Slogan Branding

A slogan is a concise and memorable message that ideally communicates a key feature of the product or the key philosophy of the company. If the slogan contains the product or company name, it is a helpful instrument for anchoring this name — preferably a protected trademark — in the consumers' awareness. However, a slogan can also be a completely independent statement that does not contain the product or company name, i.e. is separate from it. In this case, the link between the name and the slogan has to be established through advertising and marketing campaigns.

The slogan is a linguistic statement linked to the target group's under­stand­ing of that language; it must therefore be written in the language of the market or at least be worded in a language that consumers in the market understand. Markets with different languages therefore require different slogans. Since a slogan cannot usually be translated literally into a foreign language, an idiomatic translation will be appropriate.

Slogan Protection as a Registered Trademark

A slogan is also a significant marketing element that can obtain brand protection as a registered trademark. However, it is difficult for a slogan, which is generally a linguistic statement, to demonstrate the distinctive character required for protection as a word mark. This required suitability of the slogan as a reference to a particular business can be achieved, for example, if a name protected as a trademark is part of the slogan or if the slogan is ambiguous. Another way of making a slogan suitable for trademark protection is to protect the slogan in a special graphic design as a word and figurative mark.