(By Lisa Thal) Radio is a proven megaphone for word-of-mouth advertising! Every day you meet with businesses to discuss how to help them connect to their consumers using your powerful medium. How do you succeed at this? By creating simple and memorable marketing campaigns with emotion. The more memorable you can make a business in the consumer’s mind, the more memorable you will become to your client.
I thought it would be interesting to compare the marketing of presidential campaigns to that of other organizations. What I discovered was the campaign slogans that connected with voters were similar to successful businesses’ most memorable marketing campaigns. The message was simple to remember, yet it emotionally inspired voters to take action. It positioned candidates’ political brand and appeared to give the candidates a competitive advantage in winning share of mind among voters, all the while uniting supporters. In most cases, these memorable campaign slogans propelled the candidates to the White House.
Below are a few examples of presidential campaigns and the phrases that fueled them.
“Happy Days Are Here Again” — In the 1932 presidential campaign, the United States was in the throes of the Great Depression. Democratic challenger Franklin D. Roosevelt won his way to the White House by promising his version of hope and change to the electorate.
“I Like Ike” — During the 1952 presidential campaign, millions of Americans “liked” World War II hero and Republican nominee Dwight Eisenhower. Not only was Ike’s slogan both simple and cheerful, resonating with the times, it had the added advantage of fitting easily on campaign buttons and bumper stickers.
“We Can Do Better” — In the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy promoted a time for greatness with this slogan. He capitalized on how the public was feeling and offered a solution to improve their lives.
More recently, a pivotal moment came with Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” campaign chant in 2008, followed by his slogan “Change We Can Believe In.”
And finally, one of the presidential campaign slogans that’s likely freshest in your mind was President Trump’s 2016 slogan “Make America Great Again.”
These emotionally charged campaign slogans made candidates more memorable! Similarly, business marketing campaigns aim to sell a product or service by making the brand more memorable. A great motto needs only a few words to do just that. And with the right words, it can tap into one of the many forces that motivate customers: curiosity, hope, fear, happiness, etc. Once you have a message that resonates with your target audience, you’ll not only have a memorable tagline to use in all your advertising materials, you’ll have a catchphrase that will keep your brand name in the hearts and minds of customers for years to come. Keep in mind that people tend to buy emotionally, then back it up with logic.
Here are a few great examples of how businesses used this approach to grow sales.
“Where’s the Beef?” — This marketing campaign created for Wendy’s captured the frustration of every fast food patron in the 1980s. Although this tagline was intended to make fun of competitors’ beef-lacking burgers, the catchphrase rapidly became a symbol for everything lacking in substance and quality. While the campaign ran for only a few years, the wildly popular slogan endured and took on a life of its own.
“Just Do It” — In 1988, a struggling sportswear company, Nike, introduced this memorable line into its advertising and soon catapulted itself to the top. This bold statement created an attitude and captured the defiant and determined mentality fitness enthusiasts and sports stars aspire to. “Just Do It” is a no-nonsense call to action that inspires and encourages athletes to work harder.
“Got Milk?” — This ad campaign debuted in 1993 as a message from the California Milk Processor Board to encourage people to drink more milk. This campaign demonstrated the power of straightforward words that are easy for consumers to remember. It also demonstrated the art of beautiful celebrities sporting hilarious milk mustaches to get people to believe that milk “does a body good.”
The best campaigns and advertising slogans are memorable and they fit with the times. What is exciting is that you and your company have the opportunity to create this for yourselves! Ask yourself what you need to do to become more memorable in your consumer’s mind. How can you become more emotionally connected to your current and new customers? Which slogan best positions you versus your competition? Keep it simple, with words of inspiration or motivation that can make the difference in your having an outstanding year!
For more ideas on how to use just three words for your next meeting or presentation, I invite you to visit www.threewordmeetings.com.
Lisa Thal is the general sales manager for Hubbard Interactive Cincinnati. She’s also the author of Three Word Meetings: A Simple Strategy to Engage, Inspire and Empower Your Team. Get it on Amazon.com.
