“We bring good things to life!”

Who does? GE does. Why do we know that? Because they told us, over and over, year after year, decade after decade.

And we believed it. So today, A/E/C firms try to replicate the power of the GE tag.

And it flops. Over and over, year after year.

When advertising gurus at New York’s BBDO came up with GE’s “Good Things” slogan, little did they know it would become one of the era’s most successful examples of how to present a company in very few words. The statement was born in 1979 and was retired in 2003. Its replacement, “Imagination at Work,” doesn’t create the zinger that the earlier tag engendered; but you can’t create stickiness. That’s an octopus with more than eight arms—and a topic for another day.

The “Good Things” concept was created as a lead-in for an ad campaign, but was so wildly infectious that it became the corporate tagline. Thus began its journey as the brass-ring concept that firms in every field wanted to replicate. Unfortunately, that effort led us to the Age of Mediocrity in corporate taglines. Here’s why. The “Good Things” concept was effective due to many factors working together:

1. A $100 million ad budget

2. Memorable TV/radio commercials that created warm and fuzzy visuals to underscore the message

3. The slogan was set to music … one of the most powerful ways to make a message stick

4. The message was repeated and replicated in every possible venue, from packaging, products, and posters to bags, buses, and billboards

So Why Won’t it Work for Me?

Here’s the bottom line. When your CEO, board, or agency tell you they think the firm needs a tagline (or a new one), they want you to come up with a concept that is as strong as the “Good Things” line. But what they are not seeing is that your tagline won’t create that impression because it won’t have the four items above.

“We Bring Good Things to Life” loses its momentum when it is viewed outside of the $100 million ad campaign that put the phrase in every home. Yet ad agencies and PR firms made a killing afterwards by helping companies come up with their similar statements.

The Tag: Learning from the Best

MY TURNBy Linda Mastaglio, ABC, Thoughts Words & Images

Creating places that enhance the human experience—HKS tagline

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Impart a Relatable, Modern Message

A tagline should represent your business, while a slogan represents a single product or is part of an advertising campaign. A tagline is also different from a company logo, which usually remains static, and can evolve to complement emerging marketplace trends or products within the A/E/C industry. It is important to keep a tagline’s overarching message direct and to the point. Consumers desire relevant information, so be sure your concise tagline presents a modern perspective that also is easy to understand.

GE’s advertising agency incorporated the “Good Things” tag within a variety of mediums, from media ads and packaging to spec sheets, brochures, and service trucks. Every “We Bring Good Things to Life” commercial presented GE’s story to consumers in different ways. Before the

campaign began, GE was mostly known for electric household products. Commercials and print ads stressing how the company’s products and services enhance lives helped project a more approachable public image. The impact was significant. GE’s increased relatability helped broaden its client base, reaching the hearts and minds of individuals from more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Keep it Simple … Seriously

As history’s longest-running corporate advertising crusade, “We Bring Good Things to Life” proved to be impactful and successful. GE succeeded in creating a tagline that built a rapport with targeted consumers, and made the company more competitive in the industry. An enhanced reputation helped make GE one of the United States’ most recognizable brands—right up there with Coca-Cola.

For the A/E/C industry, it is important to create taglines with the client in mind: What service, technology, or concept is valuable to today’s consumers? Don’t misrepresent your company or product by engineering a tagline with grandiose promises—keep it simple. Simple can be powerfully effective.

Last but not least, the length and rhythm of a tagline can also impact its effectiveness. There is no hard and fast rule against creating a lengthy tagline, like Esurance’s “Technology when you want it, people when you don’t.” Just keep in mind that your message’s rhythm, syntax, and tone should reflect your company’s authentic voice. My advice to you is to be inspired like Nike’s tagline… JUST DO IT. n

Tennessee Farmhouse, Private Residence, Nashville, TN. Meyer Davis Studio Inc.; Carter Group, LLC. Rachel Paul, www.rachelpaulphotography.com.

Delivering Solutions • Improving Lives—Sebesta tagline

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