What Makes a Brand “Premium”?
Defining what a premium brand is can be difficult because it depends on whom you ask. Each individual has their own set of values and priorities. Therefore, what matters to one person may not matter to another.
A premium brand is an individual, company, product, or service generally perceived to have an elevated status, unique quality, or exceptional value in the eyes of its target market.
Premium brands offer a combination of supreme quality, value, purpose, and exceptional experience.
The Magic is in the Process
If you are about to name your brand or feel your brand needs a new approach, you need a system to help you dig deep. Take these five steps and push each one as hard as you can.
When you get frustrated, embrace it because that’s where the magic happens. Keep pushing and you might just uncover what was meant to be. The brand name that was meant to be.
#1 Discovery
Start with the DNA
Trying to uncover the right brand name should not be taken lightly. Plucking a name out of thin air, even if it sounds catchy, won’t necessarily have a meaningful association with you and your business.
By the time you get to the naming stage, you should have already invested time in defining your brand purpose (the meaningful reason your brand exists beyond making money).
Your purpose sets the tone for you to extract your:
Vision (The possibilities for the future),
Mission (The work that needs to be done to realise the vision)
Values (The moral compass that will guide the work).
This is the DNA of your brand and sets the tone for the connection you will have with your audience so it is important that it is top of mind when creating the name, as this will be the first vehicle for that DNA.
Brand Structure
The leadership team should be aligned as to the criteria that a fitting brand name should have. Below are some distinguishable characteristics of a strong brand name. Decide within your leadership team what your pre-requisites are.
Short Simple Unique Easily Pronounceable Enduring Intelligent Evocative
#2 Brainstorm
Brain Dump
Start the process by getting every conceivable name down into a spreadsheet. Be as loose as possible with your criteria at this early stage and don’t rule anything out. Refer to your DNA statements as well as any product/service structure that may be in play. Remember, these are raw ideas – no refining here.
Thesaurus
Take every word you have on the spreadsheet and enter them into thesaurus to find synonyms. This will help you to extract alternate words, which may unlock bigger ideas. Capture any relevant contenders into your spreadsheet.
More Tools
Use other tools available to push the boundaries. We have listed some more tools below so you can continue your exploration. Remember, these tools are simply to help expand your list. They should not be used as the focal point. Don’t get stuck here. Extract what you need and keep moving. The process is where the results lie.
Visual Thesaurus https://www.visualthesaurus.com/
Visual Dictionary http://visual.merriam-webster.com/
Onelook Thesaurus http://www.onelook.com/reverse-dictionary.shtml
Dot-O-Mator http://www.dotomator.com/index.html
Word Hippo http://www.wordhippo.com/
Word Map
Take a selection of your captured words and jot them down on to a notepad. Write each one down into the centre of a note pad and start to expand related terms. Remember, nothing is too stupid or too far-fetched here. This process usually introduces top contenders for the final list.
Embrace the frustration
This is where the process starts to get tough. You’re pushing the capacity of your mind and it can be quite tiring and frustrating. If you notice that you are starting to feel tired and frustrated, this is the sign that you are in the right place. It is at this point, when you can recognise your frustration, but you keep going and keep pushing, the little gems come out. If you don’t feel frustrated at any point during the process, you’re probably not pushing hard enough.
The end of this process should leave you with a starting point of upwards of 100 loose words. Some good, some not so good.
#3 Refinement
Discard the non-contenders
This is where you start chopping away at your list. Copy your full list into a new tab then start hacking away. You might allow yourself a little chuckle at the words that made it onto this expansive list, if so, it’s a sign you were doing it right. Try to get it down to about 20 words.
Get creative
Take your shortlist and apply some of these considerations. Get creative here and think outside the box.
Inversing Alternate spelling Double Entendre Puns Metaphor Lingo Rhyming Merging
Get Ruthless
After your first round of cuts, copy the remaining words into a new tab and get ruthless with your cuts. Don’t worry about cutting some potential words. If you hit a dead end you can come back to the previous tab and go again. For now, trust your gut and keep going. Aim to get it down to about 3-5.
Contextualise
From the remaining list apply your new potential brand name into sentences. Consider the following might apply to the following:
plain textEmployees I work at _______. It’s like a big family there. Suppliers One of my biggest customers is ________. They’re easy to work with. Customers I’ve been using __________ for 5 years. I couldn’t recommend them more. Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values Out number one Value at _____________ is accountability. Each of us knows our responsibilities and tasks and take ownership of them.
#4 Testing
Sound
Say it out loud in different tones and various accents. Analyse how it sounds.
Look
Write it down and type it up. Use many different letterforms and fonts and get a feel for how it looks.
Meaning
The name should have some meaning. It can be abstract or implied but the meaning should be present. Avoid being obscure, as it will only lead to confusion.
Marketability
Are there any positive or negative connotations associated with any of the words you have chosen. Even if there is an outside chance of it being taken out of context, consider the consequences.
Domain and Social
Are the domain name and social handles you require available or would you be required to adjust the name as it stands?
Trademarking
If trademarking is something you are considering then check the availability of that name. If it’s a requirement, ensure it’s available.
#5 Select
Select your new brand name
Now that you have it down to a shortlist of top contenders it’s time to make a choice. You may find that one stands head and shoulders above all else and your “meant to be” name has found its way to you through this process.
On the other hand, it might nit be obvious to start out with. Don’t stress if this is the case. As long as the process has been followed, your contenders will be intrinsically linked to the core of your brand simply through the process you have gone through to extract it.
Often, it’s not until a commitment has been made to a name that it starts to become more obvious and your affection towards it starts to grow.
External Opinion
If you are split and you would like to gauge its popularity, feel free to show the options to a closed group. This could be internally within the company (if you are renaming) or externally eg. To a trusted facebook group (often this can be quite constructive). Gather the feedback and note the reasons why people like or dislike the given options
Keep Control of the process
It is perfectly normal to want some feedback and input into the popularity of the options at hand. Remember however that this is not a committee or a debate. Simply take this feedback on board and move on. Ensure it doesn’t interrupt the control of selection. The final decision must remain with the core leadership team and should always keep the previous considerations top of mind.
Avoid Spouses and Family
If your leadership team has followed the process through from start to finish, it’s important to isolate the decision-making process. Providing a shortlist to your family will often result in strong preferences, which will likely influence that decision maker. If two decision makers have been influenced by their families to alternate options, it may become a debate.
If you are a Soloprenuer you will most like want to run the name past your family. Consider the personalities in your family before you do this.
How influential are they in your decisions?
Do they have any connection to your brand DNA?
Will they be speaking from a position of experience?
“Getting the family committee involved” is mistake #1 in this article by Entrepreneur 8 Mistakes to avoid when naming your brand.
Ensure a level of confidence
Ensure you have a level of confidence before making your final decision. If you have arrived at this late stage and none of your options feel remotely like they are on point, consider taking a few steps back to your list of 20 and revise the process. If you still aren’t convinced, then consider getting a professional involved.
Remember, it is a high probability that the name you have chosen doesn’t feel 110% but you can be confident in knowing that the process you have taken means that the name has an intrinsic link to your core brand. If you are 70% confident you might find that you warm to it once you commit, however, less than that you need to get your gut involved.
What is Tagline ?
In the context of branding, a tagline is a memorable motto or phrase that’s designed to serve as a permanent expression of your company’s greater purpose and mission. Taglines are long-lasting, instantly recognizable with your brand and have the goal of both attracting customers & remaining top of mind with your existing audience.
How is a slogan different?
Similar in form to a tagline, typically a few words or a short sentence, a slogan is most often used to represent a specific product line or individual marketing campaign. Slogans are designed to be less long-lasting than a brand’s tagline as they can adapt over time, but still serve the purpose of bringing your company to mind with consumers.
Our first brand tagline perfectly demonstrates the difference between how a slogan is used for shorter-term initiatives and just how consistent a tagline remains over time.
Larger companies will usually have one tagline e.g. Disney’s tagline is “The happiest place on earth”; and many slogans e.g. Disney’s slogans are “Where dreams come true”, “I’m going to Disneyland”, “Where the magic began” and more.
Taglines
- A tagline is about the business itself, and should stand the test of time (it doesn’t change).
- Taglines represent the tone and feeling you want for your products or services.
- It is often part of your company graphics ant it stays with you all the time.
Slogans
- Slogans are intended to be less long lasting and more flexible.
- They’re often used in advertising campaigns. (they changes over time).
- Slogans are often used only for one product, or one campaign.
Tagline Examples
American Express: “Don’t live life without it.”
With a markedly more adventurous tone and fresh appeal to a younger audience, Amex’s new brand slogan plays on one of the company’s previous classic taglines, “Don’t leave home without it,” but with a fresh spin that still captures the essence of their overall mission, geared more towards who their customers are becoming today.
Burger King: “Have it your way.”
Another delightfully creative dig at the competition, Burger King unveiled this catchy slogan in the early 1970s, based around the fast food chain’s willingness to customize orders to your unique tastes and preferences, in contrast to the inflexibility of McDonald’s.
Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum: “Double your pleasure, double your fun.”
When Wrigley’s first launched their new Doublemint line of gum in 1914, they described the product as “double strength,” “double good,” and “double distilled.” It wasn’t until 1939 that they began advertising the product with sets of twins—and this version of their slogan was adopted in 1959.
Walmart: “Save money. Live better.”
The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, introduced this new slogan (replacing “Always low prices) in 2007, which seeks to promote the benefits of low prices, rather than simply touting the fact that their prices are low. This is a great example of shifting your emphasis from selling features to selling benefits.
Toyota: “Let’s go places.”
Toyota unveiled this slogan in 2012, with the positioning that they believe it speaks to the evolution of Toyota as a brand, and their commitment to leading through innovation, enriching lives and connecting with customers in new ways.
Tag Heuer: “Don’t crack under pressure.”
This luxury watchmaker has been in the business since 1860, with many of their timepieces sporting price tags well over $50,000 for much of the brand’s history. Over the past few years though, they’ve been working hard to evolve their brand in an effort to appeal to a younger demographic, including this new slogan which signals a dramatic new direction for the company—which has proven to be a precursor of lower-priced watches.
Disneyland: “The happiest place on Earth.”
This is one of the catchiest brand taglines in existence today, tracing its roots back to the very early days of when the first park opened in Anaheim, California. While the exact source of who originally coined the tagline appears to be lost to history, it’s remained a consistent part of Disneyland branding for many decades.
On the flip side, a couple examples of shorter-term campaign slogans from Disney include:
- “I’m going to Disneyland.” This slogan was used in a series of commercials throughout the 1980s in which popular sports figures and celebrities would announce that they’re going to visit Disneyland right after achieving a milestone.
- “Where dreams come true.” Launched in 2006 after the park’s 50th anniversary alongside an initiative to unify the Disney parks on a global scale, this slogan was designed to speak to all customers in a single brand voice. It also kicked off a series of creative campaigns and a visual refresh to many of the park’s assets.
Nike: “Just do it.”
Coined by one of the company’s advertising agencies back in 1988, this slogan is extremely action-oriented and does a great job of communicating one of the core messages of Nike’s brand—to give people the tools to be active and perform better.
De Beers: “A diamond is forever.”
According to Advertising Age, this is the single most recognized slogan of the 20th century, with an estimated 90% of American consumers still claiming to identify it, a whopping 73 years after its creation.
Dollar Shave Club: “Our blades are f***ing great.” and “Shave time. Shave money.”
Bursting onto the scene in 2012 with an instantly viral YouTube video titled, “Our blades are f***ing great,” this direct-to-consumer, personal grooming company became an almost overnight success because of their witty slogans and catchy marketing. Their new brand slogan, “Shave time. Shave money, ” cleverly touches on their two greatest benefits—low cost and extreme convenience—while still representing the light tone and humor the brand has become known for.
Uber: “Move the way you want.”
The global ride-sharing behemoth that’s currently worth more than $63 Billion, has had a lot of ups and downs in the past few years when it comes to their treatment of both drivers and corporate employees. In reaction to their tumultuous public image, they recently updated their brand slogan too. What used to be, “Everyone’s private driver,” has evolved into the more inclusive message, “Move the way you want,” which aims at giving the company a more approachable, friendly and relatable tone.
Capital One: “What’s in your wallet?”
Since the year 2000, Capital One has been promoting its credit card services with this catchy slogan, eventually using it to promote their other banking and financial services through a series of campaigns featuring Jennifer Garner.
Gatorade: “Is it in you?”
While it may not resonate in the same way today as it did in the past, this catchy tagline that was retired in 2013, was designed to capture the spirit of digging deep and finding an internal driving force in order to succeed—a core principle for Pepsico’s popular sport drink line. This line works well because it speaks to the mentality of Gatorade’s target audience of sports and fitness enthusiasts, while the choice of color in the word “it” ties the tagline back to the product in a visual way.
Airbnb: “Belong anywhere.”
This brand slogan came along in 2014 after the billion-dollar, short-term rental platform realized their customers were using their service as more than just a tool to make travel easier. Before adopting this slogan, their primary tagline was, “travel like a human,” but the reimagination of the brand with their new tagline included a big visual refresh and a steady push into new
Dunkin Donuts: “America runs on dunkin.”
In one of the more cleverly nuanced slogans on this list, the “America Runs on Dunkin’” campaign is designed to sell the idea that coffee is fuel. This is significantly different than the positioning of a top competitor, Starbucks, who focuses on selling coffee consumption as more of a lifestyle.
The 8 Characteristics of a Perfect Tagline
Alignment with the Brand
One of the simplest and most important characteristics of a great tagline is that it aligns with the brand it’s associated with. Your brand isn’t just the name of a business, a logo, or a building – it’s a cohesive collection of everything your company does and represents to the world. Your tagline is a piece of that, and it has to fit in with everything else your brand stands for.
If your brand is about fun and not taking yourself too seriously, you should consider having a funny or lighthearted tagline. If your brand represents female empowerment, the tagline should include that sentiment as well. Your tagline represents your brand, make sure it’s representing it properly.
Short
A good tagline should get across the best possible message to your audience in the least number of words possible. Ideally, a great tagline is 2-4 words, and absolutely no longer than 7-8 words. Remember, this is not a mission statement where you need to explain your grand vision and how you will accomplish it--it’s a short phrase that should attract and stick with potential customers.
“Just Do It.”
“Think Different.”
“America Runs on Dunkin.”
“I’m Lovin’ It.”
Very few strong taglines are long, but those that are very rarely exceed seven words. Here are a few of my favorite longer taglines:
“Don’t let planning travel drive you nuts.”
“We’ll leave the light on for you.”
“You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
If your tagline meets all of the other characteristics on this list, having a long tagline won’t hurt your brand, but it still needs to be memorable and easy to understand. And achieving that usually requires having a brief slogan, not a novel for a tagline.
Encourages a Positive Reaction from Target Market
In content marketing, an effective call to action can make all the difference. A call to action is telling your audience what to do next. A good call to action gets them to take that next step, and your tagline can serve as a soft call to action.
For example, “Just Do It” encourages Nike’s audience to get active athletically instead of just thinking about getting back in shape or wishing to run a marathon in the future. Apple’s “Think Different" challenges what we’ve always done in the past and to make different decisions (like forget about PCs and start using Macs). These both encourage a positive reaction from their target market, and your tagline should as well if possible.
Easy to Understand
Every tagline should be easy to understand. One major mistake made by brands is trying to get too clever with their taglines and including industry-specific terms or acronyms that the average person, and a section of their target market, won’t understand. Stay away from complicated or industry-specific terms. An eight-year-old should be able understand your tagline.
Flows with the Name of the Business
A tagline is rarely presented without a company’s name or their logo. When we see the logo or business name followed by the tagline, our brain puts them together in a sentence. Your tagline needs to flow smoothly when said alongside your business name.
The exception here is when your tagline includes your business name, like in “You’re in good hands with Allstate,” and “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” If your business name and tagline don’t flow together, consider making a change, and also look at whether or not your business name still fits your brand.
Showcases a Key Benefit
One of the more nuanced characteristics of powerful taglines is showcasing a key benefit that the brand offers. This can also be used to differentiate the brand from competitors (as explained below). For Wal-Mart it’s low prices, for Motel 6, it’s that they’re always open and available (we’ll leave the light on for you). Even Hipmunk’s “Don’t let planning travel drive you nuts” presents the idea that if you plan travel through Hipmunk, it will be easy and stress-free, which is a key benefit of their services. Find a way to showcase at least one benefit you provide to your customers in your tagline.
Differentiates the Brand from Competitors
Amazing taglines have the ability to differentiate the company they represent from competitors. This is one of the most difficult characteristics to meet, but if you can pull it off, your tagline can become a powerful marketing tool. Here are a few examples:
“The best a man can get.” – Gillette
“Nothing runs like a Deere.” – John Deere
“There is no substitute.” – Porsche
“The king of beers.” – Budweiser
“When you care enough to send the very best.” – Hallmark
Each of the above taglines position their brands as the very best and highest quality in their category. As you can see, one thing they all have in common is that they position their product as the best quality, which is just one of the many ways you can differentiate your product or service from competitors. If your brand’s competitive advantage is cost or convenience, and not quality, you can still differentiate your brand with a tagline, it just needs to speak to that advantage. For example, while it’s a little too long for my liking, Federal Express’s “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight,” speaks to their speed. If you wanted to promote the cost effectiveness of your brand, you could choose something along the lines of “Because your money should stay yours,” or a variation of Wal-Mart’s old slogan “Always Low Prices.”
Memorable
Ever walk into a room and completely forget what you were going to do? Whatever it was that you were going to do, it wasn’t memorable or exciting enough to keep your attention. Taglines that aren’t memorable aren’t effective.
Create a Memorable Tagline for Your Business
1. Make the tagline unique : Unsuccessful taglines often are too generic. If your competitor can use your tagline and it would still work well for them – you should keep working on the tagline until you find something that only you can uniquely use.
2. Make the tagline simple : You wouldn’t want to have a complicated company name, so why would you create a complicated tagline? An excellent way to test for simplicity is to ask your friends, family, and new acquaintances whether they understand what your company does after seeing or hearing your tagline.
3. Make the tagline concise : The best taglines explain what your company does and are short. Worry less initially about how the tagline sounds and focus first on a rough statement – you can always tweak until you get it just right. Aim for no more than five worlds. Five words are easier to remember than 20 words.
4. Make the tagline timeless : As tempting as hip taglines are, they will quickly become dated. There’s a reason each of the above taglines from Nike, Apple, and BMW has survived the test of time – they’re simple and timeless.
5. Keep the tagline consistent : One mistake companies make is to regularly change their taglines because they become tired of their current taglines and think that their customers and potential customers have become tired of that tagline. This is a mistake and can lead to confusion. If your tagline works – even if you think it’s boring – stick with it if it’s working well for you.
6. Keep the focus on your audience, not on your company : The most memorable taglines are about your customers, not about your company. If you focus your tagline on your company, your customers will wonder how it relates to them.
7. Keep the tagline relevant to your company’s audience : The memorable taglines above are sexy but not very descriptive. They’re notable in part because each company/organization spent vast sums of money marketing and used those taglines in their marketing.
8. Make sure your business tagline matches your other branding: Many entrepreneurs and small businesses think that a logo is the company’s brand. It’s not. A logo is a part of what defines a brand. A tagline, like a logo, helps to define your brand.
9. Keep the tagline positive : There’s a considerable body of research showing that negative statements generally don’t sell very well. Negative messages tend to do better when consumers are pressed for time, whereas positive messages are more suitable for brand building over a long period.
10. Inject the appropriate personality : Insurance companies speak with a different voice than software companies. That’s OK. Keep in mind your company’s voice and personality, and make sure that the tagline reflects that voice and personality.
💥 Take Action
Brand Name & Tagline
Use the process to extract the most unique and relevant keywords and develop creative solutions using the brand name development techniques
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Use the processes to extract the most unqiue and relevant keywords and develop creative solutions using the brand tagline development techniques. Remeber the key characteristics
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