Slogans and Tag Lines

     Web site authorities say you must capture your viewer's attention in 5 seconds or less (so if it takes more than five seconds for your page to load, you're probably wondering why your computer is so slow - rather than why your Web site has so many large pictures).  Radio must capture a subject's attention in five seconds or less, which one of the key cruxes of music production and commercial advertising creation.

     Continuing the analogy to fishing that we've been doing for the past couple of weeks (after all, you are a "school"), your school's slogan might be considered the "bait" for your CREATIVE hook.  It's that memorable message that says what your school is in seven words or less.

     McDonald's seems to be one company that comes up with memorable slogans:

• Look for the Golden Arches
• McDonald's is your kind of place
• You deserve a break today
• We do it all for you
• "Two all beef...(you get the idea)
• Food, folks and fun
• I'm lovin' it

     And notice they do change quite frequently - whether or not the mission and/or vision changes.  Yes, your school's mission might change.  It all depends on what your vision for your school is.  If your vision remains constant, your mission may change; if the vision changes, your mission may change.  If your mission remains constant, then your vision may have to change.  Those are topics, however, that you can find elsewhere within these Marketing Matters.  Slogans will always change - just because you need to change your bait to keep it fresh.

     There are important differences among a "hook," a tag line and a slogan.  A hook is what grabs your attention right off the bat; a tag line is the summative statement you want people to remember after you've captured their attention and they've stayed with what followed.  It's the tag line that reinforces the image of your school after a message has been presented.

     Songs used to have tag lines.  Shakespeare even had tag lines - the "couplet" at the end of his sonnets.  A slogan, however, can stand on its own.  A slogan might make a good tag line (to reinforce a message), but a tag line may not be a good slogan (since it may simply summarize what was presented, and not reinforce the overall message of your school).

     Can you distill your school's mission and vision into seven words or less?  Sometimes it's OK to have more than seven, but seven is usually the magic maximum.  Most organizations can't - which is why they bring in professional assistance to help with such things.  It's also something that you might think you don't have time for at your school, since there are parent meetings, board meetings, pastoral meetings, and special event meetings, not mention all the things that go into what you're supposed to be doing during the day - teaching.  This is also why professional assistance is brought in.  Sometimes the "operational" side of things is so stretched that there's not enough time nor energy for the "capital" things that have to occur.  You might also think it's wasteful to spend time, talent and treasure on something as superficial as a slogan when there are "real" needs for the classroom - like technology, texts and teacher salaries.

     But if you want kids in your school, you have to make some kind of time for it.

     The slogan you develop also must be made known.  It must appear on flyers, forms, announcements, the Web site - ANYTHING that comes from the school.  It reminds me of a school that had achievement scored that were not only above the national norms, but surpassed every other school in their area of influence.  Guess where those results were published - in a file cabinet, because the administration believed that to make a big deal about those scores would be boastful, and that school teaches humility as one of its values.  It walked its talk - to the point that it no longer exists.  Perhaps they could have kept their scores a secret, yet had a powerful slogan that alluded to their students' achievements - something like, "Academic excellence on a foundation of faith."

     Such exposure means that the slogan must be a good slogan.  If a school comes up with a good slogan and then doesn't use it, it creates the same problem as a school that comes up with a poor slogan and makes widespread use of it.

     Here's why - your slogan becomes associated with your school's "brand."  When you hear the words, "I'm lovin' it" today, the image of McDonald's comes to mind.  In fact, when you hear ANY of those slogans listed above, the image of McDonald's comes to mind.  The more slogans, the more images in people's minds, which continuously reinforces the brand.  If you don't put the time and the effort into an effective slogan, the community will only come to know your school by hearing the name of your school, but then not be able to associate that name with any words that evoke an emotion to reinforce your school's brand. A quick example:

     "St. Joseph High School" - now, if that's all you hear, what does that tell you about the school?  It's a high school under the patronage of St. Joseph.  Maybe it's associated with St. Joseph Parish, but maybe there are other schools that have merged to create this school.  Maybe they teach classes in carpentry - but if it's a Catholic High School, Woodshop isn't necessarily a class option.  Notice all the "maybes" there.

     Now, let's try this...

     "Service, Justice, Honor, Scholarship - St. Joseph High School"  - You've just linked four words that evoke imagery and create an emotional response to your school's name.  You've further solidified the brand by liking those aspects of the school with letters that are associated with the letters in St. Joseph High School.  This way, any time anyone hears "St. Joseph High School," they think "Service, Justice, Honor, Scholarship," and vice-versa.  Moreover, seeing the letters "SJHS" associates both the school AND the four attributes.

     Slogans reinforce your school's brand.  How important is your brand?  If you don't have a brand, you become a commodity, and if you're a commodity, low price wins....and that's not the best of scenarios for tuition-charging institutions.

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2009 (Original Publication Date: 20090921)

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