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 QUALITIES 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

• 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 brands

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.

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APPENDIX

SPOTLIGHT IDEAS’ TOP 20 STRAPLINES (if you disagree or think others should be added please let us know ..)

• Just do it
• Beanz Meanz Heinz
• Have a break, have a 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
• Let your fingers do the walking (Yellow Pages)
• Vorsprung durch Technik (Audi)
• Think small (Volkswagen)
• Guinness is good for you
• Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet
• Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach
• Good things come to those who wait (Guinness)
• No FT, no comment (Financial Times)
• Finger lickin’ good (KFC)
• We try harder (Avis)
• The ultimate driving machine (BMW)
• Every Little Helps
• Aah! Bisto
• Like.no.other (Sony)

Other people’s (readers’) favourites (got any favourites, please let us know):

• ‘it does what it says on the tin’

Some classic ads with the above straplines

Nike – Just do it
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB49FHuR_rQ&feature=related

Have A Break, have a Kit Kat
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRM2ho2qHrU

Probably the best beer in the world (Carlsberg)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni0PBPeyHDc

Vorsprung durch Technik (Audi)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92VajZCGjbM

Think Small (Volkswagen)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw2rRSLvIO0

Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMD_SWtPzlk

Good things come to those who wait (Guinness)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcdDg30VBgo

Like.no.other (Sony)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bb8P7dfjVw&feature=related

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