Claim and slogan
Giving the brand name conviction – with claims and slogans that position.
Claim and slogan: two instruments, two jobs, frequently confused.
In practice, the terms get mixed up. That costs money, because companies brief the wrong thing, expect the wrong thing or end up with the wrong thing.
The distinction is simple; its consequence is not.
The claim – conviction that lasts.
The claim belongs to the brand as much as the name itself. It condenses the brand promise into a few words, positions and differentiates. It appears on the website, on the business card, at the trade fair booth, in the quotation. It does not change with the next campaign.
A good claim is the shortest form of positioning, and often the first thing that sticks while the name is still unfamiliar.
The slogan – impact for a season.
The slogan belongs to the campaign, including one designed to run for a longer stretch. It can be louder, more provocative, more situational. It sells a product, marks a launch, sets an impulse. And it may go when the campaign goes.
What sets it apart from the claim – it does not have to last for years. It has to land now.
INCREON Naming develops both: claims as the strategic foundation of brand communication; slogans as a tactical tool for the right moment. The method is the same – positioning first, creation second. The time horizon is a different one.
When does a brand name need a claim?
Not every brand name needs a claim. Descriptive names that already say what a company or product does can work without an addition. But the more abstract, artificial or international a name is, the more it needs a linguistic bridge to the brand promise.
A good claim does three things at once. It explains what the brand offers. It differentiates what the brand stands for. And it sticks, as a recognition feature alongside the name itself.
The challenge lies in the brevity. A claim gets no second chance to explain what it means. It has to land on first reading – in German as in English, on the website as on the business card, in a customer conversation as at a trade fair booth.
How we develop claims and slogans.
Claim and slogan development at INCREON follows the same logic as name creation – positioning first, creation second. We work from the brand strategy and the requirements profile, not from taste or trend words.
Every candidate is screened: is it linguistically precise? Internationally understandable? Or translatable? Free of unintended double meanings? Consistent with the brand name? And with a claim in particular, one question is always on the table – will it hold up over years? Or will it be dated in two?
For claims and slogans used internationally, the same standards apply as for brand names: linguistic assessment, cultural fit, legal screening.
Further reading
You might also like.
