Watch Your Taglines, People
If you have been hanging around here for any length of time, you know that the lovely James Chartrand and I have been fighting near epic battles over taglines since our blogs were in diapers. I like funny. He does not. (This probably reflects our mutual views on life more than he would care to admit, but that’s neither here nor there.)
One such previous example can be found on the stupid tagline post. (While you’re there, also note the awesomeness of the taglines my readers came up with, and marvel that I am ranked number one IN THE ENTIRE WORLD for the phrase “stupid tagline”.)
Anyway, sit down and have a paper bag handy. I’m about to take his side. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
There’s a beer. It’s called Dos Equis. (Can somebody please confirm the pronunciation of this? Dos EKK-ees? DOS ekk-EES? This is a major topic of conversation in my house. And holy crap, I use brackets a lot. No wonder the whole journalism thing never worked out.) Anyway, the beer has a new tagline.
“Stay thirsty, my friends“. (That links to the tagline’s website. Not the beer’s website. The tagline’s. Head over, you can play blowdarts. Not joking.)
I think this tagline is condescending as fuck. Jamie thinks it makes it sound like the beer makes you thirstier. Discuss.
Next Post: The Little Ice Cream Shop That Couldn’t
I believe it’s “Dos EHK-ees”.
If I stay thirsty, then by definition wouldn’t I be avoiding their product??
Dang. Forgot to click “subscribe to comments”. Sorry.
I would have proposed “Stay drunk, my friends”. But who listens to me?
The commercials suck, too.
Interesting choice of tagline. What is it with beers and ambiguous taglines anyway? Carlsberg, for example, went with “Probably the best beer in the world”… are they, or aren’t they? They certainly don’t seem to know!
“Thirsty for LIFE, man, don’t you get it?”
“Um, no.”
“How about: ‘Keep Drinking!’”
“PERFECT!”
It’s “Dos EKK-ees”, and I agree that the tagline sucks. Drink this and stay thirsty - hmmm…THAT makes me want to run out and get some…
You have got to be kidding me. Stay thirsty?? A BEER’S TAGLINE IS STAY THIRSTY?
Shit. That’s insane.
“Itty Biz: Where we curse for you so that you can maintain a good impression.”
I’m sorry….but the first thing that came to mind is that I’d be drinking salt water. Isn’t that what happens when you drink salt water? YUCK!!!
You are too funny.
Coming next, a tag line for the Olive Garden: Die Hungry.
The tagline taken out of context of their marketing campaign is the problem. The tagline in their advertising is recited by the most interesting man in the world, who as I understand it, is advising people never to lose their ambition so they can aspire to his level.
Still condescending I suppose.
My husband’s favorite beer! At our house we say Dos EKK-ee with no S at the end. He typically proceeds it with “gran-day” when we are at our fave Mexican place!
I agree - they do a terrible job!
My favorite beer on the other hand does a better job! My favorite is a billboard…a Corona, with cap, on its side in the sand and a lime wedge near by. The caption - Separation Anxiety. Genious!
A tagline that needs a context is a bad tagline. Consider “King of Beers”, or “This Bud’s for You,” or “It’s Miller Time”. I don’t need a commercial wrapped around them to get them.
A tagline that, on its own, implies the beer is going to let me stay thirsty? BAD idea.
Yes, the accent is on the EQ, and yes the S stays on the end. But if you want Mexican beer you should drink Tecate, Modelo or Estrella. Dos XX is for guero spring breakers.
Knew someone would have to bring up Carlsberg — “Probably the Worst Tagline in the World”! The main problem with “Probably the best beer in the world” is the way it instantly makes you respond with “Hmm, I can think of thirty-five off the top of my head that are better and maybe only two that are worse …”
“Stay thirsty” is absurd, yeah, but hey, it’s got attitude. Not sure if a mass-produced beer can condescend. Especially if it’s in a can. That’s just embarrassing.
Okay, this is now the last time I make a “beer in cans” comment on your business blog. God I hope that’s true.
Oooh, if you were one of the other more boring biggified internet marketer types you’d probably start calling yourself “The Stupid Tagline Queen: helping people like you get stupider faster”.
And now … back to the drawing board!
That is a bit of a sucky tagline, and a bit insensitive if I do say so. If anyone knows anything about Alcohlics Anonymous, they would know that the word “thirsty” means the craving for alcohol (which, by the way, is DESTROYING THEIR LIVES!) You will often hear a former alcoholic describe how s/he never wants to get “thirsty” again.
Bad bad idea.
Does no one else think that the funniest thing about this post has nothing to do with beer and a dumbass tagline and everything to do with Naomi and James?
Contest: Which one of you two marketing moguls can come up with the best tagline for EditQuest?
Heh heh.
EditQuest:
Your quest for editing perfection has just been fulfilled.
Where the quest for a fantasy editor ends - and your novel begins.
And I think it’s perfectly normal that this post be all about me and Naomi. In fact, I’m wondering what’s so funny about that…
;)
Naomi,
Pronounced EKK. Hope you win the loonie on that bet.
I don’t think you’re taking James’ side against funny, though. It’s just that particular tagline *isn’t* funny. Nor pleasantly stupid, like, say, IttyBiz: Proudly Stepping in the Doo-doo So You Don’t Have To.
What? That’s not pleasantly stupid?
More caffeine.
Regards,
Kelly
@ James: :)
PS. I like the second one best, I think, but I thought taglines should be shorter?
I guess I’d better go read your post on taglines too.
Ohhh, I see. Benefits. Hmm.
EditQuest: Cool plus 6. :)
Off to brainstorm!
@ Steph - Short, snappy and benefit-rich is the goal. Lacking one or all of those does happen. The key, though is, BE CLEAR. NEVER BE CLEVER.
The second isn’t that long, actually.
Steph,
Fantasy editing. Real publishing advice. Your journey begins here.
@ Kelly - journey to what, would be my question? And a writer who has already journeyed like a bastard to get where they are wouldn’t particularly be interested in journeying some more.
Trust me on that one. I have a novel sitting here and if someone told me that, I’d be so discouraged. “AREN’T I NEARING THAT DAMNED LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL ALREADY?”
HAHAHA.
I had Your journey ends here, then changed it at the last second as “begins” is a more hopeful word.
Contrarian son-of-a-gun.
Kelly: LOL! Trust your gut, woman! :) For writers, “ends” is much more hopeful!!
Er, Naomi, I’ve hijacked your comment section. My apologies. At least it’s still about taglines!
James, reading How to Create a Rock-Solid Tagline right now. I’ll be creating my tagline with your novel in mind… :)
I agree that the tagline taken out of context sounds pretty lame. When I hear the commercials on the radio, it seems to be have a double meaning… stay thirsty for life… stay thirsty for our beer. Looks like it didn’t work though if it’s not coming across that way to enough people. It’s also interesting to think about how much they paid someone for that gem that’s not working… hmmm…
@ Allena, you are so right… Tecate is so much better.
Hate to buck the trend - but I actually really like it…… especially the “,my friends” part - it’s just very Latin to me……very colloquial when someone speaks to you and always adds that in at the end? as in - Are you hungry, my friend? Eat with us, my friend. Come be with me, my friend. It makes me think of my Latin friends hanging out, I can totally see someone say that as a joke….oh, you love our beer? well then, “stay thirsty, my friend” - because we have so much more to give you… - I love it. It emotes friendship and family and food. You guys are so fucking white.
Laura: Hahaha!
IttyBiz: So fucking white.
Maybe that would get some attention from Stuff White People Like?
It is the perfect tagline. Message is so clear isn’t it? I should patent it.
I can’t wait til you rank for so fucking white.
It’s so fucking white.
I think Allena is only 1/2 right when she says Dos XX is just for spring breakers - there are millions of Americans with Latin roots that are shifting economically - and their beer choices are changing as well.
looking at the tag line’s web site, I hate the Most Interesting Man in the World part of the campaign more than I hate the tag line. Very weak riff on “Chuck Norris Facts.”
I’m going to guess that this thing started out kind of interesting and engaging, and then got watered down until it closely resembled, um, Dos Equis.
No laura, I mean that Xx is familiar to Americans since it is highly exported, so the kiddos tend to flock to it despite other yummier options in Cancun and PV. But plz be careful not to fall into the line of thinking which says Economic stability equals Act More White. Let’s rank for freaking white people bilingually: Pinche Gueros!
[...] for Naomi Dunford, without whom, I would be unaware of the Dos Equis website, interestingly (and apparently irritatingly to Naomi) named [...]
Hm. I AM thirsty…was going have coffee, but now I am thinking a beer would be good….does this mean they won’t let me have one?
Taglines get their own websites?
if a tagline leaves too much to interpretation, I think it pretty much failed to do its job.
That being said, I think the reference is about staying thirsty for life, like the character in the commercial. Or it could be staying thirsty so you have to keep drinking more beer.
Personally, I pronounce it Co-Row-Na. Sounds (and tastes) better that way.
I’m still stuck on a web site just for the tagline. How much $ was that? I want in on that contract.
I agree that it feels very Latin when you hear it in the commercial. Written, however, it doesn’t seem to convey the same thing. Maybe I’m too Angelo-Irish to see it in the words too?
Oh, did you click on the “Enjoy Dos Equis responsibly” link below the flash? It goes to a site that says “Enjoy Heineken responsibly”. Huh? Dos Equis = Heineken? When did that happen?
And even though I entered by birth date on this site I was asked to enter it on the, um, Heineken site. Not very seamless. Sorry to get into the mechanics of the site flow but I’d have a hard time keeping my job if I created disconnects like that. Asking a visitor for PII twice?
If I remember my Spanish correctly, the general rule for two-syllable words is to accent the first syllable. So it is EK-ees. Always bugged the shit out of me when my dad would pronounce one of my teachers names as cha-VEZ rather than CHA-vez.
The tagline works better on TV. I love the TV commercial. Has just the right touch of ridiculous arrogance and clownish machismo. Just like the tagline. And to hear “el hombre” say it in the commercial reminds me of Montalban’s over-the-top performance in “The Wrath of Kahn”
As for “spring breakers” beer - who cares? After 30 years, still my favorite for its clean bite and finish. Growing up on the border, we always thought you needed to add the lime to Tecate to make it taste better. My contribution to beer snobbery is to refuse the lime for any mexican beer (except Tecate - lousy stuff). IMO, the lime thing started with Tecate.
I think it’s a crap beer!
I’ve always heard it as Dos EHK-ees. That’s what they called it the last time I was in Mexico, too.
As far as “Stay Thirsty, My Friends.” I think it fits perfectly. Beer is a diuretic, so by it’s very nature, the more you drink the thirstier you’re going to be!
Spanish words are typically easy to pronounce, the vowels almost always sound the same (not like in English where we have 50 ways to pronounce the letter “e” for example). Also the accent is typically on the second to last syllable, unless you see an accent mark elsewhere in the word.
So….Dos ECK-ees = Dos Equis and in English that means “2 X’s”.
The beer = great
The tagline = dumb
Laura is so right - I remember when I was in Cancun, everything was “Another drink, my friend?”, “Would you like to buy some cigars, my friend”, or even “come and meet my sister, my friend!”.
I have to officially admit defeat - I would have sworn it was “dos ek-EES”. But then again, I don’t know the first thing about Spanish so I’m not even sure why I was so sure I was right. Naomi- I owe you a loonie.