“Where’s the beef?” “Just do it.” “Think.”
Do these phrases sound familiar? They should. Top corporations Wendy’s, Nike and IBM invested thousands—perhaps millions—of dollars in time, research and ad agency spend to develop these memorable, successful slogans.
Slogans don’t just come out of thin air. It takes an understanding of your brand value, your differentiation and your market positioning to develop a successful slogan. And once you’ve done your homework, author Liz Papagni suggests using these literacy devices to make your slogan impactful, as we share in this issue of Promotional Consultant Today.
Isocolon. You probably never learned this term in your high school English class, but it’s a style that brings impact to your slogan. This word implies putting a type of cadence or rhythm into your phrase that creates the element that makes it memorable. This typically requires using similar syllables in each phrase so there’s a feeling of repetition. Example: The few. The proud. The Marines.
Anthimeria. This is a style in which you use a word in an unexpected grammatical slot, such as when you turn a verb into a noun or visa versa. Pagagni uses the example of “I heart you” as a way of using a noun as a verb. This style is common among strategies for brands like Subway’s “Eat fresh” or Apple’s “Think different.”
Anastrophe. Some wordsmiths will rearrange words so that the order seems unusual, while the message still makes sense. Adidas uses this technique with the tagline, “Impossible is nothing.”
Litotes. Another little literary term, this one means to use a double negative to make an impact, such as saying “I don’t not like it.” A brand that uses this is Sara Lee with the slogan, “Nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.”
Hyperbole. This is one of the most commonly used literary devices as it can be dramatic and impactful. “It’s been ages since I last saw you” or “Your suitcase weighs a ton” are examples of hyperbole. In the world of brands, you can see hyperbole being used in brands like Folgers’ “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup,” or BMW’s “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”
Don’t get stuck spending thousands of dollars creating a slogan. Simply try these literary devices to create a slogan that not only emphasizes your brand value, but is memorable at the same time.
Source: Driven by a passion for marketing and 25 years helping companies of all sizes drive awareness, engagement, response and ROI, Liz Papagni launched Marketing Initiative Worx to help companies and agencies drive their business by taking their marketing to the next level. She helps companies further define their brand value, difference and target personas, and create their distinct marketing roadmap for success.
