I did a little talk today (*pats self on back*) on the subject of ‘does it make sense?’ covering marketing across endlines, body copy, and visuals.
Something struck me though, specifically about endlines: is coming up with a good one a dying art form?
I could easily relay examples of recent, awful endlines;
Concentrated luxury (Lexus) – what on earth does that mean? It’s just not a phrase people use, as in ‘I stayed at a 5-star hotel and it was concentrated luxury’.
Most people, myself included, could not be bothered to decipher that: they’d just turn the page (the line ran on press ads).
That Superdrug feeling – what’s a Superdrug feeling? I’ve never had one before.
Is it comparative to a Boots feeling? I don’t have a particular feeling when I go into a pharmacy/beauty store.
Real yoghurt satisfaction (Liberte Yoghurt) – what’s ‘yoghurt satisfaction’ before you even get to ‘real yoghurt satisfaction’? Again, It’s just not a phrase in existence or that would be used in anything outside of the contrived setting of an advert for a yoghurt brand. I have no idea what it means.
However, of all the examples of great endlines I could think of – without looking them up – not one of them could be considered recent;
The 4th emergency service (The AA), – they have flashing lights, they rescue you, and – beyond the other three emergency services – you’d definitely be relieved to see them.
It implies trust and reliability – everything you’d want from breakdown cover.
Just Do It – Nike is all about winners. Think you can’t run a marathon? Sod it, just do it.
Have a break, have a KitKat – helped KitKat absolutely nail that ‘3pm tea break’ audience, plus it’s symbolic of what you do with a KitKat – break it in two. Oh, and it’s got the brand name in, too.
The make-up of make-up artists (Max factor) – brilliant. Says what they do and instantly gives them credibility – gives that ‘why use us/our make-up?’
Does exactly what it says on the tin (Ronseal) – still being quoted now, 20 years after the ads first came out, as part of everyday speech.
I wonder, though – what’s happened to all the good endlines?