Tagline thoughts

If a poll is taken among the Indian public about which are the advertisement/ promotional taglines they can instantly recall, am sure some of the toppers will be ” Polo-the mint with a hole”, “I love you Rasna”. “Amul-The taste of India”,” CEAT –Born tough”, “ Raymonds-The Complete Man” and many, many more. So what is a tagline? A tagline is a short phrase or slogan which usually goes with the Brand name and logo in all advertisements & publicity material of the organisation. What should be the essential attributes of a tagline?

First, it should be simple, comprising not more than 5 or 6 words.

Secondly, it should have the impact of a one-on-one communication with the reader/ viewer and at the same time communicate with world at large. The communication could be direct or subtle, though some feel that subtlety spoils a tagline. I am not one of them as I believe customers are intelligent and can see through the subtlety. A direct tagline may sometimes appear an overkill. E.g. ‘Polo – the mint with a hole’ subtly conveys that there is more mint and the hole is incidental. Had they said ‘More mint than others’, perhaps the impact would have been lesser.

Thirdly, the tagline should be capable of bringing an instant connect with the brand in the mind of the viewer/listener, so much so that even when the phrase “The Complete Man” is used in a conversation, we instantly connect it to Raymonds.

A fourth and very important requirement of a tagline will be that it should portray some quality, uniqueness or attribute about the brand, product or service which a customer would look for primarily. When a customer wants to buy a tyre, his prime requisites would be long-lasting and a tyre which can take any road conditions. Hence when CEAT says ” Born Tough” with a rhino’s picture or MRF says “The tyre with muscle” and a body-builder holding it up, it strikes the right chord with the customer.

Organisations do change taglines over a period of time but a fifth requisite of a memorable tagline would be that it is consistently used for a long duration and not changed frequently.

Last but certainly not the least will be that the tagline should be honest and truthful and the brand should consistently live up to what has been stated in the tagline.

Now let us take a look at the taglines of some of the Indian non-life insurance companies and you can judge for yourself how well they meet the six parameters of a memorable tagline.

Tata AIG’ s tagline ‘With You Always’ in solid font resonates well– the image of a solid insurer who will stick with you through ‘thick and thin’, something a customer expects from an insurer. United India’s choice of tagline is a brilliant usage of its initials ‘U’ & ‘I’ saying that ‘At United India, Its always U before I, highlighting their client service — You the customer comes first. Bajaj Allianz talks about ‘Caringly yours’ which conveys that they care for the customer. A subtle message of service & protection too.

New India’s taglines’ Leadership and Beyond’, ‘Born to Lead’, ‘India’s premier multinational general insurance company’ possibly do not convey effectively what they can do for a customer or what he can expect from them. Rather the emphasis is on what they have achieved or where they stand. It may appear that the tagline is intended to signify their strong and unique position but it does not fully satisfy the fourth requirement of a tagline stated earlier. Future Generali’s tagline ‘Total Insurance Solutions’ is simple, yet direct, sort of on the face. Professional but no personal touch. HDFC ERGO’s ‘ Take it Easy’ in a youthful, peppy type of font conveys that if insured with them, you can Take it Easy. Simply says you can have peace of mind with them. Perhaps, some may feel the tagline does not indicate seriousness or solidity.

Then, there are some insurers who feel their taglines should be in Hindi for wider reach and there are some who use different taglines for English and Hindi.

ICICI Lombard comes up with a winner in “Nibhaye Vaade’ meaning they honour promises, a straight indication to the fact that Insurance is nothing but a promise and they honour it. Personal, subtle yet a powerful message to an individual or the world at large. Universal Sompo is more direct talking about Protection/Safety — Suraksha Hamesha Aapke Saath ( Protection with you always) and SBI General emphasises both Safety and Trust – Suraksha Aur Bharosa Dono. Both these taglines do convey to the customer what he can expect or what these organisations stand for, but what seems to be missing is the personal connect. Iffco-Tokio tells the customer ‘Muskurate Raho’ meaning Keep Smiling. The font is peppy and they seem to be presenting insurance not as something serious, with accidents, losses,etc. which are bound to happen at times, but with the company, one can keep smiling always.

These are my personal thoughts and I would welcome diverse opinions on these taglines.No reference is made or sought to be made about the sixth requirement for a memorable tagline.