What’s in a slogan?

The positioning statement or ‘slogan’ has long been a significant part of a local station’s identity, but Magid insights show that these slogans aren’t resonating with consumers the way they did in the past.

When asking local news consumers whether they recall a station ‘slogan,’ less than 30% said they could recall one. What’s more alarming? Less than 20% of consumers said these statements help a lot when deciding which newscast to watch.

When we look at a long list of specific positioning statements commonly seen across the country, we don’t see substantial differences in the evaluations. This aligns with the sameness consumers tell us they see when looking at the different news brands in their markets. Essentially, current branding methods aren’t noticed, and when they are they don’t create differentiation when they are.

This doesn’t mean there isn’t value in a positioning statement. We can name many stations across the country that have built and continue to maintain strong brands with slogans from this list. But this success is not driven by a statement. Rather, it’s driven by defining that statement internally and externally, and living it through your content and messaging each day across all content and platforms.

What are three things you can do to increase your positioning statements value?

1. Define your brand internally, in very clear terms, that can be grasped and articulated by everyone in your building. Does it align with the unique needs of your market? Is the value proposition clear in the minds of your staff? Do they see how they can live the brand in their day-to-day work?
2. After you define your brand internally, you need to determine whether your existing positioning statement really articulates those values. If it doesn’t, you need to consider an update (or go without one altogether).
3. Look at your promotions and determine whether it really articulates the value of your brand. What do you need to demonstrate to consumers that will help them see the value of your coverage?

The seemingly-constant changes in the way consumers get news makes it tough to know exactly how to remain relevant in a local market. By continually evaluating your brand and its identifiers, you can evolve more confidently and effectively, and how a slogan that works for you.