Slogan is a big idea communicated in a small phrase. Slogan is clear, succinct and simple formulation of aim and mission of a trademark.
Slogan development – embrace the boundless
The more sense the fewer words. It is the main principle which is the ground for slogan development. Empty phrase will fall on deaf ears; 10-word sentence will never be remembered word for word. Slogan development is aimed at finding sense in minimum words.
Slogan development starts out from the values and mission of a brand. Slogan is the best way to get these brand attributes across consumers in compact and non-intrusive way.
Slogan development requires trademark motto and its character correspondence. Slogan must speak the brand’s language – it must be remembered during the whole development process.
Good idea is a self-growing idea. International slogans development practice calls it the ‘Big Idea’, an idea which is able to expand itself. Successful slogan development consists in finding such an idea. After all, once been found, the Big Idea is able to produce advertising ideas during several years.
Slogan development: let’s verse
Good slogan must sound good. Moreover, it must sound good through and through. Slogan development must consider rhythm of a phrase as well as its readability and pronouncibility. Rhythmic slogan is easier to remember and stronger to influence target audience.
Versing helps the development of mottoes. That is why slogan development consists not only in creation of a conscious and smart phrase, but also in its tailoring to a kind of iamb, choree, dactyl or everything else you like.
Besides using poetical form, slogan development possesses an armory of techniques. Slogan development has its gimmicks. Just turn around and you’ll see that the majority of slogans were written with the help of them.
So, the gimmicks of brand’s motto development include:
- Citation as it is – learn by heart several aphorism books and popular literary works. Once it’s done you can consider slogan development to be your element, however the slogans will be quite the same.
- Metaphor - name things figuratively. The basic rule of this technique rules: fantasize but don’t overdo!
- Reiteration – it is one of the most elegant techniques in slogan development. It allows creating sophisticated phrases with the help of reiteration of keywords. Copywriters like this technique very much. And could they think otherwise? Good people worth good slogans.
- Wordplay is a technique that helps to create unusual, interesting and jokey slogans.
- Self-made aphorism is the technique which is used to present a copywriter’s thought solemnly and pompously sounding like a real aphorism.
- Command is a slogan which galvanizes into action. Just do it – and don’t argue!
- Verselet is the trickiest gimmick of all known. It allows even the most trivial name to become rememberable. The secret is that verselets stick to our minds, and stay there for a while.
- About nothing – «Only for you», «Make the right choice» - everyone, who practices slogan development, possesses a set of such empty phrases. Traditionally, they are offered to hesitant customers who are afraid of standing out of the pack and place strict “bounds of decency” for their trademark’s slogan.
From love to hate: how to define whether the slogan is good?
Slogan development practice has discovered a wonderful paradox: target audience doesn’t have to like the slogan. Slogans, which had been received negatively while testing, came to the top often. The thing is that slogan must be remembered and be able to attract attention to itself. Bad slogans are those which are perceived moderately because slogan development is aimed not at pleasing, but at catching.
