The StrapIdeal for Spanking

The Strap

What is it?

A summation of what the brand stands for

Ideally, in 5 words or less

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It plants the key message about the brand/product in people’s minds

If you remember one thing about us, remember this.

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It’s what we stand for, above all else.

It’s an encapsulation of the all-motivating message about our brand.

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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

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So – no pressure then.

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Relax

You don’t always need one.Most brands you work on will on already

have a line.

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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.

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Ronseal Does exactly what it says on the tin

Straight talking – no messing. Don’t fanny about.Say it in simple English

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BMWThe ultimate driving machine.

Serious about cars and engineering. Knowledgeable. For people who know the

difference.

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Are you a Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut case?

Light – off the wall, humorous and a bit irreverent.

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Commercial UnionWe won’t make a drama out of a crisis

Understanding, calm and helpful.

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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.

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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

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Campaign lines won’t usually be welded to the logo

They will sit somewhere else

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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

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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.

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But if you do have to write a strap,

where do you start?

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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.

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You don’t always have to try too hard to be cleverTry 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

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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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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

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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

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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...

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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...

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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

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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....)

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Click, click, knock, knock.Tesco home delivery

Meals on wheels Tesco home delivery

Bags more convenient Tesco home delivery

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We deliver Tesco home delivery

Get your Friday nights back Tesco home delivery

From mouse mat to door mat Tesco home delivery

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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

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If you’re particularly clever, and work hard enough at it, you might end up with...

Tesco home delivery.You shop. We drop.

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On your journey, try to make your strapline...RelevantHonestShort

In the right tone of voice for the client & audience

... but above all memorable....and have fun getting there