Taglines are tricky. You’ve got just a couple words to convey the single most essential message about your brand. One thing we’ve noticed: Weird works well when it comes to taglines. It’s those off-kilter, unexpected twists that make a tagline live rent-free in your head for years. Let’s take a look at some of our favorite iconic, unusual taglines — and why they worked. The next time you're writing tags for a client or considering a few for your own company, remember it's okay to let your freak flag fly, as long as there's a good reason for it.

‍

Snickers: You’re Not You When You’re Hungry

Snickers used “You” THREE times in its iconic tagline, launched by the unforgettable Super Bowl ad featuring Betty White. The tag is a human truth that positioned Snickers not just as a tasty treat, but as a functional solution to being hangry. This gave people a clear reason to choose Snickers over other candy bars and a slew of less-satisfying snacks. 

‍

Bounty: The Quicker Picker Upper

Paper towels aren’t supposed to be fun. But with a tagline like this, how could they not be? This is a delightfully weird and sticky phonetic sandwich with internal rhyming and three consecutive words that end in “er”. It somehow drew a connection between PAPER TOWELS and SPEED (wait, what???) to build an incredibly valuable and enduring P&G legacy brand. 

‍

Raid: Kills Bugs Dead

This one is a lesson in effective absurdity, written by legendary beatnik copywriter Martin Mullin in 1966 at FCB. It sounds short, sharp, and direct like a verbal bug zapper. “BZZ. BZZ. BZZ.” And it has an unquestioning finality to it that you’d want in a bug-killing product. It’s just wrong enough to feel right. This direct violation of grammar is key to its off-kilter and memorable nature. 

‍

KFC: It’s Finger Lickin’ Good 

This 1956 tagline told diners they could break from conventional etiquette, roll up their sleeves, and fully enjoy the KFC experience. The down-home phrase was actually coined by accident when a KFC manager uttered the phrase in passing into a live mic during a shoot. The marketing team heard it and liked it so much, they made it the official slogan. Sometimes curation is the best form of creation, y'all.

‍

Las Vegas Tourism: What Happens Here, Stays Here. 

The tagline could have promoted Vegas's legendary casinos or entertainment options, but it didn't. Instead, it sold safe sinning. It taps into our desire to escape routine and consequences, if only for a night. Half-scandalous and half-safe, it invites the viewer’s imagination to fill in what the “what” might be — romance, risk, recklessness or whatever tickles their fancy. 

‍

Dollar Shave Club: Shave Time. Shave Money. 

Dollar Shave Club looked at the state of men’s razors and rightfully saw room for improvement. There was no need to spend exorbitant amounts of money every month after waiting for an associate to unlock a plastic case for us at the pharmacy. This dual-directive made a direct promise, with a fun pun to keep things light and memorable.

‍