Slogans are like jokes — you need to be careful about them. A poorly thought out motto can hurt your business, or even destroy it!
Slogans and catchphrases often make or break a company. They’re what people remember — whether it’s a positive or negative association that they remember.
Here’s our list of the worst, most overused and flat-out lame marketing slogans ever used in advertising, marketing and promotion:
“The next best thing to being there.”
“Be all you can be.”
“The thinking man’s crampon.”
“It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.”
“Got milk?”
“We try harder.”
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
“You’ll love the way we fly.” (Qantas Airways)
“We try harder.” (Avis)
“Because you’re worth it.” (L’Oreal Paris)
“Come alive with the feeling of Cetaphil.” (Cetaphil)
These days, businesses and individuals are using more slogans than previous generations because everyone wants to be successful in marketing.
But the following are some of the worst slogans you can use in your marketing campaign: “hot deals” “get rich quick” “don’t wait” “low cost” “super savings” or “special offer”.
These kinds of slogans are misleading and they do not resonate with audiences. If you want to attract more customers, then you have to have a good slogan that will catch their attention.
As an example, let’s take a look at Super Savings. If you’re in business, then you know that it’s not just about low prices. You need to provide other things that will make your product or service stand out from the competition. So instead of using this phrase, you should come up with something like: “Super Savings! We’re so confident that our prices are the lowest that we’ll beat any competitor’s price by 10%!” This is a much better way of attracting new customers and increasing your sales.
Slogans are important for a business. It is the first thing that comes to someone’s mind when they hear them. Slogans can make or break your company. Here is a list of common slogans that you should never use.
1. We’re not number one, but we’re close.
2. We are the best at what we do.
3. We try harder than everyone else.
4. We are cheaper than our competition because our employees don’t get paid as much as theirs do . . . (or vice versa)
5. If you’d only give us a chance, we can show you how good we really are!
6. Come in and try us – we’re sure you’ll be back for more!
7. You’ll love our service and prices!
8. Our prices are better than anyone else’s!
9. If it ain’t broke, we’ll fix it for you for free!
10. We offer the lowest prices anywhere!
The other problem with most slogans is that they are cliche. Even worse is when the slogan you come up with turns out to be used by your competitors. This is why it’s important to outsource your slogan creation to an experienced marketing company.
What is the best way to get your product noticed in a sea of competitors? The answer is simple: come up with a slogan that’s clever, unique and creative. Slogans are used in many ways by different companies. For example, slogans can be used as marketing tools to help get the public excited about a new product or service. Slogans are also useful when branding.
Many businesses make the mistake of using the same old slogans over and over again. Do you really want to be lumped into the same category as your competitors simply because you both use the same slogan?
A good slogan will make your company stand out from the hundreds or thousands of other companies that are fighting for people’s attention. The following list contains some of the worst slogans currently being used by various companies around the world:
1. We try harder
2. You’re in good hands with us
3. You’ll like it! Guaranteed!
4. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there™
5. We bring good things to life
Your business is unique, so your advertising should be too. There’s an old saying that there’s no such thing as bad advertising, just bad copywriters. Well, there’s a lot of bad advertising out there that was created by very talented copywriters. We’re here to show you what not to do.
Telling people you’re the “best” is a great way to make them switch brands on the next purchase. You may not have heard this before, but you shouldn’t tell anyone they’re the best at something. If you are the best, people will line up around the block to give you their business because they’ll want to support the best. But if you tell them they’re the best, they’ll think you can’t be any good if you have to tell them this.
There are lots of slogans like “best in town,” or “we’re number one!” that can be used only by local businesses. It’s fine for a restaurant in Boston to say “number one seafood restaurant in Boston,” but for a national chain of seafood restaurants it’s silly and misleading because none of their locations are “number one.”
Slogans shouldn’t be repetitive either; it’s okay for a bank slogan to repeat “money” a few times
The following slogans are used by companies to promote their products. Do you think these slogans are good?
1. “Reach out and touch someone.” (AT&T)
2. “Think outside the bun.” (Burger King)
3. “The best a man can get.” (Gillette)
4. “Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t.” (Jif peanut butter)
5. “When it rains, it pours.” (KFC)
6. “You asked for it, you got it!” (Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes)
7. “Because there’s no telling what you’ll find under your pillow.” (General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios)
8. “We bring good things to life.” (Miller Beer)
9. “Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t.” [sic] (Planters Peanuts)
10. “Finger-lickin’ good!” (KFC)
11. “Does she or doesn’t she?” (Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo)
12. “At Ease, Will Robinson” [sic] (DirecTV TV commercial promoting Star Trek: The Next
ArtsPainter is a contributor at Arts Painter. We are committed to providing well-researched, accurate, and valuable content to our readers.
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