In order to make a name for yourself in your chosen profession, you must develop a deliberate plan of personal branding. How are you going to make sure that people remember you and the strengths and talents you offer? One aspect of the plan that I recommend to everyone is to develop a catchphrase that people automatically come to associate with you.
Have I mentioned that I have just released a new book? OK, perhaps once or twice. The title of the book is Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, which is a motto that I have adopted as my personal catchphrase. As I explain in the introduction to my book, I cannot take credit for the saying. Instead, I first read it as part of the signature in a friend’s email and later discovered that it can be attributed both to writer and editor Dorothea Brande and inventor and teacher Charles F. Kettering.
I use my catchphrase as a reminder to myself and the people with whom I come in contact that maintaining a positive attitude and choosing to take pleasure in your work is the way to the greatest possible success. Everything in my book helps to create that state of mind for my readers.
In Act As If It Were Impossible to Fail, I mention a couple of other famous catchphrases, such as the “Heeeeeeyyy!” from Happy Days’ Fonzie and James Bond’s request for his martini to be “shaken not stirred.”
Since then, I’ve thought of other phrases that have entered our culture through books, television, and movies, such as:
“And that’s the way it is” — Walter Cronkite
“Where’s the beef?” — Wendys (OK, maybe that one didn’t make it out of the 1980s)
“Must See TV” — NBC
“I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” — Life Alert device
What are some of the catchphrases that automatically come to your mind that have formed a lasting attachment with a product or a person?
Share your catchphrases in the Comments section and why you think they have been so effective. Your thoughts will be a helpful tool to all of us as we think about what might work as our own catchphrases.
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Good point only I wish you’d have used more good examples. Some of the ones you chose to point out are certainly famous, but honestly they still make me cringe because they are so cheesy and are still the butt of jokes. Being that I was a copywriter long before a connector / advisor to solopreneurs and interested in personal image and branding, I knew that you certainly could become known for having a cheesy tagline / catchphrase, but why not be known for one that is not only memorable but also meaninginful and classy / pertinent ? More like Walter Cronkite’s, less like Fonzie’s and LifeAlert’s.
Hi Patti and thanks for your great comment! I agree with you about “cheesy”; The critical point is that the catchphrase is authentic while promoting the brand or person. I think that many of us need help from skilled people like you to accomplish authentic while avoiding cheesy. Have a great week! -Joe
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