The look of the station's product -- the color scheme, music, anchors -- all play a part in that connection. Maintaining those viewers (the customers in this equation) often includes giving them a slogan that represents who we are, what we did, and why they should buy in to the whole game.
I've had several good ones (slogans) at the stations where I've worked over the years, but I've always wondered how the plans were put together to make the right connection -- just as Ogilvy has done with traditional advertising campaigns.
Of all of the lists of slogans I found, NewsJunkieNow had the most complete and also one of the best since it doesn't really draw conclusions as to whether the slogans were a hit or a bust. I'd rather be able to look at each campaign with an open mind instead of having an immediate 5-star rating scale next to the entry.
Many slogans contain the word "news" (obvious) and many others love to include "your" as a way to make consumers feel that they have a say in the product while implying ownership.
Obviously, since television is a visual medium, the slogans must also lend themselves to visual storytelling. This one (it's actually two as there was a sequel to the original as you'll see) was one of my favorites as a child growing up in Northeast Ohio and still has great lessons to teach us today:
In this case, the station was putting a face on its slogan creating the idea that "we've got a team of journalists who go together like peanut butter and jelly unlike those other guys who just have talking heads".
ESPN has taken the idea to an all-time level with its series of comedic spots that sell the viewer on the idea that the sports network enjoys what it's doing and therefor will make an enjoyable product they can view each night on cable.
There were plenty that claimed to be "everywhere" in their coverage, but isn't that nearly impossible to back up on the evening broadcast? Shouldn't a PR person have enlightened the station's managers so they understood the criticism they would endure on the first big scoop that their competition nails?
Just ask FOX News, which continues to take grief for its "Fair and Balanced" slogan on a nightly basis. It might be simple and catchy, but it's also open to interpretation and debate as Jon Stewart and others attack nightly including this gem from 2009:
My favorite discovery was the one that WKMG-TV (CBS) in Central Florida launched in 1996 with "Where will we take you tonight?" The idea invites the viewers to come along for a journey without promising to deliver a Watergate-level investigation or a fluffy entertainment story about Charlie Sheen. At least to me, a slogan like that implies a way to be creative without being stupid or condescending.
