Finding Positives in a Negative Slant. - repost

[adam fiveson]

On my business cards I have used the following slogans:

"Madison Avenue design meets Madison Wisconson price."

and

"You don't have to be a Fortune 500 to look like one"

and my personal favorite: "Because other designers suck."

Of course, there is the belief that you should never, EVER go negative.... I disagree, but I'd love to hear your opinions on the subject.

Now, before you start in.... you should know that I've been doing branding and design for 23 years, and you should know that I have never had a strap line which people responded to better than this one.

Keep in mind that we are one of thousands of design firms out there... and MOST people who have worked with designers have had a bad experience... because artsy types are by their very nature flaky and unreliable... by saying this, we are saying what they already know and accentuating the fact that we don't suck (well we don't suck AS much as the other guys).

The old school, in the box mentality is to never go negative. This is what you learn in high school psychology courses and what they used to teach in art schools nationwide.... this actually isn't the case any more (and there are massive numbers to back this up).

Scare techniques are incredibly effective in advertising and we don't teach that crap anymore. In fact it's a rarity now days to not go negative with at least some aspect of your campaign... just look at politicians ads for proof of this.

Now that's not to say you should ALWAYS go negative... but there are times... especially when you've got the stones to back it up when it's the right move.

In fact, I've had MANY calls where my card was sitting in someone's rolodex and the person was just so frustrated with their old designer and they remembered my statement... and gave me a call. It happens once a month at least.

So I bring the question to you.... is there room on my card for this statement?

Best,

Adam

[Alexander Greyling]

Dear Adam, let me try and answer you with a chapter of my book Face your brand! titled "THE SCOTTISH WAR CRY: YOUR SLOGAN, DESCRIPTOR AND POSITIONING STATEMENT"
Define your brand
“The goal of a positioning statement is to create and occupy a space inside the target clients’ or customers’ head for your brand and the function is to control your company and its stakeholders so it stays on this strategy, clear and precise.” From Crossing the Chasm (1991, 1999) by Geoffrey A Moore.
The word slogan comes from the 16th-century Scots Gaelic word for war cry: sluagh-gairm, literally meaning “army shout”. This is the time when you need to distil your war cry into one sentence (preferably in no more than seven words; the ideal maximum still found to be effective on billboards) what your brand is about and why your product or service offering is unique and, therefore, better than that of your competitor.
Add your USP
Now you must talk the walk. The generic description of your business folded into your brand’s unique special property or proposition (USP). What is your claim to authenticity? What makes you uniquely valuable to your client or customer? This will also force you to define what differentiates your product or service. Take a good look at all your competition and what they claim and do not claim. Write this down. Now examine your product or service and decide on your USP. Are you the: first, original, biggest, best, leader, only, quickest, hungriest, nearest, most exclusive, most convenient, most expensive, most professional, most personal, most experienced? Do you cater for a niche market?
This statement must be outward-looking and spell out the direct benefit of your brand’s differentiation to the prospective client. What are the added value and benefits of your product or service that matter to the prospective client, what cannot be obtained anywhere or with difficulty at a higher price somewhere else? And it is no use simply to claim you are cheaper or faster or give better service – you have to spell out why there is added value to make it believable and credible.
Start by summarising your company’s service or products (the descriptor) and your claim to authenticity (USP) in one paragraph. Be concise with your descriptor. If read on its own, your prospective client or customer should know exactly what you sell. Include the product or business category and do not assume people know this.
I often pass a new restaurant in a revamped shopping centre close to my home. It has very expensive neon signage that reads Blah-Blah Restaurant, but with no hint of what kind of food they serve. For health reasons, I am very selective about my choice of restaurants and, therefore, I am always on the lookout for a possible new eating venue. The intersection is busy and the name is too long to remember, so the telephone directory is not an option. Whenever I pass that way, I am always in a rush and promise myself one day I am going to stop and ask them what kind of food they serve.
It has been some months now and somehow I still have not managed to do so, although I pass there frequently. Now imagine if they had put up a descriptor with the name, and if their food category did appeal to me, surely I would have made the effort to stop. Even if their food category did not appeal to me, what about the other prospective customers who drive past and face the same problem as I do? And what about newcomers to the neighbourhood or people from neighbourhoods close by, passing it on the odd occasion. Surely the extra custom would have paid for the additional signage, stating their category of food and would make for greater profit in future. Sadly and not surprisingly, when I passed there recently, I noticed that the restaurant had closed down.
Avoid being obscure with descriptions that only make sense to you. “Media Assault: Arresting Profiles through Visible Performance” – can you guess what this company is about? Rather be clear than clever.
Your slogan
Now distil the descriptor, positioning statement, USP and product or business category into an elegant slogan. You might want to use the services of a professional copywriter or wordsmith to do this final crafting. Here are some examples by some professionals who have been successful in rolling most if not all of the elements into a powerful slogan and war cry. If you are an investment company for high net-worth individuals with dedicated service: “We appreciate your wealth” sums it up. “Passionate about your perils since 1975” for an insurance broker that has been offering personal service for decades. “Claim your status” for an upmarket kitchen company. “Wild about your favourite five” – a game park. “Liberating your space creatively!” – a firm of architects. “The name that carries weight” – a heavy plant and equipment transport company. “Extend your options fast” – prefabricated and mobile office space and accommodation in a hurry. “Without us you could be missing a lot” – exclusive community and private guarding and security. “We beat the best” – an exclusive autobody and accident repair shop.
I hope this will help to answer your question.

[Karen Swim]

Adam, I love it and I've been accused of having a perennially positive upbeat attitude. Years ago Bally's Fitness Center ran a billboard ad that had kind of monster/alien theme that said "When they come they'll eat the fat ones first." At the time I was not the marathon running, weight lifting, organic, fitness fan I am today so yeah they were talking to me. BUT, I laughed my head off. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. However, groups protested and the sign was removed. Negative like everything else in marketing is a tool that can be effective when it fits with your overall brand and plan. So, IMHO leave it! It suits you and its funny!

Best,

Karen