IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: slogans

  • “Dare to Soar”

    Colleges and universities are places that can unify people from all over the world.  They have sports, clubs, fraternities and sororities, honor societies and many other groups and opportunities to unify the student body.  Another way schools have started to unify people is with words.

    This year will be the first year with Gary Miller as the chancellor of UNCW.  When he was inaugurated in early May 2011, Miller brought with him a new way of thinking and a new school slogan: “Dare to Soar.”  With this new slogan, Miller wanted to try to echo the school motto, which is “dare to learn,” and bring students together in hopes of achieving higher goals than were previously set.

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    Miller hopes that this new slogan will help build the UNCW brand.  The school already has a very solid brand because of its academic values and Miller hopes this new slogan will further better the brand name.  He hopes that this new slogan will show an aspiration to reach higher goals in the future and reflect the soaring growth of our school.

    As UNC Wilmington students, we noticed the attempt to unite the school and motivate the student body with words. There are many other schools which have created slogans that have utilized powerful words that were intended to convey specific messages to students, faculty, and the community surrounding these colleges. After the shootings at Virginia Tech, the school used the words “Together We Stand” to make sure that the students who had survived the horrific events could all unite to get through the tragedy.

    Some words have been associated with certain campuses for decades. Harvard University, for instance, has the word “veritas” written across the university arms. Originally, the phrase was long and dealt with the truth of Christ and the church. However, today the campus has changed the motto to simply mean “truth” and is a reminder of the morals and standards at Harvard.

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    Many campuses attempt to bring these powerful phrases onto their campus to motivate and unite their students. The question is, do these words always create the campus environment that they are trying to create? Are these words really powerful, or are they just trying to be powerful? How long will the students remember these slogans and mottos?

    – Zachary Abramo, Meaghan Beam, Jessica Butner, Jackson Lane

  • The Power of A Few Words

    In society today, there is an abundance of good slogans relating to the worlds of politics and advertising that adorn and surround our everyday life. Although many of these slogans often seem to be utterly vacuous, as they leave us with nothing, slogans still remain a very powerful example of the power of words and how their influence in motivating people and consumers. Advertising incorporates a series of crucial elements such as images, characters and music in order to further make their slogans even more memorable than the next brand or product.
    These often-superfluous gimmicks play a much larger role than one may expect. In fact, in the increasingly complex and ever-changing world we live in, simplicity counts in the form of communication.
    According to www.SloganPower.com, a powerful and efficient slogan should be able to:
    • Convey the essence of your organization or brand
    • Build your corporate or brand image
    • Establish your unique position in the marketplace
    • Attract and retain customers
    • Boost staff morale
    • Liven up your corporate literature
    • Enhance your competitive advantage

    Here are some examples of the most famous and successful slogans in our society:

    I’m lovin’ it – McDonalds
    What Would You Do For A Klondike Bar? – Klondike
    Yes We Can! – Obama Campaign 2008
    Just do it. – Nike
    Das Auto – Volkswagen
    All the news that’s fit to print. – The New York Times
    Let Your Fingers Do The Walking. – Yellow Pages
    Have it your way. – Burger King
    M’m! M’m! Good! – Campbell Soup
    The Citi Never Sleeps – Citi Bank
    Got Milk? – Milk Campaign
    Have a break. Have a Kit-Kat. – Kit Kat

    All of these examples are very successful slogans that most of us recognize instantaneously. Some of them may even instill sentiment into our hearts for one reason or another. But out of these examples, some stick out more than others. A good example is Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” because it is a very inspirational and successful campaign. The company has turned this slogan into a phenomenon and uses it to brand their products, including everything from t-shirts, to watches, to bracelets, to shorts and shoes, etc. The key is to motivate people to get up and get active, or essentially to go out there and literally “just do it.” These three words are very powerful.

    Today, even our schools have slogans help keep students motivated and give them a sense of community with the school. UNCW recently changed their slogan to “Together We Fly.” A slogan like this not only brands the school well, but it gives the faculty, staff, and students a sense of togetherness. The school then exemplifies a certain image about our university and how well we connect with each other. Bringing a positive image to our school is a huge part of our overall strategic branding. Effective branding will create a greater desire for prospective students to apply here and also help our image overall as an accredited university. Universities all over the world use their slogans to entice prospective applicants to become a part of their alma mater. Everyone in North Carolina knows exactly what school is being discussed when they hear “Tar Heels”.   The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has established a dominating and elite brand reputation for their school since the 1700’s. When a slogan has motivation combined with pride, it can take the brand to a whole new level of accomplishment.

    Companies and institutions use slogans for a variety of reasons.  There are so many products available today, and consumers are not going to remember each product along with the entire marketing theme associated with such products.  Slogans are easy and catchy ways to grasp the general message that a company is trying to convey.  Just a few words can be extremely powerful in the effort to gain the attention of consumers.

    –Sasha De Vecchi, Lindsay Gallagher, Jay Reilly, Cary Welborn