Taglines and slogans are the creative work of well-compensated advertising agencies that may chew up months of time and thousands of permutations developing a few simple words that are intended to express conscious and subconscious meaning that will resonate with consumers.
Entrepreneur.com’s Small Business Encyclopedia defines slogans as “a catchphrase or small group of words that are combined in a special way to identify a product or company.”
“While logos are visual representations of a brand, slogans are audible representations of a brand,” wrote growth marketer Anum Hussain on the HubSpot blog. “Both formats grab consumers' attention … if they remember nothing else from an advertisement, they'll remember the slogan.”
The Takeaway
Auto dealerships benefit from the support provided by manufacturers spending big bucks on taglines and a fleet of other promotional tools. Those efforts translate to increased sales for the dealership as well as the manufacturer, but there is another important takeaway: the criteria established by advertisers during the creation of “sticky” slogans also translate to the art of selling cars.
Specifically, the four characteristics needed to develop a great slogan as defined by HowStuffWorks-Money can be used by dealerships to create positive brand images that will increase floor traffic and sell more cars:
- It's memorable
- It imparts positive feelings about the brand
- It differentiates the brand
- It includes key benefits (see below for our grouping of benefits with features and advantages)
It’s Memorable
In his book, Make It Memorable, veteran NBC national correspondent Bob Dotson discusses the ins and outs of television journalism, including ways to create indelible images for the audience.
“Viewers relate to people rather than sound bites,” he wrote. “A strong central character helps them understand the story.” Similarly, dealerships would be well-served by only hiring strong central characters — i.e. employees with exceptional character and communications skills.
Mechanics and back office personnel rarely address the public, but greeters, service managers, salespeople, and F&I staff should be capable of reiterating the dealership’s elevator speech anytime, anywhere. “You aren’t ready to write a story until you can state your message in one sentence,” said Dotson.
It imparts positive feelings about the brand
Whatever message is selected by the dealership, it needs to conjure positive feelings for the brand among consumers. The goal is to create ethos and pathos, two of the primary forms of communication from Greek mythology that generate a sense of credibility and emotion, respectively. Consider, for example, Jane Doe Chevrolet, “Where the deals are always square.” Of course, the deals had better be square if you’re going to brag about it and put it up in lights both metaphorically and literally. In public relations, they call it “walking the talk.”
It differentiates the brand
At this juncture, you would be correct if you’ve deduced that each of the essential characteristics is interconnected and interdependent. Thus, if the message is memorable and imparts positive feelings, there is a huge possibility that it creates brand differentiation.
“Your differentiation is what you offer or do that sets you apart from other companies similar to you,” states Insight180.
Think about it. How would the public react to a dealership that separates itself from the competition by generating positive vibes in an industry much maligned for being … shall we say, “shady”?
Work that theme in everything the dealership touches — from tag lines, advertising, and printed materials to test drives, F&I closes, and social media.
It includes key benefits and advantages
Car salespeople have applied the “feature, benefit, and advantage” model of modern marketing to move stock for over a half-century. Often misunderstood, the process gains traction with a little imagination: a feature is a product or service that establishes a benefit and offers an advantage to the user and seller. For example, Volvo’s three-point seat belt (feature) was introduced in 1959 to improve safety (benefit) and reduce injury (an advantage to passengers as well as Volvo since it had the edge over its competition).
Similarly, the hypothetical positive brand image, “Where the deals are always square.” (feature), eliminates the need for customers to approach every dealership on auto row (benefit), thus saving time to engender an advantage for them as well as Jane Doe Chevrolet.
The square deal concept is certainly a lofty achievement, but perhaps something or someone already exists in your dealership that satisfies the four conditions. It could be your award-winning service department that stays open evenings and weekends, or your house policy of matching any deal offered in writing by the competition. Whatever it is — use it — and use it wisely and often as you discover an advantage that answers the question: “How will you make yours?”