Advertising slogans just don’t do it

NEW YORK — Quick: Which company has the slogan "The power of dreams?"

If you don’t know, you’re not alone. A survey released this week found that most Americans can’t match even the most prominent advertising slogans with their corporate owners.

On a list of tag lines for 22 of the nation’s most heavily marketed brands, only six were recognized by more than 10 percent of those surveyed, while another six were identified by 1 percent or less, according to the survey by Emergence Inc., a brand consultancy based in Richmond, Va.

The relatively new slogans for Circuit City — "We’re with you" — and Staples — "That was easy" — failed to register with a single one of the 1,021 people asked in the July survey.

"It definitely sends a message," Emergence chairman and chief executive Kelly O’Keefe said. "These are good companies with good products, and many have very well-known brands … but today’s consumer just isn’t tuned in to these kind of messages."

The only slogan recognized by at least half of the survey’s respondents was Wal-Mart’s "Always low prices. Always," which was identified properly by 64 percent.

The slogan works because "they really are the lowest price," O’Keefe said. "This is how the company lives, and everyone at the company believes it. It’s really authentic to who they are."

In contrast, Honda Motor Co.’s "The power of dreams," which was recognized by less than 1 percent of those surveyed, says little about the brand, he said.

"I’m a great believer in their car, but it’s not a car that people go home at night and sleep and dream about," O’Keefe said. "The consumer doesn’t respect these kinds of quick messages."

A representative for Honda wasn’t immediately available to comment.

The best slogans reflect or reinforce the consumer’s own experience with that brand, but most current tag lines fail to achieve that, O’Keefe said.

Staples spokesman Paul Capelli said it takes time to build recognition for a slogan, noting that "That was easy" was introduced in February, only about five months before the survey was conducted.

"Over time, it will become well known and understood in relation to the Staples brand," he said.

For the past several years, the company has emphasized price and selection with its "Yeah, we got that" slogan. "It became so well known that it really didn’t make sense to continue it," Capelli said.

Circuit City spokesman Jim Babb said, "It takes a long time, sometimes years, to build recognition that’s widespread."

"We’re with you" has been around for a couple of years, replacing "Imagine that," which lasted about a year. Before that, Circuit City’s slogan was "Price, selection, service."

"Whether or not a customer can pick out our slogan in a lineup of mottoes … we’re confident that our customers are aware that our stores have great selection and competitive prices for consumer electronics," Babb said.

The telephone survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corp. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.