2. The Strap
What is it?
A summation of what the brand stands for
Ideally, in 5 words or less
3. The Strap
It plants the key message about the
brand/product in people’s minds
If you remember one thing about us, remember
this.
4. The Strap
It’s what we stand for, above all else.
It’s an encapsulation of the all-motivating
message about our brand.
5. The Strap
Why are they difficult?
Because they sit with the logo – and are there
on everything.
They will appear on every single piece of
communication, every time the logo is used
7. The Strap
Relax
You don’t always need one.
Most brands you work on will on already
have a line.
8. The Strap
If there is already a line, make sure you stay
true to the tone and spirit of it when you
write headlines and come up with concepts.
The strapline will give you a big clue to the
attitude and language of the brand.
9. The Strap
Ronseal
Does exactly what it says on the tin
Straight talking – no messing. Don’t fanny about.
Say it in simple English
10. The Strap
BMW
The ultimate driving machine.
Serious about cars and engineering.
Knowledgeable. For people who know the
difference.
11. The Strap
Are you a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut case?
Light – off the wall, humorous and a bit
irreverent.
12. The Strap
Commercial Union
We won’t make a drama out of a crisis
Understanding, calm and helpful.
13. The Strap
Let the strapline guide how you write.
Understand the positioning and the tone of
voice.
As a rule, don’t be funny for a serious brand –
don’t be dry and serious for a fun brand.
14. The Strap
Sometimes you won’t need a strapline that has
to live with the brand forever
Instead you will need a campaign line –
something that underpins a particular
message, but isn’t a statement the brand
wants to live with for years on end
28. The Strap
There is less pressure on a campaign line – it
communicates the particular message the
client wants to communicate now
Not something they want to live with forever
So -might be a price campaign for VW example
29.
30.
31. The Strap
VW don’t want to be known just for their
prices...
But that’s what this campaign is about...
And the line will change for the next message.
32. The Strap
But if you do have to write a
strap,
where do you start?
33. The Strap
By being absolutely clear what the single most
important proposition is.
And that means one thing.
A strapline gives one clear message – not two or
three
34. The Strap
Are we about value?
Are we about ease?
Are we about heritage?
Are we about taste?
Are we about quality?
Or... what else are we about?
35. The Strap
Don’t sit for hours trying to write the
perfect line
Waiting until you have the strapline exactly
right before you start doing ads will hold you
back - massively
36. The Strap
Write the single most important proposition
down in long hand
Once you have agreed on that, you can start
thinking about ads
Refining the thought into the perfect strapline
can come later
37. The Strap
No-one writes the perfect strapline in one go,
straight off the top of their head
If you do ever get a great line early on – great.
But interrogate it – write lots more to prove
it’s the best.
But keep a note of everything you think of –
and always check that each one says what you
wrote in your proposition – and nothing else.
If they don’t, chuck ‘em out.
38. The Strap
You don’t always have to try too hard to be clever
Try simply saying it like it is....
Overly clever, too punning or clunky rhyming lines
immediately looked forced and clumsy
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use rhyme,
alliteration etc. and any tools at the writer’s
disposal that will help make the line memorable.
Aim for elegance
39. The Strap
You only have a few words to play with
And the key word is play
Try various permutations of words and analyse
their subtle differences until you find a phrase
with a rhythm that clicks
40. The Strap
Start with lists – of all the things you know that
are pertinent to the message
Don’t try and force them into lines - just write
them down
Tesco’s need to compete in a market that
demands value – where cheapness is a virtue
But – you don’t want to appear cheap and nasty
and down market...
41. The Strap
What do we know to put in our list?
Everything we do is about offering you value... and
some products are really cheap... we constantly
have offers on all sorts of things... It’s not just
the big stuff, we offer deals out on the little
things too... We’re always thinking of ways to
help you save money... we understand your
needs – we care about you, and want to help...
42. The Strap
Everything we do is about offering you value...
and some products are really cheap... we
constantly have offers on all sorts of things...
It’s not just the big stuff, we offer deals on
the little things too... We’re always thinking
of ways to help you save money... Because
we understand your needs – we care about
you, and want to help...
43. The Strap
Every Little Helps
- Avoids being cheap by being colloquial
- It says more than cheap, and more than value
- It’s less pompous than ‘Good food costs less at
Sainsbury’s
- So it fits the brand tone of voice
- Friendly and on your side – the customers
friend
44. The Strap
You won’t find it that quickly – but you won’t
find it by waiting for the perfect line to pop
into your head
You have to play – you have to experiment
You have to try all the variations until one fits
45. The Strap
Tesco home delivery
What do we know?
Home page, you, order, online, basket, mouse,
click, trolley, shop, shopping, shopping list,
online, net, bags, meals, window shopping, keep
shop, shop around, talk shop, buy, food,
groceries and so on...
46. The Strap
And...
Door, armchair, home, delivery, doorstep,
deliver, drop, drop-off, knock, knock, easy,
convenient, save time, mat, path, house,
wheels, van, relax, bags, simple, shopping
and so on... and on...
47. The Strap
Then you fiddle about a bit.... And try to marry
words together into a phrase you can own.
Write down all the bad ones, until you find a good
one...
Let one line spark the next thought... They kick each
other off and move the thought on a bit...
Never be afraid to go a bit off-piste – you can
always come back, and it may trigger a fresh line
of thought
48. The Strap
You may end up with some pretty dodgy ones....
You may end up with some that are OK, ish...
(And I nicked these from some copywriter’s blog
– Thanks Jamie Hudson....)
49. The Strap
Click, click, knock, knock.
Tesco home delivery
Meals on wheels
Tesco home delivery
Bags more convenient
Tesco home delivery
50. The Strap
We deliver
Tesco home delivery
Get your Friday nights back
Tesco home delivery
From mouse mat to door mat
Tesco home delivery
51. The Strap
All the groceries. None of the grief.
Tesco home delivery
From our home page to your home
Tesco home delivery
Delicious. Delectable. Delivered.
Tesco home delivery
52. The Strap
If you’re particularly clever, and work hard
enough at it, you might end up with...
Tesco home delivery.
You shop. We drop.
53. The Strap
On your journey, try to make your strapline...
Relevant
Honest
Short
In the right tone of voice for the client &
audience
... but above all memorable.
...and have fun getting there
