Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

Posts Tagged ‘strap line’

Advertising and marketing strap lines continue to provide me amusement. I’ve just driven past a van operated by HS Works. The strap line on the van, and on their website, is “supporting the UK economy”.

Well, I don’t know about you, but they may not be my first port of call at the moment.

HS Works is an established, professional, utilities and civil engineering contracting company.

 Through our integrated operations we provide contract management to public and private sector organisations. In everything we do we pride ourselves on the value of personal service and high standards provided to our clients at all times.

Ladies Fashions - off the rails

This is a sign I saw at the Royal Berkshire Hospital: Today, ladies fashions, off the rails.

I bet that gets people queuing up with expectation. How many people want fashion items that are “off the rails”?

And the mixed message of the grumpy looking train that has come off the rails sets it all off wonderfully.

I guess the prospective customers have been warned.

So, Jack Wills use the great marketing strap line of ‘fabulously British’. Well, that is on the collar label of the shirt I bought.

Further down, on the care label, they explain the shirt is made in Turkey. Is that what makes it fabulously British? Or is it the design?

Anyway, and for the record, it is a very good shirt and well done to those Turkish factory workers.

Southall Travel – redefining the travel experience. Well that’s the unbelievable statement on all the baggage carousels at Terminal 3, Heathrow.

By contrast their website home page title says: Flights to India Cheap Flights to India Holidays to India Cheap flights to Dubai Cheap flights to Nairobi Cheap Flights to Thailand Cheap flights to Singapore.

It is worrying when companies pluck these strap lines out and plaster them all over their businesses. Redefining the travel experience is initially unbelievable and ultimately highly unlikely. Why not stick to proudly being cheap/low price? At least that would be honest.

My other concern, as I waited for an hour for my case (one of the advert adorned baggage carousels had broken down) is that most people seeing the adverts had already made their travel decisions.

National Clamps out caring

It seems every business needs a strap line. Many of these strap lines seem to sit quite naturally with the brand but some really don’t.

I spotted this one on the back of a van today, “National Clamps…we care.” All I could do was laugh. The thought of wheel clampers caring does seem a bit incongruous.

They have brand synergy! And on their website they follow the “we care” message on. This is alongside the statement, “Failure to pay after the 28 days will result in a County Court Summons and a subsequent appearance. You the driver may not be the registered keeper that doesn’t matter as the owner’s vehicle committed the trespass and damages are pursued from them.” (Incidentally I’m not sure that statement makes sense.)

National Clamps have hit the news before and details are on the BBC website.