This article comes into two parts
1) What is an Advertising Strapline / Slogan?
2) Examples of Classic Straplines
There is, also, an Appendix with additional info on straplines
WHAT IS A STRAPLINE?
A strapline, in advertising, is a ‘slogan’ used to identify brands (i.e Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’).
WHO PUTS STRAPLINES TOGETHER / WHAT IS THE PROCESS ?
There is no real science to writing the great strapline. Being witty, being hard hitting, playing around with metaphors, rhymes, alliteration, and so on, are all good ways to start off / good approaches in general. Copywriters spend much time thinking up straplines in the bus, for example, or in the bath. But in practice, they will spend more time thinking up straplines in the office – in brainstorming sessions, for example, where they will write out many, many different straplines and strapline variations. It’s generally a slog.
ESSENTIAL QUALITIESÂ OF THE STRAPLINE:
 Firstly: Form
- Concise: the shorter / the crisper-sounding, the better
- Sounds right: it either sounds just right or it doesn’t
- Witty:straplines often sound witty / have something witty about them
Secondly: Trying to go beyond just form
- Â Brand image: that it reflects something of the brand image
- Makes customer feel good: puts customer into a certain mood when they hear or read the strapline
Thirdly: If possible – and ultimately – to try and say something really interesting about the brand (more than just reflecting general image) and / or to connect the brand to the audience in some important way
- Brand personality: the brand is unique and interesting
- Benefit: the brand has some important benefit to the audience
- Distinct: the brand is distinct (and better) to other brandsÂ
DO STRAPLINES STILL WORK / ARE THEY NOT A BIT OLD-FASHIONED?There certainly is a debate in the advertising world about whether straplines still work or not. Some see them as old-fashioned. As being part of the world of the big advertising campaigns of old. That a more subtle approach is now needed in advertising including the use of (or not) of straplines. On the other hand, one only has to look at current well-known straplines such as Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’ to see that they can be effective. Many brands now choose to play around with variations of a popular strapline, for example, ‘Mr Kipling’s exceedingly good cakes’ becomes ‘Mr Kipling’s exceedingly happy cakes’, and so on.
So, perhaps, when and how to use straplines applies very much on a particular brand, audience and market place, more than anything else.
CLASSIC STRAPLINES
- Simples! Comparethemarket.com
- Just do it – Nike
- Beanz Meanz Heinz – Heinz Baked Beans
- Have a break, have a Kit Kat – Kit Kat
- Probably the best beer in the world – Carlsberg
- Because I’m worth it - L’Oreal
- There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s MasterCard. Mastercard
- Let your fingers do the walking – Yellow Pages
- - Audi
- Think small – Volkswagen
- Guinness is good for you – Guinness
- Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet – Hamlet
- Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach – Heineken
- Good things come to those who wait – Guinness
- Schhh…You-Know-Who. Schweppes
- No FT, no comment - Financial Times
- Every Little Helps - Tesco
- Aah! Bisto - Bisto
- Like.no.other – Sony
- It is. Are you? - The Independent
- It’s a Skoda. Honest - Skoda
- I’d rather have a bowl of Coco Pops. Coco Pops
- Don’t just book it. Thomas Cook it. Thomas Cook
- Plink, plink, fizz, fizz. Alka Seltzer
- You know when you’ve been Tango’d. Tango
- Don’t leave home without it – American Express
- Finger lickin’ good – KFC
- We try harder – Avis
- A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play. Mars
- The ultimate driving machine – BMW
- A little dab’ll do ya – Brylcream
- Where do you want to go today? Microsoft
- Fun anyone? Playstation 2
- Have it your way – Burger King
- When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. Federal Express
- The world’s local bank. HSBC
- Think Different - Apple Macintosh
- Are you a Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut case? Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut
- It’s good to talk - BT
- Does she or doesn’t she? Clairol
- The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand. M&Ms
- Because life’s complicated enough. Abbey National
- And all because the lady loves Milktray – Cadbury’s Milk Tray
- I bet he drinks Carling Black Label - Carling Black Label
- Cats like Felix like Felix. Felix
- Say it with flowers - Interflora
- Don’t live a little, live a lotto. Lotto
- Please don’t squeeze the Charmin. Charmin
- A diamond is forever. De Beers
- Keep Walking. Johnny Walker
- My goodness, my Guinness! Guinness
- Snap! Crackle! Pop! Kellogg’s Rice Krispies
- The future’s bright. The future’s Orange. Orange
- I love New York. New York tourism
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APPENDIX
Some classic ads with the above straplines / slogans (watch on YouTube by clicking on below links)
- Simples – comparethemarket.com
- Like.no.other (Sony)
- Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
- Nike – Just do it
- Probably the best beer in the world (Carlsberg)
- Vorsprung durch Technik (Audi)
- Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet
- Good things come to those who wait (Guinness)
- Think Small (Volkswagen)Â Â
- Are you a Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut case?
- Have A Break, have a Kit Kat
straplines / slogans – spotlightideas.co.uk – 2010
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Thank you. This information has been useful. May I suggest a key missing contemporary strap line is ‘it does what it says on the tin’
Kevin. Thanks (added your reccomendation to post).
I really like Tesco delivery “You shop. We drop”
i need strapline for fertilizer organization, please suggest.
Fertilizer organisation doesn’t quite make sense but try ………..”Grow with Us”
We are looking for a strap line for a law firm. Am thinking something like :
Excellence in Practice
or
Practising Excellence
Any thoughts?
what would be a good strapline for a marketing company????
I am needing an appropriate strapline for a new cleaning company. I have a few ideas, but nothing that is fun, fresh and catchy. Can anyone help please? Thank you
what to use a strapline for a cake compnay
When only cake will do !!
but I keep thinking I have heard it somewhere else
Anyone know if some other brand is using it
Thanks
what strapline for a health, safety & environmental consultancy?
CAN ANYONE HELP ME, I NEED A STRAPLINE FOR A TELECOMMS COMPANY CALLED URBANCOMS… CANT THINK OF ANY help !!!!!
Hi
Stressing over a strap line for new business
Want something fun, classy, stylish we are a virtual office company.
We are going to be called a la mode appointments.
Any ideas please?
Thanks
Hi, can someone help please, I need a catchy strapline for my organisation providing social care for special needs, we are a registered charity so would be good to have “your local charity” in it, thanks.
A new brand of upmarket estate agents? – sny sugestions?! Thanks
Hi everyone. We are a Landscape Design company called ‘The Constant Gardener Design Co. We are looking for suggestions of a snappy strap line for our business so if anyone has any good suggestions let me know. Our work ranges from classic to contemporary.
Hi I am trying to come up with a strap line for my business, any ideas for a plumbing and heating company? I am getting a headache trying to conjour some thing up, guess some people are just creative at things like that?!
We came up with “for the people” – what do you think ?
Hi, my company name is HANDS ON GADGETS , we sell video games and computers ate the moment and are looking for a strap line.
Anyone help !!