Don’t judge a book by its cover they say, but what about a brand by its slogan?
If you have already tried a product and liked it, there is a high chance of you buying it again. But when you visit a supermarket or online store and find yourself swimming in a sea of unknown products, how do you choose? Brand slogans are designed to make consumers remember a brand when making a purchase decision. It might not be the most objective and informed decision, but when there is nothing to use as a point of reference, a funny song could do the trick. Talking about being objective, you would think a marketing campaign has honest information to help you understand what the product is all about. However, sometimes the whole point of a branding strategy is to show what the brand wants to be all about, rather than what they really are. What they want consumers to perceive them as and be happy to pay for. It doesn't mean that all campaigns are tricky or dishonest, sometimes it’s just a matter of not knowing their own target market. But honesty is growing more important to consumers. Consistency is very important for an honest marketing campaign. Providing consumers with an approximate experience to the one they had envisioned guarantees repeat purchases. Also, it gives your brand credibility in the customer’s eyes. Once a consumer has felt disappointed or mislead by any product, they will probably feel hesitant to purchase other lines of products from the same brand. As a fun exercise, we went on HonestSlogans.com and found a few entertaining examples of what an honest slogan would do to a brand. Let’s see if you would be eager to purchase any of these:
1. Coffee-mate
A tasty disguise for a drink not everyone likes, but most people like to be seen drinking.
2. Cosmopolitan Magazine
A more honest explanation of this particular magazine’s content.
3. Men’s Health Magazine
Not a terrible promise we suppose
4. Frosted Flakes
Not quite the corn flakes but there is a Kellogg’s product for every taste
5. Linkedin
Not the busiest of social networks
6. Crest 3D White
They said it, we just liked it and share it
7. Pepsi
The eternal battle of the bubbly colas
8. FedEx
What a reputation
9. NIKE
No sugar coating we guess
10. McDonald’s
Do you want fries with that? None of these slogans is likely to go out to the public, but it is a fun way to show what the brand perception would do for this group of brands. Remember these examples next time you plan your label printing. You should stand for what you advertise, avoid misleading slogans to gain happier customers. We want to know what you think. Which honest slogans will you add to a popular product? Go to our comment section and let us know!