Putting Your Customers' Needs First

• Brand / Product / Company Identification

How many of these advertising slogans do you recognize? Some of these expressions are over one hundred years old but they still resonate with customers who purchase and use these products. Note that the brand, product or the company name does not appear in any

Year

Expression / Slogan

Company

1896 “All the news that’s fit to print” 1911 “When it rains, it pours” 1915 “Good to the last drop.” 1929 “The pause that refreshes”

New York Times

Morton Salt

Maxwell House Coffee

Coca-Cola

1934 “When you care enough to send the very best”

Hallmark Cards Campbell’s Soup

1935 “M’m, M’m Good!”

1935 “Breakfast of Champions” 1952 “Finger lickin’ good”

Wheaties (General Mills)

KFC

1956 “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking”

Timex

1958 “Look, Ma, no cavities!”

Crest Toothpaste Avis Rent-A-Car United Airlines

1962 “We Try Harder”

1966 “Fly the Friendly Skies” 1969 “It’s the real thing”

Coca-Cola Seven-Up Burger King

1973 “The Uncola”

1973 “Have it your way”

1979 “Reach out and touch someone” 1981 “Betcha can’t eat just one”

AT&T

Lay’s Potato Chips 1982 “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight” Federal Express 1984 “Where’s the Beef ?” Wendy’s 2002 “Can You Hear Me Now?” Verizon 2017 “Dilly, Dilly” - Will this phrase make it? Budweiser Beer *Basic Talk Ltd. – Ad Slogans of these iconic expressions. What makes these slogans famous? They are memorable; they convey a customer benefit; they differentiate from the competition and they convey a positive feeling or vibe about the company, brand, product or service being offered! If you can express your company’s value proposition into a short, succinct phrase that will be remembered by your customers…then you company may someday make this iconic listing.

• Canned Software versus Custom Software

A book could be written on this subject alone. Suffice to say that most companies probably do not have the internal IT resources to develop their own software…but if you do, you are probably in the best position to optimize your systems to serve your customers’ needs! Here are some pros and cons of developing your own software solution internally versus having an outside IT resource develop software for you versus buying a canned package.