Two Things a Brand Tagline Is Not

Have you ever tried to write a tagline for your brand and failed?

Maybe you realized, somewhere in the process, that you're not even sure what a tagline is, or what it's for. To write a good tagline, you need to understand how it functions.

It might help to know two things a tagline is often confused with:

1️⃣ A tagline is not a positioning statement.
A tagline shouldn’t necessarily tell you what the brand does and who it’s for. That’s the function of a positioning statement, which is not as foundational as a tagline.

An example of a brand positioning statement might be: "Everyday fashion for modern women." This is a very necessary component of a brand platform that could be used as an internal compass, or as a copywriting headline to signal value to consumers. But no, not a tagline.

2️⃣ A tagline is not a slogan.
A tagline doesn’t need to hype the benefits of a hero product or service (see: “The quicker picker-upper!”). A tagline is bigger than that.

A strong brand will always seek to create product extensions and forge new markets that align with its brand purpose. The world changes, constantly and rapidly. If a tagline is tied to a product, then the brand cannot evolve into an icon with timeless appeal.

If the goal is to create a brand that will last several generations and change millions of lives—as it should be—then its defining statement should reflect that kind of gravity.

The epic mini-poem known as the tagline is a foundation for everything a brand does. Products, services and markets can change, but an iconic brand will be able to remain existentially constant, always honoring its north-star emotion.

If any one element of a brand story can stand on its own as what the brand is, it’s the tagline. Like an overarching theme or moral of the story, these few words say everything we need to know about the entity and how it might be relevant to our lives.

A tagline is something with which you cannot argue.

⭐ Airbnb: Belong anywhere.
⭐ Nike: Just do it.
⭐ Apple: Think different.

In every case, the tagline explains everything the brand ever does and why you should care.

This is why, when creating a tagline, we must think deeply, essentially, spiritually even. We want these words to get at the kinetic quality of what the brand is trying to change in the world and what emotions it wants to evoke by association.

Connect high-order desire with sweeping truth in one brilliant phrase, and your brand will be impossible to ignore.