On slogans

Art Business News, Jan, 2005 by Murray Raphel

The first glass of Coca-Cola was served on May 8, 1886, at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA, and sold for five cents. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a chemist, created the soft drink from a secret formula in a large kettle in his basement.

His sales during the first year were $50. His cost: $70. This was not exactly an auspicious start. Today, Coca-Cola products are consumed at the rate of more than 834 million drinks per any given day.

In the beginning, Pemberton used this slogan for his product: "Drink Coca-Cola."

In the years that followed, more than 60 different slogans were used. Were they any better, effective or influential in having someone buy Coca-Cola? Here are the changes made through the years: "The standard beverage," "The drink of quality," "Meet me at the soda fountain," "Don't wear a tired, thirsty face."

Changes in slogans can be timely and necessary, as expressed in the following, which was authored in 1911 by V.I. Lenin (yes, the same Lenin that founded the Russian Communist Party): "Too often has it happened that, when history has taken a sharp turn, even progressive parties have for some time, been unable to adapt themselves to the new situation and have repeated slogans formerly correct but now [without] meaning."

Fine. But why change a slogan when it has NOT "lost all meaning" (like Coke's 60-plus slogan changes) for a product that has prospered for 118 years?

Do any have the same effect and influence of the original? "Drink Coca-Cola" told you the name of the product and what to do with it.

Here's a basic definition of slogans from the book, "Creative Advertising," by Charles Whittier: "A slogan should be a statement of such merit about a product or service that is worthy of continuous repetitive advertising; is worthwhile for the public to remember; and is phrased in such a way that the public is likely to remember it."

If you can craft a slogan to accomplish this definition and use it often enough, you have a great addition to your gallery's marketing and advertising. In colonial days, a man was known by his profession. The common surname "Smith" came from a blacksmith. A weaver was "Weaver." A miller, "Miller." And if your father's name was John you were known as John's son, or as "Johnson."

But what about today? Despite the millions spent by major corporations on slogans, most people don't know which slogan belongs to what company.

A story in USA Today said, "Among the slogans for 22 of the nation's biggest marketers, only six were recognized by more than 10 percent of those surveyed."

There were three slogans that scored almost zero recognition: Circuit City's "We're with you," Kmart's "The stuff of life;" and Staples' "That was easy."

What separates a good slogan from a poor one? David Droga, worldwide executive creative director for the French ad agency Publicis, says slogans work best when they reflect "not only the soul of the brand, but the company itself and its reason for being in business." Contemporary catch phrases, he says, "just crumble in the dust."

OK, what does that mean? What should your slogan do for your gallery?

Here are 10 guidelines to consider when creating a slogan for your gallery.

1. Identification

A good slogan should include the name of your business: "Beans means Heinz" or "Tetley makes tea bags make tea."

I like the Schaefer beer slogan: "The one beer to have when you're having more than one." But I prefer Budweiser's: "When you've said Budweiser, you've said it all." Because ... you have.

Point to remember: Your competition is always watching and if you have a slogan that can be challenged--it will be.

New York Citibank used the slogan, "The Citi never sleeps," an extension of the expression of New York being a "City that never sleeps."

After running this ad for a period of time, the ad agency servicing Citibank was surprised one morning to see a competitive ad in the paper from Chase Manhattan with its new slogan: "We caught the Citi napping"--advertising their higher interest rate on savings.

2. Longevity

Too many businesses give up on their slogans too quickly. That may be just the time many see it for the first time. Maxwell House's slogan, "Good to the last drop" was first introduced (are you ready for this?) in 1915 and it's still going strong.

Not so in many other companies. Just when the audience starts to associate the slogan with the name, some senior executive says, "We've been using it too long. Let's change it," Then it takes another 10 years for people to remember the new slogan.

There is an apocryphal story of a senior executive at Pepsi-Cola many years ago who tired of the company's famous jingle they were using, memorized and sung by everyone: "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot, 12 full ounces, that's a lot."

He asked his account manager of his advertising agency, "How many people do you have working on my account?"

"Fifty six," said the agency representative.

"Fifty six!" said the executive, "What do they all do?"

"Well," answered the ad man, "One is working on new ideas for a new slogan. The other 55 are assigned to make sure you don't change the one you're using now."