Does your company currently have a catchphrase, a tagline or slogan? If so, is it stale? Outdated? Or not in line with your current ad marketing efforts? Does it really say who and what your company is about? Does your tagline speak to your customer?

Perhaps this is a good time to think of a fresh approach in these changing times. Whether you are a new business thinking about it, or have been in business for years without a slogan, one thing is for sure, you probably need one. Or do you? Well, perhaps you don’t really NEED a slogan, however if you have been thinking about it we've put together some thoughts you might want to consider when creating one. The images you see here on the blog are a few selected promotional drink coasters we have manufactured for clients that include catch-phrases as examples. You might recognize a couple of them.

Coaster Factory has worked with plenty of fantastic clients over the years from small players to mega global brand names. We’ve seen some slick logo designs in conjunction with great tagline captions hitting our print presses. What makes a slogan memorable? Well, that probably depends on the image you want to project about your company and who it is you are trying to target.

The business model of your company should determine your level of branding. If you’re creating a slogan for your business or product, you want something that represents your brand and is easy to remember. In a previous blog we wrote about the “Principles of Branding: What Great Brands Do.”; if you haven’t read it, we encourage you to do so afterwards.

According to AdAge.com, the top ten

most recalled slogans are:

1. "Diamonds are forever" - DeBeers

2. "Just do it" - Nike

3. "The pause that refreshes" - Coca-Cola

4. "Tastes great, less filling" - Miller Lite

5. "We try harder" - Avis

6. "Good to the last drop" - Maxwell House

7. "Breakfast of champions" - Wheaties

8. "Does she ... or doesn't she?" - Clairol

9. "When it rains, it pours" - Morton Salt

10. "Where's the beef?" - Wendy's

Honorable mention:

"We bring good things to life" - General Electric

Good branding slogans are so memorable that they have become part of the lexicon. Embedded so deeply in our brains we surely will never forget them. Fill in these blanks -- I bet you can!

Finger Lickin’ _____.

Melts in your mouth, not __________.

Have It _____ Way.

Let your_____do the walking.

As with any good branding advice, start with your logo! The logo is your curb appeal. It’s the house, front garden and walkway. The slogan is a statement of who you are, inside those walls.

Creating a tagline is a very difficult task. So while coming up with a great slogan is definitely a creative process, here are a few general tips to developing a memorable slogan for your business, taking it to the next level:

1. Keep your slogan short. The shorter it is, the easier it is to remember. No more than a handful of words, sometimes it only takes 3 or 4. Certainly keep it under 7-10 words max. Write it in such a way that your target audience understands what your business is without the need for too much additional information. 

2. Your slogan should compliment your logo projecting a message that is consistent with your branding.

3. Branding is not what YOU say it is, it is what THEY (your customers) say it is. Therefore the key to a good slogan or tagline is to focus on what makes you different. Try to incorporate what makes your business special. Using action verbs can make it empowering and give a call to action (Just Do It). Make it about the customer. Remember, it’s about how you benefit the customer’s life and not about how great your company is. Home Depot does a terrfic job with this, “You can do it. We can help.” is an empowering statment to customers at the same time it is including the company as the resource to get them to wherever they’re going. Win win.

4. Make a slogan that will last through the ages. As tempting as hip taglines are, choose wording for your slogan that can stand the test of time. There’s a reason each of the above taglines has survived the test of time. Simplicity usually wins the day.

6. Aim straight at your target audience. There are fundamental questions you then must ask yourself. Who are they? Where are they? What do they desire, need, want? You have to appeal to their self-interest. With just a simple phrase you can really encapsulate what makes your company attractive. The best taglines provide a reason why a customer would want to do business in the first place. Burger King lets you “have it your way.” State Farm is “like a good neighbor...” drawing attention to key benefits is appealing to eyes and ears.

7. Be original! It’s okay to find inspiration in existing ads, but its best not mimic a well-known slogan or tagline that’s already successful. One of the biggest mistakes is going the safe route and creating something bland. While your slogan should never offend anyone, it almost certainly won’t excite or inspire either. If your tagline appears safe and generic, your brand is going to be perceived that way, too. Keep it positive. There’s a huge body of research showing that negative statements generally don’t sell very well. Keep your tagline positive!

8. How easy it to read and say? Do you fumble or get tongue tied when saying it outloud?  If your slogan had to be translated into another language, would it still hold its intended meaning? Culturally speaking? If your slogan has humour in it how well does that convey cross borders? Something to think about.

Not to beat a dead horse, but we need to stress this one, again. Probaby the biggest common mistake companies make is to make promises in their taglines (which put the focus on the company). Don’t make promises – communicate benefits instead. If you focus your tagline on your company, your customers will wonder how it relates to them. So the real trick of course in the process of creating a memorable slogan is to find the voice and personality, while at the same time making sure that the tagline reflects that voice and personality while staying focused on your customer. Good luck!

Coaster Factory is North America’s premier beer coaster manufacturer, providing exceptional service and the highest quality custom coasters printed on premium European pulpboard.

High Quality, Coaster Printing, Colors & Materials: Our offset presses print FULL color (CMYK) on BOTH sides of your coasters (spot color is available). Not only do Coaster Factory's authentic European Pulpboard coasters effectively absorb spills, they’re lightweight, firm, and look great too!

Great Prices: We offer competitive pricing on any size coaster order, from 1,200 into the millions! We have standard value pack pricing for most common quantities and can provide quotes for larger or customized orders. Have your artwork, logo, picture or design printed full color on both sides with many size and custom shape options.

Fast Delivery: Need your coasters quickly? Whether your order is large or small, you'll receive your custom coasters fast. We offer standard as well as GUARANTEED RUSH production options (extra fees apply).

Your brand is the most powerful tool in your toolbox and coasters are a unique, useful and cost effective way to promote your product or message. The biggest brands have known this for a very long time!

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Add an element of authenticity and flair to your promotion with these thick, durable coasters made with eco-friendly European pulp board printed with vegetable-based inks.

Need a quote? Click over to our Custom Coaster Quote Form. See our coaster designs by viewing our online Coaster Factory Showcase. ​Check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Do you have customization ideas you'd like to try? Talk to one of our representatives and we will look into it for you! Check out our stock library coaster shape pricing options!!

blog post by Alex Zafer