The Greatest Tagline Of All Time
And Why It Matters Now More Than Ever
The Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company traces its roots back to Binghamton, NY in 1854. But it was in the 1940s when the family-owned shoe manufacturer really hit its stride, producing over 50 million pairs of shoes per year.
The footwear industry was big - even back then - and the company’s success was nothing short of incredible.
And while much has been written about the considerable ingenuity on the part of the company’s management - in particular George F. Johnson’s Square Deal - one often-overlooked aspect of their success was the reality that Endicott-Johnson had perhaps the greatest tagline of all time…
“Better Shoes for Less Money”
Dating back to the 1920s, the company began using the simple tagline “Better Shoes for Less Money” in an effort to meaningfully convey the value of their product and effectively position against competition.
So what makes this tagline so great?
It addresses both motivations (a want for better shoes) and obstacles (concerns about cost)
It positions the product against competition - without ever mentioning competitors
It creates an argument only they can win (who would want worse shoes for more money?)
The message is universally understandable
And did I mention they achieved all that with just five words?
Dialing in Differentiation
In a highly crowded market (the average consumer sees upwards of 10,000 ads per day) differentiation is increasingly important.
And as marketers, it’s never been more important for us to understand how our organizations - and our offerings - stand out against the competition.
It’s not to say differentiation is everything - there’s obviously many examples of successful companies operating in commodities - but when you’ve got something unique to say, it certainly doesn’t hurt to say it.
In the case of Endicott-Johnson, they did just that and it served them well for decades, until the realities of outsourced manufacturing made it impossible to pay off the brand promise they’d built their brand upon.
So what’s the lesson in all this?
If Endicott-Johnson taught us anything about marketing it was that the best thing you can do is be both different and better.
So when it comes to your brand, where are you best?
And if you had just five words to tell the world that story what would you say?
- Seth
About The Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.
You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.