Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Do You Ask For Client Feedback On Tagline?

Posted by glassaggie on 10/23/2014 at 6:43 PM ET 500 Points
My company is struggling with creating and adopting a company tagline/slogan. I won't get into WHY we need a tagline, but this is not optional. We've come up with a list of about 5 that we like, but none that we're crazy about. We are attending a conference soon, with ALL our key clients, and my boss wants me to find a way to run these tagline options past our clients, while we can speak to them face-to-face, to see which they prefer. Is this a good idea? Do you ask clients directly which creative they prefer? Or is there a better way to approach this? I feel like asking a client to evaluate creative is limiting. What would consumers have said to "Just Do It?" They probably would've said it was stupid. I value the opportunity to ask clients for feedback, but should we be asking more foundational questions - like which aspects of a vendor partner they value most, or how they currently perceive our company? I just don't think clients are prepared to pick the messages that are directed to them - but they can tell us what's important to them. Any advice? Of course the conference is next week so this has to be executed quickly and well. I'm a first-time poster and appreciate any input.
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  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 10/23/2014 at 7:12 PM Accepted
    (Aside: it's obvious that you've gotten to where you are w/o having a tagline, so having a tagline may be more for internal political reasons than necessarily to attract clients.)

    Instead of asking which one do they like, consider instead to ask the client to explain what they "hear" in each tagline. That'll give you more information about specific words/concepts rather than the whole tagline itself.

    Sometimes tagline development occurs by interviewing the key clients about your company, who/how they refer you to others, and the key benefits they've received. From this data, you can craft a tagline that addresses the underlying strengths that they see. Sometimes what you're selling and how they're benefiting may not be the same thing.

    Also - this sort of research is probably best done not by one of your employees, but rather by an impartial 3rd party researcher who's skilled at teasing out things efficiently. If this is as important to your leadership, perhaps hiring a researcher would be a smart investment.
  • Posted by glassaggie on 10/23/2014 at 8:30 PM Author
    Jay, thank you for the alternate question suggestions...I think that will get us to a deeper conversation and more meaningful feedback. And I agree on hiring a professional...I'm being backed into a corner here and forced to take this "opportunity."
  • Posted on 10/23/2014 at 8:58 PM Accepted
    If you have to do it, at least ask: "For each of these phrases, tell me how well you think it describes [our company]." And if you want a real test, add a question where you replace [our company] with [major competitor]. And include the competitor's tagline on the list regardless.

    And if you want a better answer, hire a market research professional. You can do a short pre-interview to satisfy management that you are involved, and then turn the subject over to the pro.
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