Slogans

What is the meaning behind a slogan? What is the implied promise to the consumer? How much thought was put into it?

You can always tell when a slogan is created without a lot of thought put into it. They are shallow words without much meaning. The sole purpose is to catch your attention. But some slogans are much better than that.

What are some of your favorites? I have several.

One of my tops is "The relentless pursuit of perfection." What a lofty goal! But that company delivers more often than not. It conjures feelings of excellence and pride in production.

"Just do it!" is another exciting one. The time for action! Planning and calculating are boring, at some point you have to go for it. This slogan captures the excitement of that moment and it fits the product.

"Don't bonk!" You might be surprised that I think that was a great slogan? It was simple, rememberable, and meaningful. Unfortunately, it wasn't presented accurately and that led to its demise.

"Just win, baby!" Another shockingly simple slogan. Simple, pointed, and short, but it still says a lot. It's an unapologetic statement of a single minded goal.

"Affordable excellence." What a great slogan? It hits the peak of the market share no matter what you are selling. It implies that you get a lot for your money and that is always a popular concept.

Unfortunately, all of those slogans were taken when I started working on my own ideas. I wanted something short, simple, and meaningful with a promise that I could deliver - usually.

"Smaller bales, bigger value" was the result. It's simple and appeals to the middle of the market.  And it possesses meaning with an implied promise.

What does "bigger value" mean? It is something a little more for your money. It's a simple claim to make, but it is complex to deliver on. How do I begin to deliver on that promise?

Measuring and marketing to start with. I go to great efforts to objectify what is produced. The determination of the level of quality takes scientific testing, as well as sensory scoring of sight, smell, texture, and performance. All of those things can be scaled objectively so you can compare the market.

Comparing the market is somewhat difficult. I like to check multiple sources the same as my customers do. What is the USDA report? What is the market in the neighboring State? What is the forecasted demand? How are dairy prices? Beef? Sheeps and goats? What is the demand at the horse stables? What prices are advertised on classifieds and especially Craig's list?

It's always a difficult analysis. You don't really know what quality is actually being advertise without going to see for yourself. I make a significant effort to gather as much data as possible before I "Just do it!" and decide upon an initial pricing.

After I have a pretty good understanding of my quality and what the market is selling it for, I price. I price lower. In short, I sell the same quality of hay at a lower price. That is "Bigger Value".