• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, May 3, 2010

Normally, this column reports facts, figures and forecasts from published research from which discerning readers find a heads-up for the next meeting, support for a selected strategy, or an "... aha, I didn't know that." Today's Brief deviates slightly from its mission in that the "research" precipitating the discussion is admittedly semi-professional, partially anecdotal and somewhat limited. But it points in a direction that's not frequently discussed, and a recent article provides some insight into the subject matter.

Jim Morris, a writer and self-proclaimed specialist in taglines, authored an article recently published in AdWeek, that speaks to marketing brands and taglining in the digital age with "...potent, evocative, memorable and entertaining bursts of brand expression."

Jim starts his article with the fundamental facts of engaging customers by noting that "...the tagline seems to be taking a major hit..." supported by his survey searching that shows that only one-seventh of full-page ads in Forbes magazine in 2005 carried no taglines. By 2009, that percentage had grown to one-third. And in the April 2010 edition of Fast Company, fully half the ads were tagless. So much for the "data" part. And, rather than rewrite a writer, here's some elements of his presentation with a couple of links at the end to further explore, or challenge, the discipline.

While there have been tagline detractors for decades, writes Mr. Morris, from David Ogilvy to Luke Sullivan, tags have only recently started waning. The reasons are simple, but seldom acknowledged.

A generation and a half of relative inexperience. There are precious few copywriters left capable of teaching the discipline and, besides, no one's asking them to. As a result, taglines are losing their central role in developing ideas and defining brands. The more brands that opt to go without a tagline, the more it will become the norm.

Somewhat suppressed demand. Tagline assignments are dwindling, as is the quality of effort devoted to them. The more meaning that has to be jammed into fewer words, the bigger the challenge. The result is even more superficial taglines. As the quality of the taglines that clients are exposed to is degraded, demand is further eroded.

Brands vs Shiny Objects. The industry has shifted its gaze, taking its eye off the brand ball as it tracks the latest shiny objects. Now it's all about interactively engaging with customers using lots of words or, worse, just pictures transmitted via Web sites, blogs, viral videos, social media and the like. One unintended consequence is a blurring and clouding of the brand.

As we embrace this digital future, the writer says, it will become clear that vague, diffuse brand impressions need to be distilled into a single, simple thought, a concise articulation of the root advertising idea, whether it's a rallying cry, mantra, call to action, worldview, anthem, aphorism or cleverly turned expression of the product benefit -- something evocative, engaging and interesting enough to be remembered.

Consumers won't reach for a brand they can't grasp, says Jim, and it's so much easier to grasp a brand if it possesses a well-crafted brand handle. One needs to anchor that allegiance by leaving (the consumer) with something to hang onto, a short little something to punctuate every brand experience.

 Mr. Morris predicts, wishfully, "...a collective epiphany among a new generation of ad brains unencumbered by... tagline biases and baggage... "

To read the complete, published article, please visit AdWeek here. Or, Jim Morris maintains a communication site here, and a tagline site here.