Who can’t relate to the Nike tagline, Just Do It?, Apple’s Think Different or McDonald’s, I’m Loving It? These iconic brands developed taglines that are memorable and influential.
In the advertising community, taglines appear to be slightly controversial today. Some people say they are on their way to obsolescence. Others opine that a great tagline used appropriately is the single most effective way to clearly and concisely communicate a brand’s message or even revive a tired, worn-out brand.
A tagline is a differentiating, short and succinct message that is optimally less than 7 words and can be used in conjunction with the logo to communicate one strong and powerful brand message. To be most effective, it has to be unique to the company and must resonate with the target audience. Optimally, the tagline should communicate something very special about the company or entity and why someone would want to choose your company over the competition.
There has been no shortage of airline and car rental taglines throughout the years. Some were truly great and memorable, but a good many of them were ineffective or just plain boring. Remember the early Pan Am slogan, World's Most Experienced Airline or British Airways’ World’s Favourite Airline, and now British Airways. To Fly. To Serve., or Avis’ We Try Harder?
To see a comprehensive list of airline slogans and taglines from the past, click here. Interestingly, on this same site, there were only three international airport taglines or slogans listed:
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport: Above us only sky.
- Munich Airport. Service Nonstop.
- Singapore Changi Airport: Enjoy The Experience.
If great taglines can be useful and effective for major brands, what role can they play for airports today? In addressing this question, I focused my research mainly on North American airports to learn whether they were currently using taglines or slogans, and if so, whether the taglines were engaging and supported the brand image of the airport.
While personal impressions and reactions often differ, you may find some of these questions helpful when evaluating the quality and effectiveness of taglines, which are everywhere in today’s cluttered media environment.
1) Is it original?
2) Is it creative?
3) Is it memorable?
4) Does it communicate a key benefit?
5) Does it create a positive feeling or reaction?
6) Is it strategic?
7) Is it trendy or catchy?
I've include images of some of my favorite airport taglines.
All my favorites appear to have one main element in common. They are very short and direct (between three and five words at most) and they communicate one main differentiating benefit in an engaging way. San Diego International Airport’s positioning is clever, allowing it to stand out from the competition, demonstrating a confidence that they get what passengers want when traveling through their airport.
It was definitely interesting to note that some airports are using taglines and slogans very effectively in their ongoing branding efforts. I’m sure you’ll come across many more and I welcome your thoughts, reactions and opinions on ones you feel are great and why and I will include them in my next column. With your input, we can develop a comprehensive list of airport taglines and slogans that can be used for future reference.
Agnes Huff, PhD, has more than 25 years of experience providing specialized strategic public relations and marketing, crisis management and business consulting to a diverse group of clients in the aviation industry. In 1995, she founded Agnes Huff Communications Group (AHCG) an integrated marketing and PR consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles. Clients include national and international airports and airlines, government entities, travel and tourism organizations, and transportation companies, among other high-profile industry clients. She welcomes feedback and will respond to comments at [email protected]. More information on AHCG is available at www.ahuffgroup.com.
