Comments on: A few little words – why straplines matter

By: elaineswift

elaineswift — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:17:00 +0000

Hi Paul
Thanks for your comment. It’s an interesting point but I doubt very much it was that clever! It didn’t ‘incense’ me as such – it just convinced me that too many companies don’t think their straplines through. It also gave me chance to show some really good ones.

By: Paul Stuart

Paul Stuart — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:49:06 +0000

Having just read your piece about straplines and in particular the reference to the clamping advert and the strapline “we care”.
I think if you contemplate the issue a little longer, you can actually begin to change your mind.
Maybe it wasn’t meant to be a catchy feel good or endearing strapline. In fact arguably, it could be an example of some of the best marketing you’ve seen lately.
The line “we care” has so incensed you into feeling it as inappropriate and uncaring, its actually got you angry enough to write about it on the internet and assist the company whoever they are to free social marketing. I’m sure they would probably say if asked, “it was meant to be provocative and force readers to think twice about where they park and what can happen if they are careless in their parking strategy.” I’ll bet you’ve spoken and argued about this little sign for weeks and months and all the time spreading their words.
For my mind and opinion, it’s meant to arouse and infuriate and create the reaction you’ve actually experienced., but isn’t that just clever psychological marketing, while sticking two fingers up?

By: Elaine Swift - Blog Archive » Separated by a common language, guest post by Roy Jacobsen

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:52:42 +0000

[...] first time I ended up on Elaine’s blog, I found myself giggling about her article “A few little words – why straplines matter.” I knew immediately from the context what she was talking about, but for this American reader, [...]

By: Lesley Vaughan

Lesley Vaughan — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 07:34:32 +0000

Elaine, I love this topic. One of the best straplines I can remember is BMW’s in South Africa some 10 years ago. After a Mercedes Benz handled a corner badly on the treacherous Chapmans Peak Drive in Cape Town and ended on the rocks hundereds of meters below, BMW came back with “BMW…….beats the Bends”. Fabulous use of words and what impact!!!

Lesley

By: Joe Morgan

Joe Morgan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:57:47 +0000

Couldn’t agree more, great post. A strapline needs to represent your business, and put across something of what you do and Tesco’s “Every little help” is genius. Putting across the message “Quality Customer Experience” in a language that the consumer can understand

By: Bill Hunt

Bill Hunt — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:39:25 +0000

My current favourite is BMW’s …. “We Make Joy.”

Elaine, you might enjoy a book I’m reading – ‘Make it Stick’ by Chip and Dan Heath. It refers to ideas that ‘stick’ – citing proverbs as an example. “A bird in the hand…” apparently has been around since 570 BC and has variants in just every language on the planet. It then compares them to waffle churned out by your average marketing company – and demonstrates how utterly forgettable the majority are.

Their advice is that marketers need to be ‘masters of exclusion’ and strip an idea down to its core. Nicely demonstrated by your examples.

By: elaineswift

elaineswift — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:53:31 +0000

Thanks for your comment Roy. I know! Mad isn’t it? Absolutely no thought gone into it whatsoever but they are by no means the only offenders.

People who complain about the fees people charge to write straplines don’t appreciate the research, thought, time, effort that goes into getting something meaningful that reflects the business.

Ho hum.

By: Roy Jacobsen

Roy Jacobsen — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:43:41 +0000

“We care.”

And the first thing that pops into my mind is: About what?

It’s one of those things that probably sounded good to some committee, but nobody bothered asking “Yeah, but what does it mean, and how does it connect with our business?”

By: elaineswift

elaineswift — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:32:05 +0000

Thanks Leda! I love the ‘letter’ – thanks for posting the link.

By: Leda Sammarco

Leda Sammarco — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:22:38 +0000

What a fab article. So funny and very true. It reminded me of this letter that someone is ‘supposed’ to have sent to Proctor & Gamble about the slogan for their Always products – ‘Have a happy period’! Either way, it’s hilarious. http://www.snopes.com/humor/letters/always.asp – enjoy.