Does every campaign require a tagline?
Require? No. But that doesn't mean taglines aren't important levers that enhance the longevity and effectiveness of your campaigns. For most startups and scaleups, campaigns are rarely integrated. This means when marketing collateral is created, it's often distributed sporadically across different channels with no connecting thread to tie the content together. Yes, the word gets out, and yes, people may engage with it. But there's no story. No narrative that audiences can latch onto. No theme to share, and often no depth.
Taglines aren't just words – they're platforms that can traverse multiple channels, creating a compelling yet coherent narrative for customers to connect with and share. Not having a tagline costs you time and money because each time you're creating a new narrative rather than building on an existing one. Starting with a tagline gives you a foundation to build upon, and from there you can consider how that line, narrative, and direction manifests across multiple channels.
To illustrate this as an abstract diagram, it might look something like this:
The channels will be up to you, but the same principle applies. You use the tagline as a way to inform the creative you produce.
Looking for examples of this in action? In 2021, Dropbox released a new brand campaign with the tagline 'For all things worth saving', acting as a creative platform for them to showcase how individuals from all walks of life utilise Dropbox to store the files and memories that matter most to them. This platform was about the product, sure. But it felt different. It felt personal, emotive, and frankly un-SaaS-like, for all the right reasons. The campaign manifested across multiple channels, including a hero video shared on YouTube, billboards, a website takeover, and more. Through this platform, Dropbox was able to nurture a closer relationship with their community (by amplifying personal stories), reach new audiences, and re-establish what they want to stand for as a company.
So, in conclusion:
- Taglines are not just words – they're platforms that elevate the stories you tell.
- Integrated marketing campaigns supported by taglines save you money and time while enhancing brand consistency.
- Not every marketing initiative requires a tagline or platform – sometimes reactivity is the goal over longevity. But I wouldn't recommend making this the default.
Billboards never went anywhere
Billboards work when you use the canvas as art, not a way to return investment (even is that is the end goal). I say this because If you overfocus on ROI over the art then you end up making something cold, functional, and unengaging. Something people are unlikely to share. Effective OOH doesn’t just occupy space in a location, it complements it, morphs it into some interesting, something you want to look at at and re-look at. Something you want to take pictures of and tell others about. The truth is you’ve got six seconds, or less. Six seconds to entertain, six seconds to excite, six seconds to intrigue. That’s why you often see companies relying on more than just one ad and instead utilising multiple to create a takeover that elevates the experience. But whether you use one or multiple, the same goals apply: entertain, excite intrigue.
All of that said, I’m not naive, billboards aren’t cheap and there are growth targets to meet. So how do you measure attribution for this amazing art you plan to create? Well, it really comes down to awareness and engagement. Awareness can be broken down into two sub categories: discovery/re-discovery and perception. Through a billboard people can discover your company exists, or be reminded that it exists. It can also cause them to instil or upgrade the perception they have about your company, its style, and ethos. If you’ve interested viewers enough you may then turn this awareness into engagement – people actually checking your website, sharing your post on social media, or booking demos. High awareness (from impressions), and high engagement (from clicks) – that’s what an effective OOH campaign looks like.
Part of achieving this though isn’t just based on what content you include on your billboard but also it’s location. Assuming that your best bet is to place a large billboard in the place with the most footfall is costly. More effective, is choosing to place your billboard in a location that is likely to garner the most impressions from your target audience. Perhaps outside a conference they’re likely to attend, beside offices where their companies are stationed, or not too far from the food market where they’d typically pass for lunch. And I know I’m talking about billboards here. But OOH can manifest in multiple different forms, such as posters taking over a wall, digital pop-ups, or even installations (more on this in a separate post).
As technology continues to evolve, OOH has the potential to get really exciting. Whether it’s advancements in AI, augmented reality, or virtual reality, brands will have at their fingertips more ways than ever to engage audiences, create compelling experiences, and ultimately elevate their storytelling. So let’s make art (and hit those targets in the process).
In conclusion:
- Billboards aren’t dead for SaaS.
- You’ve got six seconds or less – entertain, excite, intrigue.
- Content is important, but so is location.
- The future of OOH is exciting.
Looking for examples of SaaS companies that have done it well? Look no further:
The Simple Act
The simple songs are recalled the most.
The simple ads connect with the most people.
The simple products have the most users.
Simple is not boring.
Simple is considered.
Simple is timeless.
Simple is universal.
Simple is accessible.
Simple is void of clutter.
Simple speaks for itself.
Some people think simple is less, but it’s actually more:
More thought.
More hours.
More care.
More revisions.
An experience void of simplicity is noise.
Noise is easy to make; whereas simplicity is more challenging to maintain.
But those that maintain it cut through,
and often silence their noisy counterparts.
Companion Planting
Companion planting is a term often used in gardening.
It refers to the act of sowing certain types of plants in close proximity, so they may benefit from each other's unique offering, and thus grow sustainably. Giving and receiving in tandem.
An example of this is the ‘3 sisters': corn, bean, and squash plants. When planted close together:
- Corn offers a physical support structure
- Beans provide nitrogen
- Squash covers the soil to prevent evaporation and weed competition
Ecosystems thrive when plants collaborate rather than compete.
And this is not dissimilar to the dynamics of a brilliant team or community.
Everyone has something to give. Therefore, give, and provide the platform for others to do the same.
Speaking to Customers
When was the last time you met with your customers face to face?
Not learning about them through a trend report, or analysing their usage behind a screen.
But hearing them share their experiences in first person, noticing the micro-interactions displayed as they use your product, seeing the emotion expressed as they explore the journey that you crafted.
Most of us may have seen the recent articles about Airbnb’s growth since shifting to a model focused on brand building. But beyond campaigns and design refreshes. This approach was fuelled by the fact that they maintained close contact with their community through a willingness to meet and hear from the individuals that form it.
In a world where everyone wants to be heard, positioning yourself as the brand that listens becomes a key distinguishing attribute.
Regenerative Business
Is your business regenerative?
The definition of regeneration is to regrow (new tissue) after loss or damage.
It’s a great attribute to have.
One that signals a sense of longevity, sustainability, and resilience.
For this to happen on a regular basis, there must be a process in place to facilitate it.
There must be an intent to nurture the new
And a willingness to recognise its importance to the future.
So ask yourself:
Does my business act as fertile ground for growth?
Is my business set up to undergo renewal, should it be necessary?
Are we doing enough today to develop our tomorrow?
The 8 Star Experience
A 5 star experience is the expectation.
That just means the product you made performed as it should.
How many times have you given an Uber driver 5 stars for simply picking you on time and dropping you off at your destination?
The transition from a good experience to an exceptional one starts when you begin to consider what a 6,7, and 8 star offering looks like.
That should be the bar, or rather the platform.
Ultimately this takes patience.
It takes empathy.
It takes a willingness to dig a little deeper, go a little further.
Something not every brand is willing to do.
Doing digital vs being digital
Many companies do digital, few are actually digital-first organisations; despite the claims.
To be digitally-led is to see technology as a key driver in achieving your strategic aspirations. Developing products that leverage it’s capabilities to deliver incremental impact for customers, long-term.
It is to constantly operate in beta mode – fostering a culture of learning that permeates throughout the business.
And to ensure cross-functional connections are seamless, with each part of the business maintaining an appreciation for the opportunities offered by technology.
Ultimately, operating as a digital organisation shouldn't be an initiative solely governed by the CTO or CDO. It’s an ambition that should be shared throughout the whole company, and shape every decision that you make.
What to do and what not to
A key element of being efficient is minimising waste.
This is often overlooked.
Though it is important to highlight what you should do.
It is just as pivotal to identify what not to do and what to stop doing.
Clear the road, make room for what matters, and avoid unnecessary pivots.
What's our why?
“Hold the problem you’re solving tightly, hold the user tightly, hold the solution you’re building loosely” – Michael Seibel
Building for a fleeting 'why' is like aiming at a moving target.
What [we’re building] and how [we build it] is subject to change, it’s inevitable.
But why we’re doing it shouldn’t.
That’s what we’re solving.
That’s our North Star.
If we agree that the why should remain consistent, ensuring that it feels right to start with becomes all the more important.
People and Spaces
For most brands, a new store is simply another touch-point.
But for those that live in the area, it’s much more.
The most impactful retail locations put the life that surrounds the building before it’s infrastructure,
positions the brand as an extender of the local culture already fostered,
and goes beyond procurement to provide a hub that gives more to the community than it takes.
“First life, then spaces, then buildings…” – Jan Gehl (Danish Architect)
Customer Service
The Genius Bar isn’t just a nice to have for Apple, it’s an integral part of their brand experience that says to the customer “we hear you, and we care". It mitigates the risk of purchase and fuels customer satisfaction.
Often, we attribute the affinity for companies like Apple and Nike to the great work they do pre-purchase. But don’t always speak about the positives of their post-purchase experience. For most brands the service is great, until you have a query, until your product acquires a fault, until you have to make a return. Then you begin to see how much they really value customers, or rather how much they don’t.
Efficiency and Direction
The prerequisite for efficiency is direction. Hence why strategy is so important.
Once you have a plan in place you can run with conviction;
reassured in the fact that you're competing in the right race.