Why do so many successful businesses that cater to retail consumers have good slogans? Because it impacts the prospective customer’s mind with a positive message. So, why don’t most boat dealers have an identifiable slogan?
Examples of identifying a business through the power of a good slogan are everywhere. Does “You Deserve a Break Today” ring any bells? It’s considered a textbook model of a great slogan, running for more than a dozen years calling people to the golden arches. But the idea McDonalds was selling wasn’t burgers, rather a universal appeal — escapism!
Escape is exactly what every boat dealer offers. It’s not far-fetched to believe people in our high-tech pressured society today need escape now more than ever. So, making sure the idea that a boat is the best escape machine is spelled out on a dealer’s website, ads and more is worth some creative thinking.
“Tastes Great, Less Filling.” It’s a good example because it made Miller Lite a household name. Some experts contend it was so effective as a slogan that it became part of our collective consciousness about weight and fitness. Moreover, this slogan ran for an incredible two decades starting in 1973. It focused consumer’s attention to Miller Lite’s two key qualities.
A boat dealership can follow this lead. It worked so well for Miller Lite because it concisely described the benefits. How about creating a memorable line that crisply identifies the benefits of doing business with your dealership?
Perhaps my favorite is “Good to the Last Drop.” My wife, Kay, and I still find ourselves saying that today, though not necessarily about Maxwell House Coffee. But it’s still on every Maxwell House package — it’s been that enduring. In a similar way for selling boats, selecting words that declare every experience will be fulfilling up to the last minute aboard — that every moment on the boat, regardless of activity, will be a pleasure — could send a defining message about the dealership and its products.
“We Try Harder” came from Avis. Recognizing the fact that Hertz was the biggest rental car company at the time, Avis capitalized on an idea. It’s slogan, “When you’re only #2, you try harder,” was clearly intended to imply it gave better attention and service to customers. In boating, being the biggest doesn’t necessarily mean the best. Emphasizing the benefits of doing business with your dealership, that you excel in customer satisfaction, is worth pointing out. A year after the slogan first appeared, Avis went from losing $3.2 million one year to earning $1.2 million the next!
Here’s a classic – “This Bud’s for You.” How often do we hear it in one form or another? And, no matter how it’s twisted (i.e. this suit’s for you; this game’s for you), we can’t deny we will likely also think Bud. I’m not suggesting anyone adopt “This Boat’s For You.” Indeed, it might be held that it infringes on Bud’s trademark, I don’t know. But I do recall creating a slogan for one of the in-water boat show’s I produced that said: “It’s the Greatest Show on Water.” I though it quite clever — Ringling Bros. Circus did not! They asked me to cease and desist. I did. However, the point here is that a few well-chosen words can make a dealership slogan that will become widely recognized and can last indefinitely.
All these, and many more, are good examples of underlying strategies worth consideration by marine dealers when it comes to slogans that should be used in print ads, websites, signage, collateral materials, business cards and more. And some dealers have recognized this.
A few examples include Coty Marine in Toms River, N.J., which is “Bringing Pleasure Buying to Pleasure Boating,” or Colony Marine in St. Clair Shores, Mich., “We don’t just sell boats… We sell the boating lifestyle,” or “Just for Fun” at Port Harbor Marine in Middleton, Mass.
Good ideas and inspiration can often come from looking back at past dealership successes or customer comments. It can be well worth the time for staff to suggest what they think might make a good slogan and follow through when it comes to creating an impactive dealership identity. In fact, make it fun and have a contest with prizes for the team to give it their best shots.
