A study of over 500 global taglines uncovers the secrets behind brand memorability
Why do some taglines work, while others vanish overnight? A report by research agency Distinctive BAT explains what makes taglines stand out. Taglines are often held up as one of the best examples of distinctive brand assets (DBAs). Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ and ‘I’m Lovin’ It’ for McDonald’s are iconic examples where the brand owner instantly comes to mind.
But there is so often a big disparity in performance between the good and the not so good. Distinctive BAT sought to explore whether there were specific factors behind their success; insights that could be utilised when developing a new tagline. The agency tested over 500 taglines from their database, across multiple categories and markets.
The taglines were reviewed through different factors such as length in words, time in market, whether it is used as a jingle or not, and whether it is emotive or functional in composition. They were then analysed using the BAT score, an aggregate score of key distinctive measures made up of asset recognition, brand attribution and misattribution.
Creative
The key factor driving distinctiveness was for the taglines that reflected the ‘big idea’ or creative platform, as distinct from a simple sign-off. Cathal Gillen, co-founder and head of strategy at Distinctive BAT, said the hardest-working taglines are more than just that. It’s something he has seen time and again with clients and it plays out in the analysis.
Often, taglines are used only as a 30-second ad sign-off. “It’s naive to think this will be enough,” Gillen said. “The hardest-working taglines are more than just a tagline. KitKat or Snickers are brands that consistently use a tagline, but they have also made them the hero of their advertising and a central tenet of their creative. This platform provides the perfect amount of focus and direction for creatives to do brilliant work.”
Longevity aids reach and frequency
Time in market is an important factor too. One of the main reasons brands struggle to embed a tagline is the lack of airtime and longevity. Many taglines last only as long as a brand campaign related to the latest positioning objective or brand challenge. Unsurprisingly, the longer the tagline has been live, in general, the higher the scores. Repetition is a huge factor in embedding any asset, and the longer a tagline is live, the higher the reach and frequency.
More words, more memory?
A number of other important factors were uncovered through the research.
The number of words also had an influence, with longer taglines generally indexed higher. “We presumed shorter taglines would have indexed higher, however, we saw this trend the other way, with uplifts in scores as the number of words increased,” Gillen said. “There is often an ask to be as punchy as possible in nearly any walk of life, including advertising, however this doesn’t play out in the data.
“It would suggest that those extra few words might help tell a bit more of a story, versus punchier taglines like Subway’s ‘Eat Fresh’ or ‘King of Beers’ for Budweiser, helping contribute to a few additional layers in aiding memory storage and recall. This isn’t to suggest we recommend adding words for the sake of it, more so that if you do land on something you feel has potential, don’t over-edit or rule it out simply because it’s that bit longer.”
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Linking the brand name to the tagline also added incrementally to distinctiveness. Repetition of the brand name within the tagline brings an advantage in driving distinctiveness, helping embed it within memory structures. Aside from helping improve the chances of the tagline sticking, having the brand name mentioned further aids brand linkage to advertising.
The research also looked at the composition of taglines
For example, the differences between taglines more abstract in structure than those that are not, and also those that may lean more into emotion as against those that are more functional. The study found small to moderate jumps for the more abstract taglines – those that require slightly more comprehension, suggesting it helps the tagline stand out, like Heineken ‘Open Your World’ versus Michelob Ultra ‘Superior Light Beer’. There were also some small uplifts for more emotive taglines, those that are more humorous or nostalgic.
Jingle factor
The research uncovered that there was a substantial jump (35-point uplift) for taglines with a jingle. The sticky earworm characteristics of jingles also translate back to taglines when used in their purest form as written text. The double impact of usage is also likely a key driver. Any time there’s a golden thread through different types of distinctive assets, there are big improvements all round. For example, how a pyramid shape runs through most of Toblerone’s messaging. The use of an extra asset type helps embed the other.
“Jingles are much underutilised and could be a microcosm of marketing, an incredibly hard-working device that has gone out of favour for trendier concepts. If looking to lean on a tagline as a DBA, make sure to tease out the possibility in using it as a jingle,” Gillen added. Distinctive BAT clients include Pizza Hut, Audi, LVMH, LinkedIn, Lipton Tea and Kenvue.
Read more on the research click here
Cathal Gillen, co-founder and head of strategy at Distinctive BAT; cathal@distinctivebat.com
