Several years ago I wrote a blog about a tagline that I
considered one of the least inspirational I'd ever come across. It was for
Delta Airlines, and the line was: "We get you there."
Why did I think it was bad? Because it conveyed the minimum
possible value to the customer. True, "getting there" is the point of
a plane flight, and it's far better than not getting there. But couldn't the
airline have suggested some added value? For instance, you could get there in
comfort. Or you could get there on time. Or you could get there with all your
bags. But no, with Delta, you could get there. Period.
I assumed we'd never see such a mundane tagline again, but I
was wrong. A similar line has recently surfaced underpinning Toyota's shiny new
ad campaign. The slogan is (drumroll, please) "Let's go places."
Like the airline tag of years before, Toyota's line
expresses the basic point of getting in a car. Namely, to go places. But also
like the airline tag, the line conveys the least possible value. You won't go
places in comfort, or style, or with a high degree of reliability, or anything
else worth wanting. You'll just go places. Apparently, the journey will be "aspirational" and will involve "enriching lives." How is that better than a horse? You
can go places on horses too. For that matter, you can go places by hitchhiking,
riding with a friend, calling a cab, getting on a train, riding a bicycle, or
just walking.
More to the point, you can go places in a Chevy or Ford or
Honda or any other make of car, and that's the real problem with the tagline.
All it really says is, "We let you do what every other car brand lets you
do."
And that's not saying very much.
Learn more about my writing and editing services at www.westcopy.com.
Learn more about my writing and editing services at www.westcopy.com.