PEMBROKE, Mass. — Every dry cleaner should have a slogan to go alongside its name.
“With all the things I have to worry about, you want me to spend my precious minutes creating a silly tagline?” you ask.
“That’s the stupidest piece of advice I’ve ever heard,” you might declare. “What a waste,” you could add. “What good does a slogan do? Just adding more BS will not win me one more customer.”
The only thing is, slogans do work.
A slogan adds to identity. A slogan creates a mental dream in customers minds’, which helps them identify and bond with your store. A slogan is a way in, emotionally, for a new prospect to try your store.
A slogan helps give your employees a rationale to motivate themselves. It focuses your thinking about your business, particularly when considering marketing strategies. It unifies your promotional efforts.
A wonderful advertising aid in a sentence, a slogan helps breathe life into your whole enterprise.
John Deere is one of the most successful agricultural equipment manufacturing companies in America. Its slogan, “Nothing runs like a Deere” is probably one of the best slogans used today. Moreover, it has been in use for 155 years. I am not saying the slogan is the reason why Deere is one of the pre-eminent names in its industry, but it helps.
Why is the John Deere slogan so good? Consider that customers above all else want their tractors and lawn mowers to run well, and be trouble-free. The slogan hits at that need.
First, one visualizes a deer bounding effortlessly through the dale, and then one connects this smooth effortless flow to the machine.
Second, the words make the viewer think and parse out its double meaning. On one hand, it’s talking about a Deere tractor. On the other hand, it’s talking about the fleet-footed animal, a deer. It’s a clever amalgamation of the two.
Third, it has a smooth flowing cadence, almost like good song lyrics. It rolls liltingly in one’s mind, much like the Beatles lyric, ‘All you need is love.’
When I look around the marketplace, I see slogans such as “The quality cleaners,” “Serving customers for three decades,” “Your number one cleaner,” and the like. These are OK, but you can do better.
Make a memorable slogan that sticks in the customer’s mind long after their last visit. Think about what you’re selling.
You’re selling cleaning services — the processing to get clean clothes — that’s true. But so what? What do clean clothes mean? It means that the garments feel good to wear. But these garments not only feel good, they look good.
Check back Thursday for the conclusion.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Dave Davis at [email protected].