Page 113 - Duct Tape Marketing

97Chapter 7: Establishing Your Position and Brand

Tag lines translate a company’s positioning statement into a marketing
phrase meant to serve as a customer magnet. Following is how the For
Dummies brand might be summarized in a positioning statement, and how
the brand is presented in its trademarked tag line.

Positioning statement: For Dummies business and general reference books are
lighthearted but not lightweight survival guides that demystify confusing or
intimidating topics and give readers everything they need to know without
making it seem like a big deal.

Tag line: A Reference for the Rest of Us!

Good tag lines have the following attributes:

ߜ They’re memorable.
ߜ They convey your brand image.
ߜ They present key customer benefits.
ߜ They differentiate your business from competitors.
ߜ They evoke a positive feeling.
ߜ They’re unique. For example, they won’t work when linked to a

competitor’s name.
ߜ They fit your branding strategy.
ߜ They don’t trigger sarcastic retorts.
ߜ They don’t sound like a corporate committee wrote them.

If you adopt a tag line, make it an official element in your marketing communi-
cations and use it with your logo on all printed materials. Here are some tips
on using your tag line:

ߜ Treat your tag line as part of your logo. Specify the type style and the
relationship between the size of your tag line and the size of your logo,
so that the slogan doesn’t overpower your symbol.

ߜ Include your tag line along with your logo in all printed presentations
except in e-mail, where your tag line will appear as the sole representa-
tive of your brand and position unless your program allows inclusion of
your logo. (The help function in your e-mail program will explain how to
create an e-mail signature.)