Drew,

Good, thought-provoking post.

I've always viewed the tagline as something integral to the brand expression (and not be changed readily), while a campaign phrase is designed with a specific promotional purpose, and a shorter anticipated shelf life.

In the example you've cited, The Other White Meat has become an integral part of the pork identity - a main tagline. The Don't be Blah seems more to me like a campaign line - doesn't seem like it will have the "legs" of the original.

A lot of this is semantics, of course. I don't know if there is a fixed rubric for marketing terms...

Just so long as none of the approaches are Blah!

When a brand is newly introduced into the market and there is no brand recognition or two companies merge and a restructuring of the company's image needs to be defined a tagline is an excellent positioning statement. The tag line should be brief (billboard short for quick reading and memorable). The branding strategy needs to be executed flawlessly, and allow the logo and tagline to work synergistically to define the company's character.

Steve has got it, I think. The tag line is part of the brand identity. In fact, we encourage our clients to make the tag line a permanent part of the logo. It would only change if the logo changed.

The tagline "The other white meat" clearly positions Pork as an alternative to chicken. It also conjurs up a healthy and nutritional meat. Adding "Don't be Blah" is essentially a sub tag and as I read it there seems to be a disconnect. Throughout my career I have always avoided negative statements when directly descibing or positioning the brand. "Don't be a blah" is a negative line. The sub tag should have extended "The other white meat" more positively and sensibly.Here's how I would have addressed the line: "The other white meat"
Eating well/Staying Fit.

Interesting. And I always found the "other white meat" strategy quite good as it did give us an alternative to chicken (though I personally don't eat/like pork). I can understand that "don't be blah" builds on going the alternative route, so in that sense it works. However, when I think of not being "blah" I think of sushi rolls and filet mignon. I don't feel a pork meal will cure the blah blues. (then again I don't eat pork so my opinion may be null & void...but I really like your post and wanted to chime-in ;-).

I agree with Steve and Lewis -- The other white meat is the tagline and Don't be blah is a campaign theme.

You say they've been using Don't be blah since 2005, but this is the first time I've even noticed it. I'm not a pork consumer, but the fact that I never heard of that tagline (or theme) tells me it hasn't been effective. To me, it's a blah line and it doesn't mean anything. I can't say how I would have handled introducing the new line, because I wouldn't have chosen it.

I'm one of those "the brand is the experience" guys, so I don't think the tagline has anything to do with the final branding in a consumers' mind.

I see a tagline as a marketing element. Not a brand.

Hi Drew,

Just read your post and got a chuckle out of it. I quite agree with Jim. A tagline is a marketing element; in time, it may become closely identified with the brand, but it is actually not part of the brand.

Oh, and for the record as an ex-food industry person: the pork industry has done a convincing marketing job with its tagline--the other white meat--haven't they? In fact, pork is RED meat, as are beef, veal and lamb. Pork also includes ham and bacon products, right?

The Pork Industry, offering far leaner meats than they did in the past, are trying to sell more product with a very clever MARKETING tactic, even convincing many consumers that pork is white meat. And apparently, it is working!

"The Other White Meat" isn't a brand, it's a tagline.

"Don't be blah" isn't much of a tagline, either.

Curious to know (someone get the Pork people on the line!) how they came to the conclusion that 'after extensive research... they weren't connecting'? What real positioning work was done to support "don't be blah", which is pretty much a "blah" call to action.

Why not, "Pork. It's what bacon's made of." (I'll keep working on it...)

Really enjoyed Claire's common sense with, "The Pork Industry, offering far leaner meats than they did in the past, are trying to sell more product with a very clever MARKETING tactic, even convincing many consumers that pork is white meat." You go girl.

Btw, I was at an all-natural show about 4 years ago and a man who supplies soy whisphered to me that the same thing they did with pork (trying to move it with marketing) is what they're doing with soy. Why? Cuz it's so cheap and profitable. I can't verify if that's true. I can verify that I don't eat pork or soy. Yuck on both.

Steve,

I'm from the same camp as you are. The tagline is one of the ways an organization explains the brand or makes the promise.

I would have opted for the Don't Be Blah being used as a campaign theme...and put in the headline position, rather than in a logo/brand position.

Drew

Richard & Lewis,

I agree that a tagline can really solidify a brand position. Like you Lewis, we propose that a tagline is evergreen.

Or else it's just a campaign theme.

Drew

CK,

You make an interesting point. I wonder if the "don't be blah" campaign plays better in the midwest or in mid-sized markets?

What about ribs? I thought everyone liked those!

Drew

David,

You haven't seen it in NYC because they've only launched the campaign in 6 markets since 2005.

Although they did get some national press when they launched the new campaign.

Drew

Jim,

I'm a brand is the experience (and other things) guy too. But I believe that the tagline is a key tool for communicating the brand promise.

If you will, tell me more about your philosophy of separating the two.

Drew

Claire,

Glad I can provide a chuckle on a Monday morning.

I honestly don't know if pork is white, red or blue meat. But yes...if you'd asked me, I would say white meat. Why? Because the pork people told me so!

Drew

Stephen,

I can see the extensions now...it's what ham is made of, it's what sausage is made of....

Pure marketing genius!

Drew

CK,

Thank goodness you love a good steak!

And we all know that clever marketing can do amazing things. Pet rock. Need I say more?

Drew

"Pork: It's what bacon's made of..." just about made me fall off my chair.

Being a major soy fan, I am heartened to hear that the soy people are being inspired by pork. (Well, you know what I mean...)

Drew: Great discussion here. Thanks.

Interesting! I agree "Dont be blah" is a campaign line. "The other white meat" definitely is the positioning. We know white meat is better for our health and nutrition and pork is tasty too. But it's difficult to come up with new meals every day and it does get boring. So "Don't be blah" has huge emotional appeal. It could be turned around to a positive aspirational statement about "creativity" or expertise. Hasn't everone seen "Top Chef" on Bravo?Including a creative recipe is always a purchase temptation. I would keep going with an anti-boring/here's another idea campaign... because you can create so many campaigns from that idea.

I agree with Stephen that "Don't be blah" is pretty flat and incomplete. If they wanted to make pork sound like a more exciting dinner option, maybe they should have done something tongue-in-cheek, like, "Wee, wee, wee all the way home."

Ann,

Can you imagine what companies' taglines would be like if they all followed the Pork: It's what bacon's made of.

Hmm, sounds like a post in the making!

I agree -- great discussion -- thanks to the participants. This blog draws a smart crowd!

Drew

Susan,

I agree with you -- the strategy is sound. My beef (who doesn't love a good meat pun?) is that used how/where it is used, it muddies up the positioning.

But you're right...there are lots of legs on their current campaign.

Drew

Stephanie,

LOL! I'm pretty sure they have strict marketing rules against:

a) reminding us that the meat came from an animal

b) personifying pigs in any way while selling pork.

But you're right, they could have some fun with it.

Do you think that reference would turn some people off?

Drew

"I'm a brand is the experience (and other things) guy too. But I believe that the tagline is a key tool for communicating the brand promise.

If you will, tell me more about your philosophy of separating the two."

I'm sort of a brand purist, so keep that in mind. :) I don't think you can, anyone can, make an assessment on anything unless they experience it first.

So in this case, you have to "experience" pork. Taste it, see it in the grocery store, touch it. Enjoy it.

In my opinion, everything up until that point is marketing messages.

I've said this before. Brand is like the sticky green goo that a customer gets on their hand. They either lick it off, or wash it off with soap and water.

If they lick it off, it's a good brand. :)

Drew -

Because it is a nursery rhyme typically recited while pulling on toes, maybe to some it would be a turn-on. LOL.

Seriously, I think humor, quirkiness, or being clever is so hard to do in a campaign line. When it works, like "Where's the Beef?", it becomes part of daily syntax. When it doesn't it's either banal or sometimes, cringe-worthy.

Q: Is a tagline the verbal expression of an organization's brand?

A: Only if the brand needs to be defined or explained - meaning it isn't really a strong brand to begin with. (And I'm sorry, but pork isn't a brand. It's a product. There's a difference.)

Q: Should a tagline be more than a promotional campaign?

A: A tagline is little more than a crutch for a weak brand.

Q: Did the NPB confuse a campaign theme for a tagline?

A: Yes.

Q: Will the duality of the two lines hurt the effectiveness of either of them?

A: "The other white meat" works. Don't be Blah doesn't. (First of all, I never noticed it before. Second, it isn't sticky like the "the other white meat.") So yes.

Q: How would you have handled the addition of the new Don't Be Blah message?

A: I would have found a better slice of copy. "Don't be blah" really isn't very good. I can't believe the research validated that tagline. It's really weak.

I must say that I find this question most captivating. As I have wrote 1/3 of my soon to be published book Unconventional Business on why taglines 'don't work'. Taglines in short, do not build brands if you go with the definition that Brands are in essence a company's reputation in the minds of its leadership, staff, suppliers and customers. Last I recall, customers and staff buy or buy-in to 'benefits'. What are the inherent or explicit benefits of pork and is that immediately communicated with "the other white meat"? How does this tagline really engage staff... at all levels of the supply chain for pork? How does it compel customers to think about Pork? Are the benefits and downsides of pork the same as chicken "the other white meat"? If the tagline cannot endure time by remaining associated with the company year after year then a tagline is not part of a brand.

I agree with a lot of what Richard Pressman has expressed.

Thank you for this question.

Jim,

Interesting -- thanks for the clarification.

Mind if I pick at your brain a bit?

So if a brand has to be experienced before you can assess it -- how would you explain that if I were to buy a motorcycle, I would want a harley. I wouldn't go test drive others. I probably wouldn't even price others. I'd accept that I am paying a premium price for what I perceive to be a premium brand.

Hasn't their brand (to use your analogy) gotten all over my hands even though I have never ridden one?

Drew

Stephanie,

we;;, I'm with you there. Anytime you can have a strong tagline AND have it be a turn on...we've got gold! ;}

I agree with you, "Where's the Beef" was a great campaign and went viral long before we talked about things going viral. Sometimes I think we (the universal we) take all of this too seriously and we can/should play a bit more with humor and the stickiness that can come from that.

Drew

Drew said...

"So if a brand has to be experienced before you can assess it -- how would you explain that if I were to buy a motorcycle, I would want a harley. I wouldn't go test drive others. I probably wouldn't even price others. I'd accept that I am paying a premium price for what I perceive to be a premium brand.

Hasn't their brand (to use your analogy) gotten all over my hands even though I have never ridden one?"

It's in the definition of brand that this comes from. I define brand as ONLY the experience.

You're buying a Harley because of a marketing perception created by marketers or friends... I simply argue that until you actually sit on the Harley, and drive it down the street, you can't really experience the brand.

I actually wrote about this on MPdailyfix back in October of 2006.

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2006/10/the_great_big_branding_lie.html

I get what Jim is saying with: "I define brand as ONLY the experience."

But if we're talking how we define brand then, IMO, it's the promise we make (and keep)to our audience. It's the sum total of (1) the benefits, (2) the unique value prop (how it's differentiated from competitors) and (3) the unique personality of the product/service (be it b2b or b2c). I see the experience as being part of that promise...that we hopefully deliver on -- so it then becomes a trusted, loved brand.

I guess Pork delivers on "the other white meat"(even if it's red meat) but not so much with "don't be blah".

A brand is best defined as an emotional attachment. A tag line is certainly an overt way of expressing this attachment. Building the emotion around your product or service serves to build the brand.

Drew,

"The Other White Meat" to me is the tagline. Pork is the brand. The other line is kind of a parenthetical to reinforce the tag and can be changed over time. The tag wouldn't change until a new campaign was rolled out or something even better came along as an expression of the brand. The tagline is like the period at the end of the sentence. The secondary line is like the parenthetical modifier.

Steve

I'm more in Jim's camp on a Brand being more than a tagline and really about the experience. However, I think we form relationships with Brands that are either functional (What job does this Brand do for me) or emotional (What positive (or lack of negative relative to other brands in the catagory) emotions does this brand produce?) or ideally both functional and emotional. I live in Southern California and one of my favorite taglines is "In and Out, In and Out, that's what a hamburger is all about." This does not even come close to describing my relationship with this brand. (Except in a literal alimentary sense.)

I like Steve H.'s point about Pork being the brand. Problem is, they've completely removed the word "Pork" from the branding here. It's not in the logo. It's not in the tagline. It's not even in the ad, for goodness sake.

Has this ever been done before? Essentially, they've renamed their product and replaced it with a sentence. So if I've never once seen the "Other White Meat" campaign or have no idea what pork is (work with me here), how in the world am I supposed to know what product they're selling?

Let's remember, they're trying to sell something here, trying to convince people to eat/try pork – and they don't even say it.

Seems to be the "branding" here is ill conceived and confusing.

This doesn't answer your questions - but I like "the other white meat", it conveys a host of positives and it's been around so long that you know what they're talking about even if they do mention the word "pork".

The blah thing just confuses me, and their message.

Maybe these Pork people can have it both ways, now that we've established that pork is actually red meat (in reality) and white meat (in perception).

"Red swine with dinner?"
or
"White swine with dinner?"

A real coup to escalate the campaign would be the varietal pig - would you prefer a Swineaux Blanc, monsieur?

Sorry, getting late in the week and feeling a bit punchy...

In my view, the tagline, whilst not being the brand per se, is most definitely a part of the brand in that it helps establish brand positioning through a perceptual process. It's success in the branding process depends on a number of factors including what is being said, how it is being said its relevance, as well as its creative execution. Taglines that are consitent, with longeveity, are more likely to add to the brand than those that are changed on a frequent basis, as the latter is confusing to many consumers as the brand's positioning then becomes inconsitent.

Harish,

Thanks for jumping in. Sounds like your book will be an interesting read.

I think The Other White Meat is all about a benefit statement. Basically it is saying, if you want to eat healthy, you don't have to stick with chicken.

Or do you see it a different way?

Drew

Jim,

Thanks for the more detailed explanation.

The Harley example is a good one. I've never been marketed to by Harley. I'm not sure I've ever even seen an ad they've done. And I have never received a direct mail piece or any other sort of sales collateral.

But the fact remains -- if I were to buy a bike, I'd buy a Harley. To me, that's branding.

If I have not been touched by their marketing...what would you call it?

Drew

CK,

I tend to take a more holistic view of branding as well. I think a company's reputation and "buzz" influence a consumer long before they ever hold the product in their hands.

How I feel about them before I ever touch their product is part of the brand, IMO.

But...that's the beauty of our work. There's no single right answer.

Drew

Tim,

Agreed...branding is all about an emotional response. And hopefully a tagline captures the essence of that promise made.

Branding is a reaction to a promise -- before, during and after the sale.

Is there a tagline that you can think of that demonstrates this for you?

Drew

Steve H,

Help me see how pork is the brand.

To me, pork is the product itself. From my perspective, its like saying running shoes are Nike's brand.

Are you seeing it differently?

Drew

Steve S,

Thanks for adding your thoughts. So, are you saying that you come from Jim's camp and that a consumer can only know the brand if they've experienced it?

Or can a brand begin to form a relationship with a potential buyer before they actually interact?

Drew

Mark,

Odds are, the phrases "the other white meat" and "don't be blah" wouldn't appear in a vacuum. I'd expect to see it in an ad or with a recipe or photo of pork.

What makes this more interesting is that unlike a Nike, there is no real company name here. The National Pork Board represents many pork producers. But they don't actually sell the pork.

So, would you argue that pork is the brand? Or is it the product but they need some sort of a company name?

Or something all together different?

Drew

Susan,

I agree with you that "don't blah" is a little well, blah. But in fairness, I am sure it plays better when it is in context, as opposed to here under the microscope!

Drew

Steve W,

We need to get you some more sleep!

Maybe you could lay back and count swine...no, that's sheep. Wrong barn at the fair!

Drew

Alan,

So are you saying that it is the inconsistency of making the change to Don't be blah that you think was a mistake?

Drew

A tagline has one simple job; to explain a brand and what it's about very quickly.

Having two taglines is just trying to say too much too quickly. They're making people process two separate ideas. And the danger is, they both get lost.

Shane,

I agree with you. Both lines have their place but not the same place.

That was the gist of my original question. And after listening to everyone's excellent input, I have to say...I still think you don't rock the boat when you have a good thing going.

Drew

Blah can also work as an onomatopoeic word associated with vomiting. In this case, the word is often stretched out and guttural to suggest vomiting, to express displeasure, or both. Reading the ad from this side of the pond - it didnt make sense to use the negative to sell a positive. I don't believe that Blah would work over here. The other white meat tag is, however, excellent!

David,

Hmm, I had never thought of the word blah in those terms. But I can see what you're saying.

I am an advocate of using the negative to sell a positive sometimes. I think it can be a more powerful sell. But...in this case, I think the concurrent messages just confuse the consumer.

Like you, I think the other white meat is stellar and sometimes its good to leave well enough alone.

Drew

Drew and distinguished company:

The "other white meat" is the tagline and the "blah" seems wasteful...and seems to just dangle out there not saying, meaning or communicating much in this use. I do not think it addresses what the National Pork Board wished in terms of changing the perceptions they outlined.

The phrase might work better within the context of ad copy but not as another sub-tagline. For a brand to succeed or fail on its tagline is awfully dangerous.

I agree with Harish here, "the other white meat" is one of the VERY FEW successful taglines in recent memory.

I am not a fan of this tool.
Why?

As both a brand strategist and a focus group moderator, I have tested taglines for years...all types, all brands. Very few are remembered, even the one's where a great deal of money has been spent.
Even "bring good things to life" was tested in a recent study without GE attached and it generated recall from less than 20% of the sample...
Bottom line: Taglines are dangerous to use unless they are so carefully crafted to create an expression of the brand that is memorable and uniquely tied to the brand itself. Most are toss-aways.

Too often CMOs, CEOs Ad Agencies IMO get caught up in tagline creation and lose sight of the bigger holistic branding effort needed for product/service business success.

I might be alone on this one, but I feel like this conversation mirrors the problem...way too much energy on taglines and not enough focus on the rest of the marketing effort to achieve the desire connection with consumers.

(Hope my point of view doesn't get me banned my first time out).

Eli,

Sorry, you're banned.

Kidding.

I think the conversation is micro-focused because my original questions framed it that way.

I don't think it was my intent to say that taglines in general are the end all and be all. But...when you actually have a good one -- don't mess it up!

I agree with you -- a tagline alone is really nothing more than some additional ad copy. It's the tail wagging the dog.

But...when a company actually gets branding, has it infused into their culture and works hard every day to honor their brand/live it with their employees, customers, vendors etc -- a tagline can enhance that effort.

Welcome to the conversation. Looking forward to bumping into you here more often!

Drew