Building Secondary Meaning For A Slogan

Jakarta,May 20, 2023By

In our previous article “How to Successfully Register Slogan As A Trademark?” we mentioned that distinctiveness and secondary meaning are two prerequisites to successfully registering a slogan as a trademark.

Now in this article, we will elaborate more on how to develop a secondary meaning, particularly to a slogan registered as a trademark.

As a little reminder to our previous article, a slogan is a short and striking memorable phrase used in advertising which is capable of creating an immediate association in the mind of consumers with the source of goods/services, i.e. the company or the brand, and not particularly to the goods/services itself.

When an immediate association between a slogan and the source of goods/services (which is a company or brand) has been acquired in the mind of consumers, a secondary meaning has been established.

What is a secondary meaning of a slogan?

Slogan simply consists of phrases of regularly non-distinctive words. The primary meaning of those words can be easily found in dictionaries. For example, we understand clearly what the following phrases literally mean, “Think Different”, “Just Do It”, and “Now Everyone Can Fly”.

Even if English is not the language we speak, we can easily find the meaning of each word in every English dictionary we may have.

There’s nothing special about people speaking those phrases with their primary meaning in everyday life. But, what happens if a company or brand uses one of those phrases to create a unique connection between those words to their company or brand?

If you’re an Indonesian and hear someone say “Pria Punya Selera” (Men Got Taste), you’ll know immediately that he or she is talking about or referring to Gudang Garam Company or Brand, a famous company/brand producing variety of cigarettes products in Indonesia, instead of literally saying about “men got taste”.

This unique and immediate connection or association between the phrase “Pria Punya Selera” and the Company/Brand Gudang Garam slogan is what we call the “secondary meaning” that has been successfully created or established in the mind of consumers.

Why do we need a secondary meaning for a slogan?

Before answering why we need a secondary meaning for a slogan, let us remind ourselves why would we even need a slogan.

Almost every big company in the world uses a slogan or tagline asides from their main trademarks, and they register their slogan as a trademark in many countries in the world. Why so? Isn’t their trademark sufficient?

A slogan is very much related to and crucial to the company’s brand development strategy. It is more than just information or description of the brand’s goods and or services, it is a unique tethering to the company’s whole image in the business and it builds trust with customers and communicates the company’s ethos and mission.

If you can create and develop a slogan that matches the public expectation of a brand and they could clearly associate the slogan with your group, company or community (not your products or services) without any doubt or confusion, you are most likely to be successful in establishing an “additional meaning” (other than the literal or primary meaning from a dictionary) to the catchy regular phrases you use as a slogan.

Since a slogan only uses common words whose meanings everyone can find in dictionaries, it lacks a connection or association to the company or brand. What do the words “Just Do It.” have anything to do with NIKE shoes brand or company? None actually. But NIKE has done more to give new significance to the phrase that allows it to be linked with the brand.

This is where the secondary meaning must be created for slogans or common words. Brand owner needs to intentionally give a new significance to the slogan so it directly connects to the source of the products in the minds of the consumers.

We also need a secondary meaning for a slogan because without it the slogan will only be a regular phrase and will not be distinctive enough to be protected as a trademark.

How do we build a secondary meaning?

The key is repetition. When consumers see and hear a slogan repetitively in many places and on many occasions every now and then, chances are that they will subconsciously be aware of and remember the slogan in their minds. And if the slogan is directly linked with the company or the brand, that fact will also be imprinted on their minds.

In many cases of successful establishment of the secondary meaning of popular brands, extensive and repetitive marketing and advertising over a long period of time play a very important role in pursuing this goal.

First, take a look at how the slogans or taglines are placed in relation to the brand almost consistently in every advertising campaign:

The fact that the above slogans or taglines are placed adjacent to the companies or the brands, would create a memorable direct association between those two in the minds of the consumers.

This doesn’t mean, however, that now everybody on the planet has already been familiar with each brand’s slogan and can immediately identify a slogan when the brand is not present next to it.

Consumers’ recognition towards a slogan and their brand will mainly depend on the country(ies) or place(s) where the brands or the products are marketed and advertised, and how extensive such efforts have been done.

Due to their global popularity and extensive advertising campaigns among general consumers, many people in the world would easily recognise “Just Do It” from NIKE or “Connecting People” from Nokia. Even when the brands themselves are missing. For other brands, however, it may be a different story.

Indonesians now may find it hard to associate “Save Money. Live Better”slogan with WalMart, since the brand does not exist (anymore) in Indonesia since the late 90s.

In Indonesia, there several big companies that introduced their slogans and registered them as trademarks. Some of those slogans are: PRIDE OF INDONESIA (Hardwood Pte Ltd), #LAWANPUASMU (Hardwood Pte Ltd), LOE GUE FRIEND (PT. Djarum), SMART PEOPLE, SMART CHOICE (PT. ASTRA OTOPARTS, Tbk), POWERING AHEAD (PT. ASTRA OTOPARTS, Tbk), LEBIH BAIK UNTUKMU (PT. ASTRA OTOPARTS, Tbk), AKU BISA (PT. SANGHIANG PERKASA), Sehat Sekarang dan Nanti (PT. SANGHIANG PERKASA), NGEBLEND SAMPE BLENG (PT. BINTANG TOEDJOE), FEARLESS TO GLOW (PT MARTINA BERTO TBK), GENERASI BERKREASI (PT MARTINA BERTO TBK), TIDAK ADA YG TIDAK BISA (OCBC NISP Bank), etc.

There are several factors that can influence the popularity of a brand along with its slogans, including:

Quality: A brand that consistently delivers high-quality products or services is more likely to be popular and trusted by consumers.
Brand image: A strong brand image that is associated with positive attributes, such as reliability, innovation, and social responsibility, can also increase a brand’s popularity.
Marketing and advertising: Effective marketing and advertising campaigns can help raise brand awareness and increase a brand’s popularity among consumers.
Price: The price of a product or service can influence its popularity. Brands that offer good value for money are more likely to be popular with consumers.
Customer service: Brands that provide excellent customer service and support can build strong relationships with their customers, which can lead to increased popularity.
Brand loyalty: Brands that have a strong base of loyal customers are more likely to be popular, as these customers can act as advocates and promote the brand to others.
Social media: The use of social media platforms can increase a brand’s popularity by providing a way to engage with consumers and build relationships with them.
Celebrity endorsement: When a popular celebrity endorses a brand or product, it can increase the brand’s popularity by association with the celebrity’s positive image.

A popular brand means that it has impressed on the consumer’s minds, and therefore a simple and common word phrase like “Think Different” has successfully established its secondary meaning to Apple company/brand due to its high-quality products, brand image, extensive marketing and advertising campaigns, the use of social media and the combination of all of the above-mentioned factors.

Although most slogans consist of only simple and non-distinctive words, the phrases that we use as a slogan must be:

Attracting attention and interest

The slogan should be attention-grabbing and interesting, as it is intended to catch the audience’s attention and make them want to learn more about the brand. The words or phrases used should be simple and easily understandable, yet memorable enough to stick in the audience’s mind.

Creating an emotional connection with your audience

A good slogan must create an emotional connection with the audience, evoking a positive feeling or response that will associate the brand with that emotion. This emotional connection helps to build brand loyalty and encourages customers to engage with the brand, creating long-term relationships.

Reinforcing your brand message and personality

A slogan should reinforce the brand message and personality, aligning with the brand’s values and mission. This helps to create a consistent brand identity, which is essential for building trust and loyalty among customers.

Enhancing recall and recognition

To enhance recall and recognition, the slogan should be distinct and easy to remember. This allows customers to easily recall the brand when they encounter the slogan or related visuals, increasing the likelihood of engagement and action.

Encouraging action and engagement

Finally, the slogan should encourage action and engagement by inspiring the audience to take a specific action, such as making a purchase, sharing the brand with others, or engaging with the brand on social media. This call to action helps to drive engagement and build a strong brand community.

Creating a secondary meaning for a slogan is not an overnight job. It constitutes a brand-building strategy that takes a considerable amount of time and money to spend on. But when everything is done right, the rewards are great for the company and the brand.

A successful building of a secondary meaning for a slogan is playing an important role in protecting a trademark by establishing distinctiveness which is a prerequisite for trademark registration, preventing confusion and dilution, deterring infringement and unfair competition, and enforcing brand owner’s rights.

Takeaways

The immediate association between a slogan and the company or brand in the minds of consumers creates a secondary meaning, which is significant because it builds trust, communicates the company’s mission, and establishes a unique tethering to the company’s image.

To build a secondary meaning for a slogan, repetition is key. When consumers repeatedly see and hear a slogan in many places and on many occasions, they are more likely to subconsciously be aware of and remember the slogan in their minds. Extensive and repetitive marketing and advertising over a long period of time also play an important role in establishing a secondary meaning.

Overall, building a secondary meaning for a slogan is a crucial step in developing a brand and its image in the business world. It is important for brand owners to intentionally give new significance to a slogan so that it directly connects with the source of the products in the minds of consumers.