MediaVision Blog : Search Engine Marketing

I recently wrote straplines/taglines/spirit lines for MVI Data Recovery. It proved to be a difficult task, or at least, not something a writer can pull out of her hat of preferred epithets (not that I ever do, of course). To clarify, a stapline is a short sentence, sometimes a fragment of just three words (“Just Do It”), which escorts a company’s logo into the public eye. I’ve seen it referred to as business’s war cry. I’d add that it’s like the Lunar Module landing on the Moon: delicate, precise, and if all goes well, an opportunity to explore new territory between business and client.

Most people have read enough straplines in their lives to deduce what they look like. For instance, you know that direct speech is a must. The length depends often on the logo and the company’s ethos, for instance “Maybe She’s Born With it, Maybe it’s Maybelline” is as good as “Just AAsk”. Ever tried to write a haiku, counting syllables? This is a similar thing. You have to create a company’s catchphrase that makes sense, reads easily, captures the essence of the business and in some sense is a call to action. That’s a lot to pack into a short sentence, which is why writing straplines is a coveted skill.

Be prepared to re-write and re-order words many times. Most of all, and this is very important, ensure that no one else can think of the same strapline out of the blue. Iffy straplines often comprise three words, for example, “Create. Initiate. Succeed.” There are many lazy writers out there who are capable of pulling three words out of a hat, as I just did. No one can steal “Today. Tomorrow. Together.”, but I recommend that you avoid the three-word-with-full-stops trap. Try for something that is unique and exact, for example, “Vorsprung Durch Technik” [Progress through technology], which is Audi’s tagline. If you can select words that evoke a brand’s philosophy without wasting time, you’re most of the way there.

The nice thing about straplines is that you can colour them up, accompany them with a racy logo and choose a unique and eye-catching font. All of these techniques depend on the power of your strapline, and if successful, they serve to pull the eye down towards the website’s home page content or call to action. When you’re writing straplines for a number of pages, create three or four per page, so that you’re more likely to hit the bull’s eye. And importantly, keep your writer’s hat filled with stale words hidden in the closet.