Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Struggling With Ideas For B2b Tagline.

Posted by Anonymous on 10/5/2004 at 12:27 PM ET 500 Points
Hi!

I'm the marketing guy for a small software company that sells to public utilities across North America.

It's every bit as sexy as it sounds.

Anyway, I've got a whack of Web content together that I feel really good about, but I've been struggling with a tagline. The research says our market is interested in feature-rich, highly interoperable, easy-to-use software that doesn't cost a whole bunch. We do really well on all of these counts, especially the feature-rich part. Our value proposition also includes a flexible implementation methodology, a highly configurable product that doesn't require expensive customization, and the fact that we provide one -- and only one -- kind of software, so we do it really well.

So...a tagline.

I've heard conflicting theories.

Some say a tagline should explicitly say -- or at least suggest -- what you offer, and who your market is. Other say your tagline needs to present your differentiators.

Others say you need to be witty and engaging (this makes me nervous, because our market is notoriously humourless).

Others still say that you need to say something that no one would ever say they *didn't* do (for example, don't say "superior software" because no one would ever say "inferior software".

I'm stumped. Any suggestions? I'm looking for not only suggestions for a tagline -- I'm also looking for the underlying theory.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jim
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 10/5/2004 at 3:16 PM Member
    Jim,

    Good input from above.

    If it were me, I’d want a tagline that quickly conveyed my market position.

    Example: Nyquil, The Nighttime Cold Medicine -- repositioned all others as for daytime use. This tagline will work for a long time because Nyquil will always want to defend its number one position as the first nighttime cold medicine.

    I would research the competitor’s positions (and taglines) and then try to find a “positioning” tagline for the company.


    Slogan examples:
    https://www.adslogans.com/samples/index.html

    Positioning info:
    https://www.quickmba.com/marketing/ries-trout/positioning/


    Best of luck,

    - Steve
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 10/5/2004 at 3:19 PM Accepted
    To me, the optimal is a tagline that when said with your company name, says what you do to someone with the industry you aim at.

    Here's an example:
    Company: Rocket-Hire
    Tag: Helping you navigate the online screening and assessment universe
    Rocket Hire is a consultant who helps HR/staffing functions in companies. His tagline says what he does in a way that someone in the target audience will easily understand.

    One note, not directly related to your question. You mention that the customer wants features, ease of use, and low cost. Hearing this type of stuff always makes me cringe, as it doesn't talk about benefits. Nothing in what you said says what problem the product solves for the customer (the benefit). I use Microsoft Word because it lets me write documents, not because it has a lot of features. You may want to keep in mind the benefits of your product to the customer while trying to set your tagline.
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 10/5/2004 at 3:22 PM Member
    Jim, your tagline is just a few short, compelling words about your company (or its product/service). It's the hardest doggone thing to write. That must be why so many people come to this forum asking for ideas!

    Wanna know some of my recent favorites?

    For M.D. Anderson Hospital here in Houston:
    "Making cancer history."

    For the cable network Animal Planet:
    "Living, breathing entertainment."

    Without knowing more about the functional purpose of your software, it's hard to offer specific ideas to you. Is it for customer billing? A work order system?

    - Shelley
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 10/5/2004 at 10:18 PM Member
    Jim,

    I have always believed that a tagline should express something about what the product or service is for (and sometimes what it can do).

    For example I just went to my bathroom and pulled my IVORY (body wash) ooooh out of my shower. Unfortunately for me I don't have a $5,000 shower curtain like my former CEO Kozlowski had...Well anyway on the front underneath the large IVORY logo neatly positioned in all caps on a sensual bottle that is smooth and voluptous is the tagline

    FOR SOFT, BABY
    SMOOTH SKIN

    Well that says it all for your tagline. I hope that helps...a real world idea for a struggling gentleman that needs a tagline for a great software company. Is there anything else I can do for you?

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by mgoodman on 10/5/2004 at 10:29 PM Member
    I'm not convinced that a tagline is mandatory. I think it's a good idea to express your positioning in a clear, easy-to-grasp way. But a tagline per se may not be so important.

    I'd work on getting the communication down pat. Tell your story in a crisp, clean way. If it takes more than two sentences, go back and fix the positioning. It should be singleminded, and it shouldn't requre more than a few sentences.

    As you work on this, you may come up with a tagline that does the job. That would be a nice bonus. But don't become fixated on a tagline.

    My $0.02 worth.
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