A good slogan - worth it?

‘Just make sure you get our main benefits in there’

‘Of course’

‘And the company’s commitment - what we do different, you know?’

‘Yep, sure’

‘But we still want to stay super honest, so that too’

‘Okay, I suppos-’

‘Also, it should have some rhythm, a sort of ring to it – actually, could you make it rhyme?’

‘I mean-’

‘And short. Keep it very, very short.’

To write an all-encompassing slogan – the albatross of many-a-copywriter.

From KFC’s ‘It’s finger lickin’ good!’ to Tesco’s ‘Every little helps’, The National Lottery’s ‘It could be you’ to Apple’s ‘Think Different’ – the secret is expressing an emotional concept in just a couple of quippy words. Sounds simple. Definitely isn’t.

Defined in the Entrepreneur.com’s small business encyclopaedia as ‘a catchphrase or small group of words that are combined in a special way to identify a product or company’, the slogan has nuzzled itself into the bosom our beloved industry, and rightly so. Snappy, with a company’s USP at its core – write an iconic one, and consider your career defined.

L’Oréal’s ‘Because I’m Worth It’ is older than time itself.

Alright – 1973. Point being, it’s stuck around.

Written by copywriter, IIon Specht at McCann Erickson in New York, Ilon was a mere 23 years young when she wrote the words that would soon become part of our culture; stirking a chord with women worldwide.

A thoughtful celebration of what it was to be a female in a time of what was largely male-lead perspectives, the slogan spoke to its audience because of its authenticity. It was about their self-confidence, their style and ultimately, their right to look and feel good for themselves and nobody else. The connotations were - and still are - empowering and evidently, timeless.

Established, the phrase developed into ‘Because you’re worth it’ after a handful of models spoke of their preference for the change, wanting it to feel more inclusive. The evolution of the slogan, a tribute to its ageless sentiment.

But perhaps the true brilliance of Ilon’s work becomes apparent in the tagline’s transcendence of the product, with the expression now settled into our everyday language. A feat managed by very few and an example of how, with a truly authentic approach, the right words can become part of our social fabric.

A good slogan – worth it? Too right it is.