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by Renee Fellows

June 30, 2008— You’ve seen them on everything from your favorite soda to the car you drive and you’ve probably never really given it a single thought. I’m here to tell you that the positioning line and ‘tag’ that the ad agency developed for the brand may be the single most important piece of messaging that the company uses. Now everyone out there isn’t Coca-Cola and can’t afford the multimillion dollar agency contracts to develop a positioning line for their own company. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one. With a little diligence and possibly some help from a freelance marketing communications expert, your business can have brand positioning that will help elevate your brand and clarify your messaging without breaking the bank.

Corporate Positioning

There is a distinct difference between the positioning line and the tag line. A positioning line is the single word or phrase that is sums up the entire marketing initiative of the organization to its customers (both internal and external). It is critical to have the positioning line in place before any other marketing initiatives are developed as it will tie the entire organization together for the consumer. The positioning line is far more encompassing and usually involves the organization’s mission and goals; it should say who and what you are to your key stakeholders. Be sure that it showcases your organization’s creativity and not becomes a laundry list of what you do. So many times I’ve seen colleagues with positioning lines that read like a Chinese take-out menu. “I’ll have the Number Four Marketing Strategy, with a side of Number 13 Brand Building, and a bowl of Advertising to go, please.” Remember that it’s your ability to problem solve and to provide solutions for your consumer that differentiates you from the competition. Your consumer is constantly being bombarded by advertising messages. Always start by answering the most basic question, “what’s in it for me?”

When International Business Machines (IBM) first launched nearly a century ago, they used one word to encapsulate how they wanted people to associate with their products, “Think.” IBM’s commitment to computer development brought about revolutionary change in the way people ‘thought’ about problem-solving. In effect, IBM ushered in a new era of society, the technology era, and their positioning line is simple, straightforward, and on-task toward achieving that goal.

What’s in a Tag Line?

The tag line is an advertising campaign or a slogan that acts as a memorable reason to purchase the product or service. The purpose of the tag line is to give an instant ‘ah ha’ moment of insight about the product or service and wrap the end of a commercial or print ad. While both the positioning line and the tag line convey an action or achievable goal for the organization, the positioning line is globally focused on the organization and less on just one product or service.

Tag lines have a high recall value. Give yourself 30 seconds and a piece of paper and see how many popular marketing tag lines you can recall. From Nike’s famous “Just Do It” to Coca-Cola’s “The Real Thing,” I came up with an easy two dozen. My favorite one is Dunkin Donuts’ “America Runs on Dunkin.” Not only do I love my daily dose of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee with two Splenda and cream, but the tag line also incorporates their greatest desire (that all of America ‘fuels up’ with Dunkin products as part of their daily lives) and even slides in their brand name into the campaign. What could be better?

It’s about attitude.

Tag lines can be funny, quirky, serious, emotional, or a multitude of other adjectives, but the real take-away is that they are memorable and effectively relay the organization’s personality and attitude. When I was a kid my favorite place to eat was Burger King. I know, I was in the rare minority, but back then they served hot dogs and McDonald’s didn’t. They also had a great tag line that even at the tender age of 5, I loved. “Burger King - Where Kids are King.” Now I ask you, how could any five year old not want to go to Burger King when you got a Burger King hand puppet, a cardboard gold crown and could eat hot dogs and French fries to your heart’s content? They knew what their customers wanted and they gave it to them. Revolutionary, I know. What I think Burger King has forgotten in recent decades is why they are in business. They’ve gone through countless buy-outs, and changes in both and leadership and advertising agencies since their successful 1970’s tag line “Have it Your Way” leaving them weakened and fighting for market share. In a recent buy-back, the organization is finally independent once again. They’ve reverted the entire company back to its roots and brought back the “Have it Your Way” positioning line in the hopes of re-energizing the brand in the eyes of its consumers. Will it work? That is yet to be seen, But it is a good sign that they have at least returned to what worked in the past. Hopefully, they won’t forget that their customers also liked hamburgers (and hot dogs) and that’s what made them successful.

So ask yourself, what is your company’s personality and attitude? Are you filling the ‘environmental niche,’ the ‘most competitive pricing niche,’ the ‘off the beaten path but worth the drive niche,’ or something in between? What makes you special? When a company truly discovers its voice, magical things begin to happen.

I was working with a small basket design company last week. We were brainstorming messaging for a new brochure when I stumbled across a phrase that she likes to use, ‘close-to-nature.’ It caused me to stop because I wasn’t sure what it meant or why it was relevant when it came to making a gift basket. After a few minutes of back and forth discussion about why ‘close-to-nature’ was so important to my client, I came to the conclusion that her concept of using natural, organic, items and foods could be enhanced by better explaining her philosophy and using it as a marketing tool. We began to work on a way to incorporate the concept into all of her materials including on the web and even in her elevator speeches. Her attention to the little details like including educational wildlife identifiers with her baskets reinforces the company’s conservation mission and promotes good will with her clients. The lesson here is to not assume that those quick phrases that you may be so accustomed to using really mean anything to your consumer. One way to check is to do a short, impromptu survey of some of your closest clients and ask them to review a few phrases. See what you get for a response. Their answers may shock and surprise you. But they can also provide invaluable insight into areas of your business that you need to further flesh out and explain in a real way.

A Word About Using Sound & Pretty Pictures

The right mnemonic can make or break your tag line and brand positioning. Think about the Aflac duck and how well that little water fowl created a brand identity for the organization. Their positioning line is straightforward – “Aflac pays you cash when you get hurt and miss work.” It’s catchy and rhymes a bit and that duck squawking out ‘AFLAC!’ helps consumers remember this unique form of insurance. I actually have one of their sales reps in my business networking group and each week before she gives her company sales pitch, she stands up and quacks. I’m not kidding. Every company doesn’t need to have cued theme music and an affable duck, but consider the possibilities that using something a little outside the box may bring to further differentiate your brand from the competition.

Last, but certainly by no means least, is how well you can visually tie your new tag line to your brand. That’s where spending money on a talented graphic designer and/or marketing specialist will really pay off. Even if you haven’t spent one dollar of your marketing budget to create the perfect tag line, now is the time to dig into the coffers and do a little spending. A graphic designer or marketing /design team can turn a verbal concept into physical reality in short time and give you an end product that can often last for years. Having a designer work on your brand will also give your organization consistency, solid graphic identity and further enhance what you’ve worked so hard to build, the perfect brand.

Building a brand from positioning statement up to advertising tag line will create a stronger more cohesive effort. If you’re feeling overwhelmed or still don’t know where to begin, talk with a marketing professional. S/he can help you identify your brand’s strengths and capitalize on them with positioning and graphical elements that will clarify your organization and its products or services to its stakeholders and consumers.

Renee Fellows is the owner of ClearPoint Marketing Communications in Derry, New Hampshire. She works with small business clients to develop marketing and public relations strategies that bring business and customers closer together. She can be reached at 603-434-9433 or via email at Rfellows@oneclearpoint.com.

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