A few years ago, the now-defunct Motto Magazine created what it considered the nation’s Top 10 college taglines. Number one on the list was Cornell University with this gem: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study,” a quote from namesake Ezra Cornell. Close behind were Stanford University (The wind of freedom blows), Dartmouth College (A voice of one crying out in the wilderness), and Brown University’s “In God we hope,” which is probably recited by students around test time.

Really? The best mottos higher education has to offer? Which begs the question: are mottos or taglines really beneficial to colleges and universities?

According to Eric Swartz, principal of Tagline Guru and the man behind dozens of mottos you know by heart, the answer is a qualified yes. Eric and I had a conversation recently about the role of mottos in helping to brand institutions.

‘I like to think of mottos as the exclamation point at the end of a 30-second elevator pitch or the conversation starter if you’re getting into an elevator. It needs to have legs. It has got to tell a story. And that story is who you are, what you do, and why the world should care. It’s your brand story. If you can’t link to that or a central marketing message or some sort of strategic plan, it exists in a vacuum. It’s meaningless.”

Eric says a competent tagline that defines an institution’s mission and embodies a set of values can be more successful than a clever, disembodied phrase that stands alone. “It may be a fine tagline in and of itself, but you want to be able to use it strategically to connect with your audience. That’s where cities and companies have done well by leveraging the brand and the brand value that goes with it (think what happens in Vegas!).”

It is often easier for younger institutions to define their brand because they don’t have to take into consideration a lot of history and tradition. And one of the problems with an umbrella motto for a large school is it has to be able to satisfy all of its different schools and colleges which may have their own brand expressions. “The higher up you go,” he says, “the more generic the message becomes. You don’t want to go too far in that direction because it then loses its specificity. It needs to feel unique to that institution and not like anybody else’s.”

Eric says college administrators often make the mistake of creating mottos that appeal more to themselves than to their students, alumni, and prospective applicants. “They are not wearing their marketing hat, they’re wearing their mortar board. To be successful, they need to think beyond the ivy walls.”

If you’re interested in creating or refining your institution’s motto, I suggest you check out Eric’s website at: www.taglineguru.com before you pick up your pen. You’ll find a wealth of information there that will save you time and effort.

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