An Investigation Into Slogan Design On Creating Slogan–Brand Alignment

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped consumers’ perceptions of brand messaging, advertisers are revisiting their messages and investing more heavily to strengthen brand identity alignment. Brand identity alignment is the configuration of all semiotic components— brand name, logo, and slogan—used to support a company’s desired brand image. With semiotic theory and congruence theory used as foundations, this paper examines attributes of slogans that affect their alignment with brand identity. Using data from a large-scale field study, followed by a validation study using senior advertising managers, the authors find that message clarity and creativity enhance, whereas a jingle in a slogan message reduces, the slogan–brand alignment.