Need your opinion - tagline

I would change "better logos and packaging" to "effective (or creative) Brand Development"

This broadens your market space and will attract larger clientèle as it sounds more professional.

My four cents.

I think taglines should be short and the memorable ones are.

• It's the real thing
• The Quicker Picker-Upper

You get the idea.

You have a difficult job because you have a complex concept you want to convey.

You also want to highlight your unique selling proposition - what differentiates you from others?

The concepts of better design, increasing sales - not so unique - all package designers have this goal.

I see 2 things unique - - branding for food - targeting ads at women

I would play around with these 2 concepts and see what kind of ideas emerge.

hth. Susan

I personally think taglines can come across a little inauthentic and ineffective.

I would actually use the approach that I write about here:

Is your answer to "what do you do?" acting like a crazed Boy Scout? (http://heartofbusiness.com/articles/mkt6.htm)

What are they wanting? Simple and straightforward I think is best, rather than 'clever.' Clever tends to be a put-off for many people.

For instance, you could say:

"Helping gourmet and speciality food companies who want to increase their sales, without wasting time or money."

Or something like that. It's not clever. It won't be a superbowl ad. But, for someone who is your client, it will grab center stage.

Hi Kathy, (it's great to see this network propagating across state lines!)

I would like to echo both Mark and Susan above and say :

• find something that's uniquely yours (how are you different?)

and

• keep the focus on the customers (what do I get?)

"Helping gourmet food industry sell more through packaging that appeals to women"? You might think of other things that's uniquely yours that provide values to your customers, too.

Something else to consider. How is this tagline going to be used? Who are the people you will use it for?

Taglines are best, I think, when short and snappy. They should pique interest and summarize.

What about something simple, like: "Gourmet Designs That Sell"

It will be interesting to see what you finally come up with... best, Karen

Or "Winning Gourmet Designs"

Karen

The only way to tell is to test. I'm in the camp of simple rather than clever, as I've said above.

People are sick to death of marketing language, and tune it out. 'Marketing Language' usually consists of extra adjectives or attempts at cleverness that no one would say in ordinary conversation.

Think about it from your client's point of view. If you heard someone say to you, "Delectable designs that sell gourmet products" what would your initial, gut reaction be?

Could you say 'delectable designs' with a straight face? Some people can. I couldn't- I never use language like that ordinarily.

If it won't come off in conversation, then it won't be powerful in written form, either.

I know we all want to be 'clever' and 'memorable.' But it's much more important to call someone's name than to be clever.

Let me tell a story that illustrates this.

A couple of years ago I was in Manhattan with my dad (I had been there to attend a Seth Godin workshop, and my dad met me afterwards.)

We were walking downtown, shoulder-to-shoulder near Times Square- it was busy, busy busy. Horns, sirens, thousands of people. I could hardly hear myself think.

And yet, I heard someone say, in a conversational tone of voice: 'Mark.'

I turned my head.

Naturally, they weren't talking to me. But, my name got my attention in the midst of downtown Manhattan, when I had already tuned out a thousand neon signs, and hundreds of sirens.

With a tagline, or audio logo, or whatever you call it, you want to be simple, straightforward, and call their name. They will hear you and pay attention if you get their name correct.

In this context, the name consists of this:

who: demographic who: psychographic what: the problem they are dealing with:

"We help specialty gourmet packaged food companies who want to sell a lot more."

or... "...who want to break into new markets."

or "...who want to compete with the big boys for shelf space."

Keep it simple. Leave the strange adjectives out of it. They will hear. They will listen. They will come calling.

Kathy, I'm not up to speed with you business but as an identity designer, I'm just wondering why you're limiting yourself to one industry? To build a successful business you want to take a big swipe at the world. I do understand there are times to attack a niche market but it seems like building logos for gourmet food companies might be tough to make a living at. Again, just an observation without much history about you or your venture. You could continue your business though and attack this industry while still keeping your company message a little more broad. Something short and sweet for a tagline might be "Boosting sales with superior identity" or "Superior Identity. Superior Sales." (Just off the top of my head)

Whatever you decide, keep it short and simple. What you have now is a bit wordy.

Chris

Hi Kathy,

ING words are evil and should be banished from all of your marketing.

I also respectfully disagree with Chris Auman. If you try to sell to everybody, you sell to nobody. I think going after the food niche like you are is a great idea. The last thing the world needs is another general design firm.

(If you want to know my real opinion on tag lines in general, shoot me an email. It's a doozy. Tag lines don't make people buy from you, but they can be a great way to refine your USP.)

Couldn't agree more with Chris' "sell to everybody, sell to nobody."

If you want gourmet food companies to upgrade their packaging, one approach might simply be,

"Because gourmet packaging says gourmet food."

Good luck, and let us Bizniks know where you land.

Hi Kathy! Wow... you are getting lots of feedback. Apparently the topic of taglines touches all of us. Please let us know what you finally decide upon. Best, Karen

I think it depends on how you will use your tag line. If it is written it needs to be more clever and zippy, however it still needs to be short and very clear. If it is spoken, the same tag line won't work. It sounds forced and staged. It is better to just talk naturally and say what you do from your heart.

How bout "Branding Taste" ? or some derivative..

"We Create Your Success"

    or

"Design Recipe For Success"

Hi Kathy,

You've been getting a lot of feedback! :) I'm wondering of all the different advice, what's landing with you?

What is the bottom line message you are trying to convey with a few simple words? Simple and to the point with a "twist" and really have an impact if it's done right. Happy Trails!