What is a slogan? The role of a slogan for a brand

Slogan is an important tool in marketing and brand building. A good slogan helps a brand make an impression and stay in customers' memory, and shows the value and standout features of a product or service. In this article, Mona Media will explain the meaning of what a slogan is, how to create a memorable slogan, and some examples of slogans from famous brands. Let's get started!

What is a slogan?

Slogan (a catchphrase) is a short phrase that carries a brand's message, usually paired with logo design so it is easy to remember and catches customers' attention. A slogan is usually kept short and memorable through suitable words, tone and rhyme.

Slogan helps customers picture the brand and how it differs from competitors. In marketing, a slogan boosts brand recognition and expresses the core values or the direction of a business's products and services.

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Example on some famous slogans of Vietnamese brands:

• Vinamilk – Sữa Việt Nam cho người Việt Nam (Vietnamese milk for Vietnamese people)
• Viettel – Hãy nói theo cách của bạn (Speak in your own way)
• Trung Nguyen – Khơi nguồn sáng tạo (Spark creativity)
• VinFast – Phong cách Việt (Vietnamese style)
• Biti’s – Nâng niu bàn chân Việt (Cherishing Vietnamese feet)

The role of a slogan for a brand

An important part of brand marketing

What is a slogan, and why does it matter for a brand? A slogan leaves a deep impression and wins customers' trust. Businesses often test many slogans before choosing the best one. Marketing slogans aim to plant the brand in customers' minds, making it easy to remember, creating an impression and raising customers' trust.

Leverage for the brand name

A slogan explains the brand name in the media and helps customers understand and remember it. A slogan plays an important role in brand identity design carrying the core values and brand values through the media.

A slogan with a call to action builds goodwill for the brand

What is a slogan, and why do you need one to build goodwill with customers? A catchphrase matters in brand promotion and links customers and the brand. A successful slogan should benefit the brand, make a promise to customers and draw them in. Some businesses use a slogan as a standard to remind staff of the brand meaning they want to send customers.

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A bridge that ties the brand and customers together

A slogan is more than an advertising line. It is also a promise and a way of sharing the business's values with customers. A slogan builds an emotional connection, trust and loyalty between customers and the brand.

Make an impression and stay in memory

A short, simple, memorable slogan helps customers picture the business's brand. This creates a good impression and lets customers remember the brand easily and naturally.

A slogan that touches users' emotions

Over Marketing, the slogan is an important part of the strategy. It makes the first impression on customers by evoking their feelings and experience of the product or service. Words must be chosen carefully to stimulate customers' senses, including hearing, taste, smell and sight. When customers are aware of your product, they remember the brand more easily and tend to become loyal customers.

A slogan that sets you apart from competitors

A slogan plays an important role in making clear what separates the products and services of each brand and industry. It also stresses the business's advantages over its competitors.

What doesa slogan need?

What is a slogan, and what does it take to make one? To create a good, meaningful slogan, pay attention to these four factors:

• Goals: Set a clear goal and aim at it. For example, Pepsi created the slogan “Thế hệ tiếp nối” (The Next Generation) to take market share from Coca-Cola and win young people.
• Concise: A slogan should be short and easy to read, understand and remember.
• Not offensive: A slogan must not use offensive words or words that cause misunderstanding or insult.
• Product benefit: A slogan must clearly show the benefits and features of the product or service.

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The 10 best slogans of all time

1. “Sức mạnh của giấc mơ” (The power of dreams), “Tôi yêu Việt Nam” (I love Vietnam) – Honda
2. “Sơn Nippon, Sơn đâu cũng đẹp” (Nippon Paint, beautiful wherever you paint) – Nippon Paint
3. “Trắng gì mà sáng thế” (What kind of white shines this bright) – Viso detergent
4. “1000 năm sau hoa sen vẫn nở” (A thousand years from now the lotus will still bloom) – Imexpharm Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company
5. “Dù bạn không cao người khác cũng phải nhìn” (Even if you're not tall, people will still look) – Saigon Beer
6. “Ngon từ thịt Ngọt từ xương” (Tasty from the meat, sweet from the bone) – Ajingon seasoning
7. “Hoà hợp cùng phát triển” (Growing together in harmony) – Hoa Phat Steel
8. “Chăm sóc sức khỏe của bạn từ giấc ngủ” (Look after your health starting with sleep) – Kim Dan mattresses
9. “Trao thành ý, bền tâm giao” (Give sincerity, keep a lasting bond) – Kinh Do
10. “Ấm áp như lòng mẹ” (Warm as a mother's heart) – Hanvico bedding

A formula for a good, valuable slogan

What is a slogan, and how do you make a good, distinctive one? Creating a good, distinctive and memorable slogan is not only the marketer's job. It is a creative process for the whole business. To create a good slogan, pay attention to the following:

What makes a good slogan?

A good, effective slogan meets these requirements:

• In form: the right length, simple and easy-to-understand words, a catchy tone that is easy to remember
• In content: describes the product and the brand, has a clear and credible meaning, carries core message and the voice of the brand, and ties in with the business's products and services.
• In meaning: close to everyday life, subtle, touches customers' emotions, makes an impression and helps the brand connect with customers.

Steps to create a good and effective slogan

• Step 1: Learn about the brand and product so the slogan fits.
• Step 2: Look at slogans from businesses in the same industry to avoid overlap.
• Step 3: Define the brand's positioning and identity so the slogan reflects the brand's influence on customers.
• Step 4: Come up with many slogan ideas and gather them together.
• Step 5: Pick the best, most effective slogan. Ask many people for their opinion and run a survey to evaluate the marketing effectiveness it brings.

A slogan contributes a great deal to brand identity, so don't decide in a hurry if you are not sure.

What to keep in mind when choosing a slogan

Easy to remember and attention-grabbing

Choosing a distinctive catchphrase is very important for tying the brand to customers. Famous ad campaigns have used memorable catchphrases such as “Don’t Leave Home Without It” from the financial services company American Express, “We Bring Good Things to Life” from the telecom company AT&T and “You Deserve a Break Today” from the fast-food chain McDonald's.

Highlight the product's benefits

To attract customers, besides saying our product is better than competing ones, we need to explain its benefits and features clearly. This helps customers understand the product better and feel more at ease when deciding to buy.

Example: storing 1,000 songs on an iPod is an important benefit. Wendy's also reached its customers with the famous ad campaign “Where’s the beef?” aimed at people who love hamburger fast food.

Brand positioning

Budweiser is known for the slogan “Vua của bia – The king of beers” and Timex for the slogan “Tough watch – a durable watch”. They brand positioning by telling stories through print ads, tied to logo and product designs to draw consumers in.

Inspire action

Customers sometimes need a push to buy your product, and your slogan can supply it. Adding a few words or phrases that make the slogan more appealing can raise its value. Here are a few examples:

• “Just do it” – Nike
• “Think different” – Apple
• “Impossible is nothing” – Adidas
• “Because you’re worth it” – L’Oréal
• “I’m lovin’ it” – McDonald’s
• “The happiest place on earth” – Disneyland
• “Open happiness” – Coca-Cola
• “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand” – M&M’s
• “The ultimate driving machine” – BMW

You are surely familiar with the red swoosh and the slogan “Just do it!” of Nike. This slogan was created in 1970 to encourage people to keep acting and moving forward.

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Mind local culture

When choosing words, watch for meanings you cannot predict in different languages. If your company operates in another culture, have a native speaker check your taglines and slogans to avoid cultural and language mismatches. The line “Pepsi brings you back to life” was mistranslated as “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave” in Mandarin Chinese. This often happens when companies expand into other cultures.

Push for immediate action

Advertising and marketing work best with a call to action, which can be built into your slogan. For example, Nike with its famous slogan “Just do it” made people want a pair of shoes right away and go explore life. Likewise, the slogan “Breakfast of champions” convinced many people to try the champions' cereal. A slogan can double the effect of an ad and make a sales pitch more successful.

The article above on Mona Media has given you the concept of a slogan What is a slogan? along with useful related information. A well-crafted slogan is a big plus that helps more people remember your brand. So pick yourself a slogan really memorable one.