Does Your Tagline Still Fit? Six Questions to Help You Find Out.
TLDR: 3 Takeaways from this Post:
Even a solid tagline can outgrow its usefulness.
If your tagline no longer reflects your brand’s voice, strategy, or audience experience, it’s time for a change.A great tagline should work hard.
A great tagline should differentiate you, spark creative ideas, and connect with your customers.Take some risks.
If your tagline feels generic, unispiring, or forgettable, it’s time for a refresh.
Taglines get a lot of attention for something that’s just a few words long. And for good reason, because they show up everywhere. Where does your tagline get used? More like where doesn’t it get used? A good one helps you stand out and say a lot with a little.
But even a solid tagline can wear out its welcome.
I recently worked with a client who’d been using the same tagline since they were founded. It wasn’t wrong. It just wasn’t right anymore. It didn’t reflect who they are now, or how their customers talk about them.
We had a hunch that the tagline was due for a refresh, but didn’t want to jump to conclusions.
Here’s how we assessed whether the tagline needed to go, and how you might, too.
1. Even if the business hasn’t changed, has the way you talk about yourselves?
This is common. The tagline was written when the brand was still finding its footing. But since then, they’ve grown up. They’ve clarified their voice. The tagline just didn’t keep up.
You see this with brands like Airbnb. Their early tagline, Travel like a human, was good. But Belong anywhere was better. It aligned with their evolved brand strategy, pushed into emotional territory, and opened the door for strong creative.
2. Could it belong to anyone?
If your tagline could double as a category label, that’s a red flag. This one sounded like it came from a generic industry template—clear and safe, but not specific or memorable. It didn’t reflect their actual personality, or what made them different. Any competitor could be using their tagline and it would have been fine.
Compare that with The New York Times: Truth. It’s more important now than ever. It’s not just a statement of values, it’s a pointed, relevant, opinionated. No one else can claim it.
3. Does it match how your customers talk about you?
This is one of my favorite tests. When you look at reviews and testimonials, do you notice the tagline language never shows up? This brand’s customers were talking about ease, kindness, and communication, not the abstract value the old tagline was selling.
Great taglines often come from the words your customers already use. Think of Slack’s early tagline: Be less busy. It’s so simple, and lifted directly from user sentiment. It reflects a real-world benefit in everyday language.
4. Does it spark creative ideas?
A good tagline gives your creative team something to work with. This one? Not so much. It didn’t lead to campaign concepts, headline directions, or a visual. It was fine. But fine doesn’t inspire.
Nike’s Just do it? A cultural movement.
Mailchimp’s Send better email? A call to action.
If your tagline doesn’t inspire content, campaigns, or conversation, it might be time to try again.
5. Is it memorable?
If your own people forget your tagline, your customers definitely will.
Iconic taglines aren’t just catchy. They’re sticky. They travel. They’re repeatable. They hold meaning, not just words. That’s why L’Oréal’s Because you’re worth it still lands. And why Apple’s Think different still signals who they are, even decades later.
So… was it time for a change?
Yep. Not because the business had made a dramatic shift, but because the tagline hadn’t grown along with them. They were ready for something that represented the brand they’d become.
Here’s what we looked for in a new tagline:
True to the brand strategy: what they stand for, not just what they sell
In their voice: warm, caring, bright
Creative fuel: makes the marketing team’s job easier
Audience-aligned: drawn from how customers actually talk
Distinct: something that only they would say
Tagline updates don’t have to mean a full rebrand. Sometimes, it’s just a sign that the brand has m
atured, and the tagline needs to catch up.
If you’ve been questioning your tagline, it might be time to ask: Does this still sound like us? If not, you know where to find me.
