How smart is your tagline?
Below is a checklist of 20 attributes found in successful taglines.
Please grade your tagline based on each of the following attributes or the lack thereof. Then, using the
scoring system below, add it all up and check your results at the bottom of the page.
Tagline Attributes
Simple |
Is your tagline expressed in terms that everyone can understand? |
Succinct |
Does it make its point in as few words as possible? |
Believable |
Does its brand promise ring true? |
Clear |
Is its intended message and meaning easy to grasp? |
Original |
Is it a unique expression or commonplace and derivative? |
Positive |
Is its message bold and uplifting? |
Relevant |
Is it specific? Does it address the needs of your customers? |
Unconventional |
Is it striking or unusual? Does it reflect “out of the box” thinking? |
Provocative |
Is it edgy? Does it arouse or inspire? |
Conversational |
Is it personable? Does it make use of the vernacular? |
Persuasive |
Does it sell the big idea? Does it move people and make them think? |
Humorous |
Do people smile or laugh when they hear it? |
Aspirational |
Does it reflect the hopes and dreams of your customers? |
Tells a story |
Is it a conversation starter? Does it have “legs?” |
Inviting |
Does it serve as a charming and good-natured ambassador? |
Nuanced |
Does it have multiple or metaphorical meanings? |
Visionary |
Does it reflect your organization's long range thinking? |
Fun to say |
Does it rhyme? Is it pleasing to the ear? |
Easy to pronounce |
Does it roll off the tongue easily? |
Memorable |
To your knowledge, has it made a lasting impression? |
|
|
Scoring
A |
= |
10 points |
|
C- |
= |
4 points |
A- |
= |
9 points |
|
D |
= |
3 points |
B+ |
= |
8 points |
|
D- |
= |
2 points |
B |
= |
7 points |
|
F |
= |
1 point |
B- |
= |
6 points |
|
! |
= |
Pointless |
C |
= |
5 points |
|
|
|
|
It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist to
Create Smart and Successful Taglines.
It takes a savvy, versatile, intuitive, experienced, and disciplined verbal branding professional, a.k.a.,
a wordsmith, sloganeer, linguistic craftsman, persuasive communicator, artful storyteller, real world
rhetoritican, and an ad guy who writes copy in his sleep.
In other words, someone like me.
So give me a call…and put YOUR tagline at the head of the class!
Results of Tagline I.Q. Test
160-200 points |
Your tagline is a genius. And if you created it, you're a genius, too! |
140-159 points |
Your tagline has a high I.Q. Smart as a whip…a real humdinger. |
120-139 points |
Your tagline has an above-average I.Q. Smarter than the average bear. |
100-119 points |
Your tagline has an average I.Q. Brown shoes in a room full of tuxedos. |
80-99 points |
Your tagline has a below-average I.Q. Blends nicely into oblivion. |
60-79 points |
Your tagline has a sub-standard I.Q. Toasters are generally more expressive. |
< 60 points |
Your tagline has no there, there. Keep plugging away at it! |
