Despite the instant gratification that may come along with receiving a tangible gift from someone; in time, most people will come to realize that when it’s all said and done, the best gifts that we could ever ask to receive from someone cannot be seen, touched, or even heard for that matter.
That’s because as Hall of Fame golfer, the late Ken Venturi, once said, “The greatest gift in life is to be remembered.”
Now, whether or not you may agree that the greatest gift in life is to be remembered could be left to debate. But when it comes to your brand, you’ll have a very tough time finding a better gift than for it to be remembered by its target audience.
Each year, countless brands devote billions of dollars towards advertising; not to increase their direct sales, but solely for the purpose of the public to keep their brands on the top of their mind.
By no means is it a mistake that those brands invest so heavily to be remembered. They simply understand that when consumers remember your brand, they’ll be far more inclined to take a desirable action in the future to support it.
And one of the best ways to ensure that people will remember your brand is by having a memorable slogan.
1. Alliteration
Back in my college days, like most students, I often struggled with retaining some of the information that I learned in my course studies for a long enough time to be able to vividly recall it come midterms or finals. Especially as it pertained to the courses that I wasn't particularly interested in.
That’s until the day that I developed a mnemonic method of retaining pertinent information by associating the information with things that I was actually interested in.
Brand marketers also use several memorization techniques as shortcuts to help consumers remember their brand or products by associating it with a message. One of which are slogans.
As a brand marketer myself, one of my favorite techniques to use when creating a slogan for a client—which is also one of the most effective—is by utilizing alliteration.
“The thought comes first. Then, a mind searches its memory for words to express the thought.” Says author and branding strategist Laura Ries, in her book, Battlecry. “And once a mind latches on to the first word, its natural tendency is to reach out to other words that are alliterative.”
Alliterative slogans are extremely effective because naturally, the mind automatically connects words together with syllable-initial consonant sounds.
These are a few brands that utilize alliteration in their slogan that you may have heard of:
- Capital One: What’s in Your Wallet?
- M&M’s: Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands.
- Marriott Bonvoy: Rewards Reimagined.
- Maybelline: Maybe She’s Born With it, Maybe it’s Maybelline.
The thing to remember when creating not just an alliterative slogan, but with any slogan; is that in order to maximize the effectiveness of your slogan, there must be a logical connection between what your slogan says—and what your brand actually provides to consumers. And most importantly, the slogan must be memorable.
Speaking of memory, also remember that the more alliterative words used in your slogan—the more memorable it will be to your audience.
2. Rhyme
For many of us, from the moment that we were kids and first began learning our ABCs, we were introduced to rhymes. In fact, it would be safe to assume that one of the very first books that were ever read to you as an infant, probably involved a great deal of rhyming (which would explain why they’re called nursery rhymes).
The reason why for decades, books like Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss have been such an integral part of our childhood development—is for the simple fact that rhyming is also a mnemonic device. In other words, it helps the mind understand and recall words.
Think about it, when you hear the words, “One fish, two fish,” your mind probably automatically follows it up with, “Red fish, Blue Fish.” That’s totally due to the power of rhyming.
These are a few brands that were able to create hit slogans by utilizing rhyme:
- 7-Eleven: Oh thank heaven, for 7-Eleven.
- Jello: Watch it Wiggle, Watch it Jiggle.
- Paul Masson: We Will Sell no Wine, Before its Time.
- United Airlines: Fly, The Friendly Skies.
Although most brand marketers may tell you that rhyming slogans are outdated, if you want consumers to remember your brand, a slogan that incorporates rhyme is a great way to ensure they will.
3. Repetition
Have you ever had a frustrated parent or a loved one ask you, “Do I have to repeat myself?” Whenever they were irked by something that they asked you to do, but you had forgotten to get around to doing it? If so, a great answer to that question would have been a resounding, “Yes!”
The reason for that is repetition helps us remember things. Because the more something is driven into our mind, the better chance it has of remaining there.
Repetitive slogans work wonders for brands for the same reason that you’re more likely to remember something that someone asked you to do if they repeated it—the more you hear something, the likelier you are to pay attention to it and retain the information.
These are just a few brands that have helped their audience remember them by utilizing repetitive words in their slogans:
The U.S. Army: Be All You Can Be.
Dollar Shave Club: Shave Time. Shave Money.
Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.
Little Caesars: Pizza! Pizza!
The way to create a repetitive slogan is by simply thinking of a word that you would really like to emphasize most to your audience and use it multiple times within the slogan. Just be sure that the word you choose to use is a word that you’d want your audience to really remember—because if you use it in the right context—they will.
Need further help creating a slogan for your startup?
Creating a memorable slogan for your startup can be a very overwhelming process. We’d love to help you alleviate that process by creating a memorable slogan for your startup that’ll help your brand connect with its audience—while also appealing to its ideal customers.
To become a Decryption client, simply contact us to schedule an interview so we could begin the process of creating a memorable slogan that’ll help your startup advance.