Names v/s Names with taglines

A lot of people don't do taglines because they force you to capture the essence of your product in a few words. Taglines are good because audiences want to be told what's important in double quick time. Taglines are an efficient way to maximise scarce advertising resources. Taglines give your brand name and logo a story, which helps people remember things better. So why do some people say taglines are pointless? Because they are hard to do. If something is hard to do, the first thing people will do is try and do away with it.

Does this mean taglines are a must? No. You don't need a tagline if your name tells a story, but it helps. Besides, if you're only going to consider names that tell a complete story you are eliminating a lot of unusual and memorable naming combinations from the mix (Example: The Name Inspector v/s Übernamer v/s Brandnama). Instead, consider both sets of branding directions. Look at names that tell stories without taglines and others which can be buttressed with a tagline.

Taglines talk about your philosophy without launching into reams of philosophy. Taglines can help differentiate you from the competition with a few carefully chosen words. Taglines advertise your pedigree. A good way to decide whether your name needs a tagline or not is to consider the leading names in your segment and see whether they have taglines. If they do, there must be some merit in it. Here's a simple thumb rule for taglines: If you're a new entrant, you're better off with a tagline.