film Psycho (1998).

Fact
A plain fact such as “the biggest mattress warehouse in Texas.”

Mystery
A mysterious statement designed to generate curiosity such as “they’re here” from the film promotions for Poltergeist (1982).

Analogy
Analogies such as a metaphor.

Questions
A rhetorical question such as “are zombie’s smarter than we think?”

Metaphysical Conceit
An analogy that is non-obvious or nonsensical.

Non Sequitur
Two sentences that don’t follow each other that create some effect such as humor. For example, the tagline for the film Shaun of the Dead, 2004 is “A romantic comedy. With zombies.”

Types of Capital Jonathan Poland

Types of Capital

Capital is an asset that is expected to produce future economic value. It is a productive resource that is used…

Productivity Jonathan Poland

Productivity

Productivity is a measure of how efficiently resources are used to produce goods and services. It is typically calculated by…

Risk Management 101 Jonathan Poland

Risk Management 101

Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks to an organization’s assets, operations, and reputation. It…

Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Poland

Chief Executive Officer

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the top administrator of an organization, responsible for its overall performance. The CEO typically…

Conflicts of Interest Jonathan Poland

Conflicts of Interest

A conflict of interest exists when an individual or organization has incentives that contradict their responsibilities. This can occur when…

Capitalism Jonathan Poland

Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on the principles of economic freedom, private ownership, and the creation of wealth through…

Price Sensitivity Jonathan Poland

Price Sensitivity

Price sensitivity is a measure of how much the demand for a product or service decreases as the price increases.…

Economic Advantage Jonathan Poland

Economic Advantage

A competitive advantage is a feature or characteristic that allows a company to perform better than its competitors in a…

Market Entry Strategy Jonathan Poland

Market Entry Strategy

A market entry strategy is a plan for introducing products and services to a new market. This can provide an…

Learn More

Operations 101 Jonathan Poland

Operations 101

Business operations refer to the processes and activities that are involved in the production of goods and services in an…

What is Media? Jonathan Poland

What is Media?

Media refers to the various channels through which information and entertainment can be delivered.

Positive Feedback Loop Jonathan Poland

Positive Feedback Loop

A positive feedback loop is a situation where an initial change or input (A) leads to a further change or…

Product 101 Jonathan Poland

Product 101

A product is an item that is offered for sale. It can be a tangible good, such as a car…

Market Failure Jonathan Poland

Market Failure

Market failure is a situation in which the market does not produce optimal outcomes for society as a whole. It…

Industrial Design Jonathan Poland

Industrial Design

Industrial design involves creating designs for mass-produced products. A common principle in industrial design is that the design should be…

Program Controls Jonathan Poland

Program Controls

Program controls are the mechanisms that enable a computer program to execute a set of instructions in a specific order…

Long Tail Model Jonathan Poland

Long Tail Model

The long tail refers to a business model that allows a large number of niche products or services to be…

Design Innovation Jonathan Poland

Design Innovation

Design innovation refers to the development of designs that represent a significant advancement. This can encompass innovation in fields that…