One of the basic tools for building a brand is the most obvious. Language. The simpler the better. For marketing language to have optimum durability and tensile strength, it’s got to stand up to time and reality. Especially the words of the elusive “tagline”. You've got to convey a message about yourself that is unique to you, relevant, sustainable, comprehensive, clearly communicate-able, and supportable by key players in the company. Sounds daunting but, like most things "marketing", the key ingredient is common sense.
Try this exercise at the office. Go to a big white board in one of your conference rooms. Down the left side, list the candidate taglines. Across the top of the board, write the categories noted above: Unique, Relevant, Sustainable, Comprehensive, Communicable, Internal Supportable. Gather the team of players you believe most indispensable to the success of your initiative: Product jocks, exec-staff members, anyone and everyone whose opinion is going to matter. Now for the fun. Have each person rate (score) each statement as high, medium, or low. Then, in the space beneath each category, write in the scores assigned to each statement. The ensuing conversation will likely be the most productive one you’ve witnessed in recent memory. At the end of the exercise, you’ll have your winning entry -- and a good tagline. Yep, it was that simple. Which must never be confused with "easy".
