What makes a great strap line?
I was recently researching UK companies which have gone from “Good to Great” and, inevitably perhaps, kept coming back to Tesco as possibly the best example of a UK business that has managed to make this huge leap. Their continuous innovation is well documented but perhaps their defining moment came in 1992 when they launched the “Every Little Helps” (ELH) campaign. For me this is the best strap line of any business in the UK for several reasons:
- Longevity. Many companies make the mistake of changing their strap line annually, or even more frequently, and yet the purpose of a strap line I believe is to underpin all other communications and therefore it should have the potential to run for the life of a business. Tesco have stuck with ‘ELH’ for 14 years and it’s as fresh and compelling an idea today as it was initially.
- Limitless. A great strap line works across all business activities – including those not yet conceived. This I know is very difficult, “how on earth do we know it will work on business sectors we’ve yet to imagine?” I can hear you ask but with ‘ELH’ Tesco have managed to create something that is totally customer centric and perhaps this is the answer.
- Rallying Call. The best strap lines motivate internally as much if not more than motivating customers. It is quite apparent that the culture of Tesco is based on ‘ELH’ as it emphasises that everything the company does, from new products to customer service, can be improved and delivered more effectively and requires everyone in the company to seek out new ways of delighting the customer – profitably.
- Big and Small. ‘ELH’ applies equally to big initiatives such as the pioneering loyalty card as it does to little details such as opening extra check out aisles in busy periods or parent and child reserved parking. This I particularly like as Tesco use ‘ELH’ when describing their big ideas under a label of “little” which subconsciously perhaps causes people to think “wow and that’s a little idea – I wonder what the big ones must be?”
- Neither modest nor boasting. For me, the worst strap lines are not those which have no obvious relevance to the customer - the ones I despise are the self proclaiming “we’re the best” kind which just smack of arrogance. Some might argue that Hertz have used “No.1” very successfully for many years however I much prefer Avis “We try harder” as, in my experience, they do! Avis have a clear understanding of the need to involve both their customers and their own teams to find new ways of “working harder” as is currently demonstrated by their excellent “Inspired” campaign – visit www.avisinspired.com to see what I mean. I’m convinced that the “we try harder” message underpins Avis being named the 60th best company in the 2006 Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work for Awards. As in 2005 as well, Avis is the only car rental company to appear on this prestigious list.
- Criticism free. A good test for a strap line is to imagine a disgruntled customer quoting it within their letter of complaint. All too often companies leave themselves wide open by making totally unrealistic claims, particularly with their strap lines, which come back to haunt them when they fail to live up to their promises. Both ‘ELH’ and “we try harder” pass this test as they suggest a statement of intent rather than a claim of achievement.
- Common Language. You know your strap line is a good one when it gets used in different contexts, for example Nike’s “just do it” is now a commonly used term throughout business, sport and life generally. However when you think about it “just do it” was a much-used phrase before Nike adopted it and the same can also be said of ‘ELH’ and “we try harder” too. If I was helping a client to develop a strap line I’d start by looking at everyday expressions and see if there’s one we could turn into their own.
I might run the risk here of seeming to suggest that a strap line has a disproportionate value for a business and would like to emphasise that I don’t think they are necessary at all – many successful companies don’t have one - however they can be a very powerful communications asset so long as they meet the criteria I’ve highlighted.
Peter Knight is chairman of Phoenix, a communications agency, and author of the best-selling ‘HEMP: Highly Effective Marketing Plans’. If you run a real business and have come up with a stunning marketing plan, or you want help to create one, Peter would love to hear from you at pk@phoenixplc.com
