July 13, 2007
A Good Tagline Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
Good slogans — or taglines, as they are called in the advertising business — lend instant name recognition to charities, writes Michael DiFrisco, a marketing consultant, in The Integrator, a blog produced by the Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation.
Memorable taglines, writes Mr. DiFrisco, include the United Negro College Fund’s “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” and “Take a bite out of crime,” by the National Crime Prevention Council.
He offers the following tagline test. Use it to gauge the power of your charity’s slogan.
- Is it memorable?
- Is it original, and does it make a confident statement?
- Is it easy to say?
- Does it allow your prospects to recall your name?
- Does it communicate your position?
- Will it help your organization achieve its mission?
A Yes answer to all six questions indicates a winning tagline.
Answering three or more in the affirmative earns a “not bad” rating from Mr. DiFrisco.
But if you can’t respond with a Yes to at least three of the questions, he writes, “you have some work to do.”
Does your charity have a tagline that passes the test? Have you created an all-time clunker that still has you cringing? Share your experiences by posting a comment below.
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