“Good to the last drop.” We’ve all heard it, or read it, many times in our lives. But did you know that these five little words have been Maxwell House’s slogan for more than 90 years? Which begs the question, what’s required if you’re going to create a slogan that your audience will remember?

The basic rules of marketing tell us that a slogan is one of the most public pieces of a brand’s positioning. Because of this, a slogan needs to stand for something with a little higher purpose – For instance, Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” has spoken to athletes the world over for nearly 20 years. Why? Because, deep-down, it gives us all permission to go for it rather than think about it.

Unfortunately, the majority of slogans will not stand the test of time. For years, companies like McDonald’s, Allstate and FedEx have tinkered with their slogans over and over again as their audiences and industries changed. Ultimately, a brand’s slogan and subsequent positioning need to tap into the motivations and desires of the target audience and grow as they grow while not promising more than you’re able to deliver. Otherwise, you’re missing the point.

Once you’ve established a slogan though, it can be difficult to replace it even if circumstances change. In Maxwell House’s case, several attempts to update the slogan were unsuccessful and the company continued to go back to the original “Good to the last drop.” In the end, slogan-writing isn’t an exact science. The science of the slogan is more like trial and error with a little bit of strategy mixed in and once you find those golden words, don’t mess with perfection.

Early last year Tropicana unveiled their new brand identity. It was greeted with a fiery outburst that was something akin to how being caught in a solar flare would feel. People were furious for two reasons. First, Tropicana ditched the classic straw-stuck-in-the-orange icon (because getting rid of your most recognizable brand feature is always a good idea, right guys? Guys?). Second, the design Tropicana did go with looked like a generic store brand.

Within a month Tropicana’s market share had dropped 25% and they reverted back to their classic brand look. Well Tropicana is at it again and this time they took a different route. Instead of redoing their whole look (breathe easy, the straw skewered orange is still present), they decided to just rip off Simple Brand.

Classy right? Natural and fresh are the big buzzwords of the grocery world and Tropicana wants a piece of that taco. What better way to get there than try to look like the most recognizable orange juice brand that already has “natural” and “fresh” as part of its brand recognition. My favorite part: Tropicana has a whole section on their website assuring people that the new bottle is good and that the orange and straw aren’t going anywhere. It reads, in not so many words, “We get it, you like the straw, happy? HAPPY?! Please don’t freak out again…” For Tropicana’s sake, I hope the new bottle does well. Personally, I’m sticking with straight gin as my morning beverage.

You’ll probably recognize this commercial from the 2011 Super Bowl. It is Chrysler’s “Born On Fire” ad, you know, the one where Eminem doesn’t smile. I won’t get too deep into the merits of it as a commercial, but there is a good advertising lesson in it.

At it’s roots, this ad is a quintessential North American car maker commercial: it’s patriotic. American car makers have been appealing to our sense of patriotism and love for the mother land since, well, forever. Yet while Chrysler used this same tactic, they twisted and turned the method to work for their brand. Instead of the red, white, and blue fanfare of other car commercials, Chrysler pulled at its roots. “Imported from Detroit” is dirty and bruised; it draws out an emotion in all of us. You get that feel of an underdog story, you hear that redemption song, and as Americans, we love nothing more than the little guy stickin’ it to the man (I mean, they did make 6 Rocky films). With the hell and back story of Detroit, Chrysler nailed this commercial and gave goosebumps to the down-but-not-out fighter in all of us.

Chrysler shows us there is nothing wrong with using tried and true ideas. Finding a fresh angle or voice for that accepted idea can be huge for making your brand stand out. So what are you waiting for? Take those tactics in your tool belt and make ‘em new and exciting. Go on… add a bit of flair.

I realized something while watching a car commercial over the weekend. The commercial was for the Hyundai Genesis – the brand’s “luxury” addition to its product line. My husband gave Hyundai credit for producing a car that might compete in the luxury market. But all I could think about was how I would never be caught DEAD driving that car. That is when it hit me: I am a brandist. And a severe one to boot.

Sorry, Genesis. You Aren’t Fooling Me!

To me, the Genesis is a “luxury” car from a cheap car brand – a brand that has always been loaded with inexpensive options. Luxury brands are different: Even a base model BMW counts as a luxury option. When I voiced this opinion to my husband, he called me an elitist and teased me for being such a snob. He said that I couldn’t look past the brand name to see that the product might actually be impressive. And while I may not be able to afford a luxury vehicle like a BMW, I’d still rather drive my Honda Civic than be seen driving the Hyundai Genesis.

Perhaps my husband is right, but I wouldn’t call myself an elitist. Brandist is a better term. I can’t help it; maybe I am a product of my generation or of good marketing. I love Coach, BCBG, Mac, Steve Madden and Christian Dior. I identify with these brands and what they represent. Their branding voice holds weight in my mind when I am looking to buy something. But on the car debate, I call shenanigans. To me, anything Hyundai is not luxurious.

It’s Hyundai’s Own Fault!

When they first came on the American scene, the company clearly branded Hyundai as cheap reliable cars. For years they’ve used price and their 100,000 mile warranty as brand and ad messages. The company voice was strong and truly represented their product. It’s not a wonder that’s what Hyundai has always been in my mind: cheap cars. How am I supposed to be suddenly open to the idea of a luxury car from the brand? That’s not who they are, or at least that’s not what they’ve been telling ME all these years.

The lesson here?

Brand power is no joke. Although Hyundai’s products may have improved over the years, their original messaging was so strong and true to their original offering, it has become difficult for them to break their own brand image. The key is to truly know your target audience. Create a brand that they can identify with. Create a brand with longevity. If you do that, you’ve got the potential to create brand loyalty, and that, my friends, is all you can ever ask for.

A friend of mine once said that advertising doesn’t work. That he’s never bought something because of an ad. I then asked him what mobile phone service he uses and he replied, Verizon Wireless. He went on to say that he had to sign up for Verizon because he travels all over the country and needs to have a good signal. I laughed to myself and thought of the tagline: “It’s the network.”

Many people see a commercial, but don’t rush out to buy the product. Unfortunately for us ad folk, consumers see our ads but don’t act on it as quickly as we’d like. When they finally do act on it, they usually don’t even know why.

My conversation with my friend was quite funny to me. How many products do you think you have bought because of some aspect of marketing? You probably won’t be able to name many. Take a look in your cabinets and closets and see how many store brands you see. Probably not many. You’ll see mostly brand names everywhere you look. But why? Have you ever tasted Safeway store brand mac and cheese? It’s awesome. But you bought Kraft.

There’s no mistaking the power of building a top of mind brand. Even if you won’t admit it.