We’re in an election year, and if you’re just now hearing about that, I’d like to hang out wherever you do, maybe forever. What this means here in October of 2024 is that absolutely nothing about anything will be even slightly understated. Nothing is “good,” “bad,” or “somewhat promising”; it’s “the greatest thing ever,” or “the worst thing in the history of the country, by far,” or “it’s going to be a complete game-changer!”
All this just makes many of us want to go in the other direction: downplay everything and try to be overly modest:
“Congratulations on your award!”
“Thanks, though it was only a nomination, and it was in a very specialized category. I probably didn’t deserve it anyway.”
I was inspired recently by the SpartanNash grocery chain in Michigan (“a food solutions company”), which had the following slogan on one of their delivery vans: “SpartanNash: Taking Food Places.” That would seem like the bare minimum we would expect from a grocery delivery service, but it’s nice to know they’re accomplishing the core mission. Also, it’s refreshing compared to how they could have tried to sell it: “The best food ever, delivered!” or in long form: “Delivering the most beautiful food you’ve ever seen, faster than anyone in history has ever done it. You wouldn’t believe how fast we are. Really, we’re very very fast.”
I’m reminded of some of the more understated, or low-bar slogans of national companies: “Delta Gets You There,” was certainly a classic. Only by adding the word “eventually” would they make this slogan more fool-proof.
One of the larger Canadian banks had a very cautious slogan going several years ago: “It’s worth a talk.” The message I get from that is that there’s a pretty good chance they won’t have much to offer, but what could it hurt to come in and ask, just in case?
I believe this coincided approximately with the Alberta provincial slogan designed to bring in tourists by the thousands: “Remember to Breathe.” This simple (and wise) slogan might not have played as well post-COVID, what with all the skepticism about professional medical advice now, but at the time the province thought this was going to bring the international visitors pouring into the Canadian Rockies. Plus it insulated the province from any lawsuits if anyone collapsed due to lack of oxygen: “You never told us we had to breathe when we came here!”
Miller beer had one that was more cryptic than anything: “Reach for what’s out there.” I guess there’s some wisdom there; it’s preferable to reaching for what’s not out there.
I think all of this could transfer well to music promo material and press releases. If you’re on the mailing lists of some publicists and record labels, as I am, you read about a lot of artists, like the one who is “solidifying his reputation for electrifying performances and engaging with audiences. His talent has garnered praise from venue owners and talent bookers, who commend his stage presence and musical prowess.” Then there are the songs that are “an anthem for the ages” (when there’s a pretty good chance the song isn’t even an anthem for the two week period following its release).
If we took the Michigan grocery chain approach to this press release, we could dispense with all the “solidifying his reputation,” “electrifying performances,” and “shared the stage with . . .” phrases and simply say that the artist “writes songs with other songwriters and performs them. His new single is out Friday.”
In that anti-election-year hyperbole spirit, here are some band, festival, and record label slogans you might consider:
Solo artist: “She sings, plays the mandolin, and travels around with a band, playing places.”
Band: “They all play instruments and some of them sing. They’ve recorded some.”
Record label: “Our artists have recorded music in our studio. They work pretty quickly.”
Festival: “Music played on an outdoor stage. There’s camping.”
Luthier: “The guitars are nice.”
The carryover to social media posts is a natural progression:
“We played last night. Some people came.”
In October of 2024, this is a marketing approach that’s sure to set you apart. In fact, this might be the greatest marketing approach in the history of professional music.
