Intel Inside: The Linguistic Properties of Effective Slogans

How can marketers create slogans that consumers like and remember? We answer this question by analyzing how the lexical, semantic, and emotional properties of a slogan’s individual words combine to influence slogan liking and slogan memory. Through a large correlational study with over 800 brand slogans, laboratory experiments, a biometric eye-tracking experiment, and a field study, we unearth the word properties that make slogans effective. We predict and find that linguistic properties that make a slogan easier to process (i.e., more fluent) result in slogans that are more likable but less memorable, whereas linguistic properties that reduce processing fluency result in slogans that are less likable but more memorable. Across our multi-method investigation, participants indicated a more favorable attitude toward slogans that are shorter, omit the brand name, and use words that are linguistically frequent, perceptually distinct, and abstract. In contrast, participants were more likely to remember slogans that are longer, include the brand name, and use words that are linguistically infrequent, concrete, and less perceptually distinct. We conclude by offering marketers practical advice into optimal word-choice strategies and delivering actionable guidance for creating slogans that are either likable or memorable.