There are some things money can’t buy. One of them is brand love: The places in your heart a company can occupy aren’t bought. They’re earned.

Yet, as long as there’s been marketing, companies have used a device known as the tagline (or slogan, strapline, motto, credo and a slew of other aliases) to hit you over the head with a repeated phrase, intended to shape your feelings about the brand.

As far back as 1250 B.C. Egypt, the pharaoh Ramesses II ordered the same phrase inscribed across monuments and temples, cementing his stature as the “strong bull.” And in the millennia since, countless billions have been spent on taglines telling you “we try harder,” are “like a good neighbor” or are “on your side.” And if you don’t know by now how much 15 minutes can save you, well, then you’ve been living under a rock. 

Ask the average consumer how they feel about taglines, and the answer is, “I’m lovin’ it.” Nearly three-quarters (71%) of consumers who recall a slogan are more likely to choose that brand over competitors at purchase, and 50% of consumers say a tagline is the most important brand element for understanding a company’s purpose — well more than name (13%) or logo (7%).

Why? Taglines are fun. We like the familiarity. Like the hook of a pop song, taglines are the memorable refrains that make our jobs as consumers a little bit easier. And not only are they more loved, brands with taglines are better understood, their ads are more effective, and they have higher top-of-mind awareness.

Even Liquid Death, a brand that proudly markets with the mantra that marketing sucks, uses a tagline: “Murder your thirst.”

Like diamonds, taglines’ impact can be forever. However, there’s a shift in the ways they’re being used.

The end of the line?

Looking at advertising alone, the use of taglines would seem to be in decline. Kantar research reports that 66% of TV ads end with one, down from 74% 10 years ago. And the number is lower (52%) when considering digital or out-of-home advertising.

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