We don't mean to offend you - this is just an example of a great slogan that also bears the truth of the power of succinctness in advertising. It's incredibly difficult to be succinct, and it's especially difficult to express a complex emotional concept in just a couple of words - which is exactly what slogans and taglines do.

That's why we have a lot of respect for the brands that have done it right. These are the companies that have figured out how to convey their value propositions to their buyer personas in just one, short sentence - and a quippy one, at that.

So if you're looking to get a little slogan inspiration of your own, take a look at some of our favorite company slogans and taglines from both past and present. But before we get into specific examples, let's quickly go over what a slogan is, how it differs from a tagline, and what makes these branded one-liners stand out.

In business, a slogan is "a catchphrase or small group of words that are combined in a special way to identify a product or company," according to Entrepreneur.com's small business encyclopedia.

In many ways, they're like mini-mission statements.

Companies have slogans for the same reason they have logos: advertising. While logos are visual representations of a brand, slogans are audible representations of a brand. Both formats grab consumers' attention more readily than a company's name or product might. Plus, they're simpler to understand and remember.

The goal? To leave a key brand message in consumers' minds so that, if they remember nothing else from an advertisement, they'll remember the slogan.

As we mentioned in Entrepreneur.com's definition above, a slogan identifies a product or company. So does a tagline, for that matter. Where these terms differ is in how they position a companyin its industry.

Your organization doesn't have to develop both a slogan and a tagline - it might succeed with just a solid, recognizable tagline. But as you develop new products and identify new types of customers, you might find your brand launching a campaign that is primed for its own slogan.

Now that we've covered what a slogan is and what makes one great, here are examples of some of the best brand slogans of all time.

The folks at Dollar Shave Club have made their way onto quite a few of our lists here on the blog, and it's safe to say that when it comes to marketing and advertising, this brand's team knows what it's doing. And its slogan - "Shave Time. Shave Money." - is an excellent reflection of their expertise.

This little quip cleverly incorporates two of the service's benefits: cost and convenience. It's punny, to the point, and it perfectly represents the overall tone of the brand.

"In a sense, 'Priceless' became a viral, social campaign years before there was a social media," Dan writes. Today, "Priceless" is widely considered MasterCard's tagline - borne out of the longer mission-focused slogan stated above.

This particular example highlights the importance of finding something that makes your brand different from the others - in this case, the hard shell that keeps chocolate from melting all over you.

Diamonds aren't worth much inherently. In fact, a diamond is worth at least 50% less than you paid for it the moment you left the jewelry store. So how did they become the symbol of wealth, power, and romance they are in America today? It was all because of a brilliant, multifaceted marketing strategy designed and executed by ad agency N.W. Ayer in the early 1900s for their client, De Beers.

Here's another brand that took its time coming up with something that truly resonated with its audience. Verizon's previous slogan "Can you hear me now" slogan was created in 2002 under the umbrella of the tagline, "We never stop working for you." Now with Verizon switching up their classic slogan to answer the question "We can hear you," was perfect because it shows this company keeps up with its consumers while moving forward.

While Verizon was founded in 1983, it continued to battle against various phone companies like AT&T and T-Mobile, still two of its strongest competitors. But what makes Verizon stand out? No matter where you are, you have service. You may not have the greatest texting options, or the best cell phone options, but you will always have service.

What makes "Semper Fi" a great slogan for the Marines? It reveals the Marines' defining characteristics in the armed forces - faithfulness and loyalty. It's also a memorable proverb that explains why this organization can be counted on by the public.

Ronseal's slogan doesn't go above and beyond. It doesn't make lofty promises to its customers. It simply endorses a functional product. So why is this slogan so catchy? Because its lack of volume actually speaks volumes to its audience. Too many companies try to break through the noise of their competitors by being so loud and ambitious, they forget what they stood for in the first place. Ronseal saw true value in basic reliability and founded a slogan that allowed the company to stay right where its customers like it.

Something all slogans should strive to do is look past the needs of the company, or even its users, and describe how the product or service helps the community. In this way, "We Help the World Grow the Food It Needs" is a heavy slogan that expresses not just what The Mosaic Company wants for its customers, but also what it wants for the public.

Pitney Bowes' slogan shows us that its products don't just help businesses track and deliver merchandise - it makes the entire ecommerce community more efficient. It's a good strategy, considering the alternative. How lame would the company's slogan be if it were "We Power Transactions That Serve Our Clients' Bottom Line"?

Now, for the more well-known Nike message. "Just Do It" hovers over every product and event Nike creates or sponsors, and that's exactly what makes it the company's official tagline.

It didn't take long for Nike's message to resonate. The brand became more than just athletic apparel - it began to embody a state of mind. It encourages you to think that you don't have to be an athlete to be in shape or tackle an obstacle. If you want to do it, just do it. That's all it takes.

But it's unlikely Kennedy + Weiden, the agency behind this tagline, knew from the start that Nike would brand itself in this way. In fact, Nike's product used to cater almost exclusively to marathon runners, which are among the most hardcore athletes out there. The "Just Do It" campaign widened the funnel, and it's proof positive that some brands need to take their time coming up with a tagline that reflects their message and resonates with their target audience

Soon after, the tagline "Think Different" accompanied Apple advertisements all over the place, even though Apple hadn't released any significant new productsat the time. All of a sudden, people began to realize that Apple wasn't just any old computer; it was so powerful and so simple to use that it made the average computer user feel innovative and tech-savvy.

The simple words "Got Milk?" scribbled above celebrities, animals, and children with milk mustaches, which ran from 2003 until 2014- making this campaign one of the longest-lasting ever. The CMPB wasn't determined to make its brand known with this one - it was determined to infiltrate the idea of drinking milk across the nation. And these two simple words sure as heck did.

The newer tagline, "Designed for Driving Pleasure," is intended to reinforce the message that its cars' biggest selling point is that they are performance vehicles that are thrilling to drive. That message is an emotional one and one that consumers can buy into to pay the high price point.

It's also, as Naresh Ramchandani wrote for The Guardian, "perhaps the most ingeniously modest" slogan or tagline ever written. Tesco markets itself as a brand for the people, and a flexible, modest far-reaching slogan like this one reflects that beautifully.

Over the years, Bounty has moved away from this tagline in full, replacing "Quicker" with other adjectives, depending on the brand's current marketing campaign - like "The Quilted Picker Upper" and "The Clean Picker Upper." At the same time, the brand's main web address went from quickerpickerupper.comto bountytowels.com. But although the brand is branching out into other campaigns, they've kept the theme of their original, catchy tagline.

But seriously, notice how the emphasis isn't on the taste of the product. There are plenty of other delicious chips out there. But what Lay's was able to bring forth with its tagline is that totally human, uncontrollable nature of snacking until the cows come home.

The first-generation Audio 80 (B1 series) was launched a year after the tagline in 1972, and the new car was a brilliant reflection of that tagline with many impressive new technical features. It was throughout the 1970s that the Audi brand established itselfas an innovative car manufacturer, such as with the five-cylinder engine (1976), turbocharging (1979), and the quattro four-wheel drive (1980). This is still reflective of the Audi brand today.

"The new campaign is a fun and often quirky celebration of life, showing Americans embracing their work, their play and everything in between - accompanied every step of the way by Dunkin' Donuts," read the official press releasefrom the campaign's official launch.

"It's the idea that we're your partner in crime, or we're like your wingman, your buddy in your daily struggle and we give you the positive energy through both food and beverage but also emotionally, we believe in you and we believe in the consumer," said Chris D'Amico, SVP and Group Creative Director at Hill Holiday.

Fun fact: The jingle's infamous hook - "ba da ba ba ba" - was originally sungby Justin Timberlake.

This helped the paper become more than just a news outlet, but a company that paved the way for credible news. The company didn't force a tagline upon people when it first was founded, but rather, it created one in a time where it was needed most.

"'Imagination at Work' began as an internal theme at GE," recalled Tim McCleary, GE's manager of corporate identity. When Jeff Immelt became CEO of GE in 2001, he announced that his goal was to reconnect with GE's roots as a company defined by innovation.

But State Farm's most famous tagline is the jingle, "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there," which you're likely familiar with if you live in the United States and watch television.

Often, customers need insurance when they least expect it - and in those situations, State Farm is responding in friendly, neighborly language.

Maybelline changed its tagline to "Make IT Happen" in February 2016, inspiring women to "express their beauty in their own way." Despite this change, the former tagline remains powerful and ubiquitous, especially among the many generations that grew up with it.

However, we'd argue that "The Few. The Proud. The Marines." is among the best organization taglines out there.

Now that you have delved into some classic and catchy slogans and taglines, it's time to set your business up for success. Remember a slogan and a tagline are similar but a slogan is used to sell an item whereas a tagline brings awareness to the item while being concise, catchy, and classic. Both are essential when making sure your business will remain in the minds of consumers.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published Dec 29, 2021 7:00:00 AM, updated December 29 2021

HubSpot Inc. published this content on 29 December 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 29 December 2021 12:16:00 UTC.