Brainstorming to Write an Effective Tag Line- Satisfy Business Objectives and Target Audiences in One Slogan

The first thing is to make a few helpful lists as a jumping off point. These will be invaluable later when checking whether the tag lines created in the brainstorming process will actually work.

Objectives

What does the advertising need to accomplish? Is this a new business that needs to tell the public what it is and what it does? Does it want to expand the current target market, or appeal to new ones? Does the business need to create a specific image in the public mind — or correct a mistaken image that some people may have? What questions do the target audiences most likely have about the business?

Answer those questions on paper. Write everything down, no matter how simple or obvious it may seem.

Target Audiences

It is easy to think of your target audiences as amorphous groups of people with no particular characteristics — but this is a mistake. Most businesses have typical customers. They may be in different age groups or income levels, the two or three groups that are most typical may not even have much in common. But it helps to try to describe each major target group as though they were, instead, a single individual. It is easier to create an ad when thinking of a specific individual with particular wants and needs than to simply aim at a description like “male, 45–55, college educated, good discretionary spending. Perhaps there is a particular patron who typifies each group. Describe him or her.

For instance, a typical customer for a caterer may be an affluent businessman about 48 years old, with a working spouse. Both have college degrees. She enjoys cooking and experimenting with new recipes when she has time. He complains that most catered business affairs have a boring similarity in menus. He wants something that will show his clients some sophistication and ingenuity. Because this couple is heavily involved both in their careers and community affairs they sometimes hire a caterer even for smaller dinner parties.

What does this tell the caterer about what his advertising needs to communicate, and what image it needs to convey? A lot.

Describe the business’s two or three most prominent target audiences in similar terms. Look at what this says about what your ads must accomplish. Compare this to your objectives and then refine those objectives.

The Brainstorming Process

Once the business objectives ad target audiences are firmly in mind, the fun begins. Here are several approaches to kick things off. Remember — write every idea down no matter how far fetched it may seem. Often the silliest ideas spark the most solid tag line inspirations.

• Try Alliteration. Our caterer could try something like “Food from the foreign to the familiar.” Don’t go wild here — a little alliteration goes a long way, but it can be catchy. Don’t fall in love with it unless it meets your campaign objectives. If that fails, move on to another technique.
• Associate with an Image. If the business needs to convey elegance, what images call that to mind? Caviar, champagne, cordon bleu, Epicurius, etc. may be a list the caterer might generate. If nothing strikes a chord, try coming up with terms that describe what is currently trendy. Cajun, Creole, arugula, Tex-Mex, etc. Try a pairing from the first and second list — Catering from Cajun to Cordon Bleu. A little alliteration, a suggestion that the menu is varied and sophisticated yet trendy — it pretty well meets the business objectives and may be a keeper. Maybe.
• Get Out the Thesaurus. Try out synonyms. Look at the target audience profile. What words might be used to describe the audiences? This might include finicky, picky, gourmet, sophisticated, social, etc. And what do these finicky gourmets want? Based on the profile, they want food that is out of the ordinary. Creative cuisine. Now turn that into a promise to the customers. Creative cuisine for whom? Gourmets? Perhaps, but the word is overused and probably something most of the competition in already claiming. How about sophisticates? How about a synonym for finicky — particular. Creative cuisine for particular people? Now the tag line makes a promise, and singles out the target audience.
• Refine Some More. However the tag might be too limiting, almost like a restaurant ad rather than a caterer equipped to handle large parties. So refine some more. Creative cuisine for your most particular parties” covers all the bases.
  Although only one example has been used here, it merely illustrates how things can work with any small business seeking to create an image and tag line suited to its business objectives. It may be tempting to skip a step or two — but going through this entire exercise can pay big dividends in both creativity and effectiveness