The interview by Guy Raz on NPR’s How I Built This with the founders of LIFE IS GOOD®, was a powerful lesson in how vital it is for emotional connections through taglines and brand names. The stronger the emotional connection, the higher the chance for success.
In the case of Bert and John Jacobs, they sold T-Shirts out of their van on college campuses for years along the east coast. They both loved to draw and enjoyed the odd little business they built together. With great humility, they admit to being average businessmen at best.
But when they stumbled upon the phrase LIFE IS GOOD, that is when life became good. Really good.
Frequently, the brothers would gather friends in their apartment to help them pick their favorite drawings that should become the next round of t-shirts. Usually, they just had pictures without any words. One day, they added a phrase out of the blue.
Pictures & Words
The picture in question had a stick figure with a beret, and the phrase Life Is Good.
Most of their friends responded to that designed with several commenting on how much they like the attitude of the character and the phrase resonated with them. Life is good.
The brothers named the character Jake and printed up forty-eight t-shirts and took it to another street festival to see the crowd’s reaction. They didn’t have any expectations of what would happen next but were shocked by the results.
When all forty-eight shirts sold out in an hour at a Boston street fair, they saw how powerful this little phrase could be for their business. Somehow, the character and the phrase struck an emotional connection with most people who saw it.
They came up with new designs with their LIFE IS GOOD saying. Every shirt with this phrase would fly off their racks, and they realized that they had lightning in a bottle. They never expected that phrase to carry them so they could reach one-hundred million dollars in revenue.
Brand Names and Taglines
I do a lot of work with clients, reimagining brands and taglines. I understand how vital a visually attractive logo is and how a motto can help connect the dots.
One client I work with told me in our first meeting that when he shows people his business card with the company logo, no one knows what they do. Their logo was attractive, but by itself, it didn’t explain their business. He asked, do you think we need a tagline? Yep.
A tagline helps an observer connect with the essence of a brand. It can even help on a more practical level to explain what the company does for customers. When the tagline taps into emotional, that’s where the magic happens.
Both brand names and taglines have shared roles in communications. The brand name and logo can convey a feeling, an emotion, and use visual cues to create connections. The tagline gives you a hook that allows you to make the message even more apparent. Sometimes taglines are used for a few years and dropped when the logo and brand pick up secondary meaning in the market place.
For The Marketing Sage, I use the simple tagline: Seasoned Advice. That’s what I sell and, it plays on the word sage (wisdom through experience) and my years of experience. It also has a personal story related to the sage herb and my daughters.
One of my favorite taglines is, for HINT, a flavored water brand. The motto is mouthwatering, water. Simple, evocative and emotionally connect. It tells their story of delicious tasting water.
Here are a few examples of how the tagline helps to explain the business and often, with wit, whimsy, and wonder. The Apple Mac is pure genius because it both describes a core attribute (light) and it’s advanced technology (light years ahead). By using a period between light and years, it’s a tagline that shows the brilliance of Apple’s marketing team.
Tagline Examples
MailChimp. Send Better Emails.
Lyft: Rides in Minutes
Dollar Shave Club: A great shave for a few bucks per month
Bitly: Shorten, share, measure.
Apple Mac Book: Light. Years Ahead.
Vimeo: Make Life Worth Watching
The Ladders: Move UP in your career
Pinterest: A few (million) of your favorite things
Square: Start selling today
Evernote: Remember Everything
Skype: Keeps the world talking for free. Share, message, and call.
Spotify: Soundtrack for your life.
Plated: Open the door to a new kind of dinner
Beyond T-Shirts
Today the phrase LIFE IS GOOD is on 900 products in 14 categories. But at the essence, what the brand conveys is a feeling that allows someone to be in the moment, and realize that in fact, life is good. I can remember seeing their t-shirt in a retailer many years ago and bought one. I am not a shopper, I don’t buy a lot of things for myself, but I liked how the shirt made me feel. That’s a connection.
Three words. One hundred million dollars in revenue.
Life is Good are three powerful words when combined. Branding with words and images allows a product or service to go from commodity to something special of great value. Does your logo explain your brand emotionally and energetically? Can someone look at your logo or business card and understand what you do?
How succinctly are you telling your story?
Does your business need a marketing coach, guide or sherpa? Are you generating enough leads? Is your marketing underperforming? I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com Let’s explore working together today.
Photo and logo courtesy of Life is Good, all rights reserved.
