Payoff: what it is and how to create one

When it comes to brand identity and logos, you often hear the term payoff mentioned: let’s take a look at exactly what it is and what its function is.

Every business has its own identity.

To define it, the following elements must be taken into account:
the name, or company name, which must set it apart from all other companies, just like a person’s name;
the logo, which characterizes its identity at first glance;
the coordinated visual image, which, between fonts and colors, is a bit like a person’s body and look.

But there is also another element that accompanies the logo, and it often constitutes the beating heart of the brand, the element that puts its uniqueness into words. Yet very often this element is unfairly left in the background. This is the payoff, also known as the tagline. It is a phrase that defines the vision of the company, or of a product, in a concise and unambiguous way.
It is often found positioned right below the logotype, a sort of completion of the brand image.

Payoff: meaning

A corporate payoff is a short statement that sums up the company’s unique value proposition. It is a powerful tool that serves to differentiate the business from the competition and to communicate to customers the strengths that characterize the business.
That is why the payoff is always used in advertising and marketing materials to help customers understand what makes that company different from its competitors.

What is a payoff for?

A well-crafted corporate payoff helps build brand awareness, increasing customer loyalty. By clearly articulating what makes the company different from the competition, you communicate to customers why they should choose those products or services over those of competitors.

Moreover, an incisive payoff ensures the building of strong brand awareness and lays the foundation for a positive brand reputation. In the long term, the payoff will be associated with the company’s name and logo automatically and almost unconsciously, becoming one with the brand’s distinctive elements. A strategic payoff will therefore make it possible to stand out and to emerge even in a crowded market like today’s, and it will make it easier for customers to remember the company.

Examples of famous payoffs that have made history

To understand the importance of the payoff, you just have to look at a few benchmark cases in which the tagline was a decisive component of the brand’s success. There are many examples of successful corporate payoffs that have made history, defining a brand even more brilliantly than the logo.
Here are a few:

Nike: Just do it

Apple: Think different

Adidas: Impossible is nothing

Sammontana: Gelati all’italiana

Galbani: Vuol dire fiducia

As these examples show, the payoff is an integral part of the brand: you cannot think of the brand without immediately thinking of its tagline.
At the same time, when you hear a phrase even just similar to those mentioned, the user’s thoughts go immediately to the payoff and the brand connected to it.
In short, a virtuous circle is created whereby the payoff stays firmly imprinted in the consumer’s mind.

How to create an unmistakable payoff

The tagline is extremely personal, and there is no single way to find the right payoff for your company. On the contrary, creating a clear and effective corporate payoff is often not easy, and above all it does not happen instantly. There are cases in which several attempts were made before finding the perfect phrase that works and reaching the perfect balance.
But there are a few tips to follow to increase the chances of success.

Choose a short and memorable phrase

The payoff must be short enough to be easily remembered. It must contain a few highly considered words that can immediately convey the company’s values. So incisiveness is just as important as simplicity.

Focus on the unique value proposition

As already mentioned, the payoff must clearly communicate what makes the company different from the competition.
The tagline will be a distinctive element of the brand, one that immediately marks the distance from all competitors.

Appeal to emotions

An excellent payoff must evoke an emotional response in order to immediately create a bond with the brand.
The tagline must arouse instinctive feelings, so that the association with the brand is not only logical but also, and above all, driven by impulse.

The payoff also does the advertising

Not only a founding element of the brand, the payoff also constitutes an important advertising lever.

As a distinctive element of the brand, it must drive users to choose it and prefer it over others. Customers must see themselves in that value proposition and, thanks to it, decide to purchase the products and services.

That is why the payoff should be included in marketing materials, put on prominent display during advertising campaigns, and it must be the underlying value of every communication activity.

To make the importance of the payoff in advertising even clearer, just think of some advertising slogans that then became fully-fledged taglines of the brand. “Dove c’è Barilla c’è casa” or “La Coop sei tu”, for example, were born as advertising spots to convey the company’s values. Being short, concise and highly emotional phrases, they immediately won over the public and became one with the brand itself. This is how it sometimes happens that the slogan becomes the payoff and the payoff becomes the slogan.

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Related service: discover Brand Identity by ARvis — the agency that scales with you.