Stylistic Features of the Advertising Slogan

A slogan is a form of verbal logo. In a print ad, it usually appears just beneath or beside the brand name or logo. A slogan sums up what one stand for, one’s specialty, the benefit, and one’s marketing position, and one’s commitment. It is especially useful to reinforce one’s identity. A slogan can prove to be more powerful than a logo. People can remember and recite your slogan while they are unlikely to doodle your logo. It is more important for your slogan to clearly state what you are about than to be clever, but if you can accomplish both, all the better. Slogans have two basic purposes: to provide continuity to a series of ads in a campaign and to reduce an advertising message strategy to a brief, repeatable, and memorable positioning.

The slogan should be used everywhere. Think of it as being attached to one’s name like a shadow; put it on business cards, printed ads, personal brochures, signs, letters, in the yellow pages -everywhere one can put it.

1. At the graphetic level

1.1 Consistent use of initial capitalization.
For example,
Heinz: Beanz Meanz Heinz.
Toyota: I Love What You Do For Me.

1.2 Sometimes full use of capitalization.
For example,
NewsWeek: THE WORLD’S NEWSMAGAZINE.
Oracle: SOFTWARE POWERS THE INTERNET.

2. At the phonological level

2.1 Rhymes with brand name
Haig Scotch: Don't be vague. Ask for Haig.
Quavers: The flavour of a Quaver is never known to waver.

2.2 Rhymes - brand name mention
Viakal: It's the Viakal fizz that does the bizz!
Jaguar : Grace, space, pace.

2.3 Use of alliteration.
Allied Irish Bank: Britain's best business bank.
Greyhound: Greyhound going great.
Fila: Functional... Fashionable... Formidable...

3. At the lexical level
3.1 Common uses of second person addressee “you”, “we”,”us”.
For example,
HYUNDAI: Always there for you.
Nestle Milo: Bring out the champion in you.
Avis Rent A Car: We try harder.
Fed ex: We live to deliver.

3.2 Use of unqualified comparison.
For example,
Coleman footgear: Better choice, better joys.

3.3 Use of “every” “always”, etc.
For example,
Always Coca-Cola.
Mitsubishi: Technically, everything is possible.

3.4 Use of “no”, “none”, etc.
For example,
Mercedes Benz: The pursuit for perfection has no finish line.
M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

3.5 Use of coined words.
Louis Vuitton: Epileather.
Burton Menswear: Everywear.
Gordon's & Tonic: Innervigoration.

4. At the syntactic level.

4.1 Use of short simple sentences.
For example,
Sumsung Digitall-Everyone is invited.
GE: We bring good things to life.

4.2 Use of everyday sentences.
For example,
Nike: Just do it
Nestle: It’s the taste!

4.3 Use of phrases.
For example,
Apple computer: think different
Malaysia Airlines: Beyond expectation.
Maxwell House: Good to the last drop.

4.4 Use of questions.
For example,
Ford: Have you driven a Ford lately?
Volkswagen Polo: R u Polo?

4.5 Use of imperative sentences.
For example,
Express card: Don’t leave home without it.
United Airlines: Life is a journey, travel it well.

4.6 Use of tense.
For example,
DeBeers: A diamond is forever.
Rossini: Time always follows me

4.7 Creative use of idioms or proverbs
For example,
Financial Times: No FT, no comment.
IBM: I think, therefore IBM.

5. At the semantic level.

5.1 Semantic ambiguity
For example,
Philips: let’s make things better.

5.2 Use of puns
Moss Security: Alarmed? You should be.
Pioneer: Everything you hear is true.
Range Rover: It's how the smooth take the rough.
Kenco Really Rich Coffee: Get Rich quick.
Finish Detergent: Brilliant cleaning starts with Finish.

5.3 Here the brand goes to work, as inextricably part of the pun.
Citibank: Because the Citi never sleeps.
Quavers Snacks: Do me a Quaver.

All the above-mentioned stylistic features of ad slogans are necessary to make them neat, simple, original, strategic, memorable and campainable.