So I went on with my search...
Youtube's "Broadcast yourself" is nice and short, and it certainly works, but maybe they could come up with something more creative. iTune's tagline is a bit generic: "The best place for Games, Movies, Music, and much more - All for iPod." The tagline for the Public Relations example I used for the first half of Krug's book is, "Advancing the Profession and the Professional." I like it, but it kind of blends in with the rest of the page. And one of my favorite taglines that I think is really charming is Kay Jewelers, "Every Kiss Begins with Kay."
Then I came across a neat website all about taglines. Eric Swartz, "The Tagline Guru," offers some more information on taglines, like what they are, their benefits and objectives, and different types of taglines. He also has a list of The 100 Most Influential Taglines Since 1948. Check them out, it's pretty interesting. Some of my favorites include:
- Got milk? (1993) --California Milk Processor Board
- Just do it. (1988) --Nike
- Tastes great, less filling. (1974) --Miller Lite
- Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (1954) --M&M Candies
- There are some things that money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard. (1997) --MasterCard
- What happens here, stays here. (2002) --Las Vegas
- The quicker picker-upper. (1991) --Bounty
- Betcha can’t eat just one. (1981) --Lay’s Potato Chips
- Think outside the bun. (1998) --Taco Bell
- Don’t get mad. Get GLAD. (early 1980s) --GLAD
So basically some good things Krug says to keep in mind when coming up with a tagline are: clear, informative, just long enough, differentiation, clear benefit, personable, lively, and sometimes clever. Things to avoid include being vague and/or generic. It's also important to have your tagline placed where users expect to find it (below, above, or next to the site ID).
Another part of this reading that I enjoyed was "The Reservoir of Goodwill." I can't help but agree with Krug when he says, "The reservoir is limited, and if you treat users badly enough and exhaust it there's a good chance that they'll leave....they may not be as eager to use your site in the future, or they may think less of your organization" (163). I think this is so true. I hate to be asked irrelevant information, I don't want to search all over the place for something just to find it wasn't there in the first place, and I don't want to use a website that makes me feel stupid, confused, is unorganized or is unprofessional.
You make an interesting point that a website can make a user feel 'stupid, confused' and when I thought about it, it is the responsibility of the site to make itself clear. A website should announce 'this is what you can do here' and if it doesn't then you feel stupid, but maybe aimless is a better word. You feel at a loss because the site didn't make it obvious what to do next. But the user, if not sure what to do next, will spiral into something like 'It must be me!' and then click away in frustration. Hmmm.
ReplyDeletethe tagline website is awesome! I actually HAVE noticed facebook's tagline in the past and wondered why they haven't changed it (they seem to enjoy changing everything else on a regular basis).
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of Krug's criteria for taglines could carry over into ANY text on a website. All text should be clear, informative, just long enough, etc.
I like the website on taglines. Now that I think of it, I don't know any of the sites taglines that I visit daily. Funny how Krug stressed importance on it.
ReplyDeleteI love you how incorporated the reading into everyday websites.I especially like how you noted that most people don't notice the taglines. I have noticed the facebook tagline in the past and like you said never really thought anything of it. It didn't grab my attention or even inspire me. It makes me wonder if the internet should constantly be changing? We both know that facebook changes its interior format all the time; maybe they should give more thought to their exterior, or because most people visiting the site have their own account they feel its not necessary? Your response was also very interesting because I am currently trying to find a quote to put onto my web page. I want to use it similarly to a tagline though. I want to to grab people's attention to my site, as well as shape audiences view and responses to my site. If you have an helpful tips I'd greatly appreciate it!
ReplyDelete-Beckah =)
I'm not certain that I ever really notice taglines either, or at least I don't associate them with their brand names. (Or maybe it's the other way around - if you give me a tagline, I can probably tell you what the brand associated with it is. But giving me brand names and asking for taglines will probably result in me staring blankly.)
ReplyDelete