Destination Branding Specialists

How to create a tagline that includes everything about your brand.

Who said the goal of a tagline was to tell an entire story of a brand? It shouldn’t even try.

Don’t try.

“We want to create a slogan that reflects all the wonderful things about our city. But there’s no way to develop a line that can do all of that”.

Then don’t try.

Who said the goal of a tagline was to tell an entire story of a brand? It shouldn’t even try.

Perhaps the goal of a strong tagline or slogan, is to say something that is intriguing enough that you have the opportunity to tell your audience the rest of the story. Trying to say everything in a simple line is not realistic. A powerful line is not about the line as much as it is about the story you attach to it.

“Just Do It.” A line everyone likes to hold up as greatness. I agree. But it is great because of the story behind it — not to mention millions of dollars in advertising and storytelling. We all like “Just do it” as a line because of its powerful simplicity. However, it is the story fed to us over and over again that made those three little words mean something bigger.

When a community tries to say everything in a line it normally sounds like “A great place to live, work and play.” There. It’s true and includes everything right? Boring. This is the most common catch phrase used by cities in the U.S. Why? Because it’s safe and everyone locally will agree. Everyone outside of the community will agree  it says nothing distinctive, nor offer the community the ability to own anything.

So when developing a line for your city, be bold. Don’t try to say it all. Start with a story and commit to telling the story. DO not worry or pause early when people have not been exposed to the story. A line is not branding. A line is positioning within a larger story. Get it?

Now for some fun. What are your favorite taglines from cities or communities? You cannot choose these three staples: “I love NY;” “Virginia is for Lovers;” or “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

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