Straplines - catchy or dodgy?

Wilkinson was always considered the best-placed variety store retailer to plug the gap left by Woolworths’ collapse in 2008. For a number of years after the demise of its former competitor it enjoyed climbs in both profits and sales. But more recently its crown has slipped because of fierce competition from its growing, and increasingly professionalised, rivals in the value sector and the supermarkets.

In a continued effort to grow the business in the face of fierce competition, it has undoubtedly undertaken a review and analysis of the benefits and value that it can deliver to its customers and, as a result of this, rebranded all its stores to its Wilko fascia and revealed its value proposition as “where there’s a Wilko, there’s a way”.

Shortening the brand name in a bid to make it more catchy is perhaps a good move and not a completely alien concept to the consumer, after all we’ve been saying “let’s pop to Wilkos” for ages. However I hear many a customer refer to it as “Wilkis” but let’s not complicate matters.

Where my chief concern lies is with their value proposition (aka the strapline) “where there’s a Wilko, there’s a way”. A way to do what? Or is it a way to go? In which case - where? Physically to the store one assumes but it is woolly and vague. It’s hardly catchy either (too long for that) and it’s not going to rock the world is it?

Does it matter though to average customers? 

Possibly not (and it could be me being an old cynic) but I need to put it firmly on my list as one of the dodgiest around. Here are some others:

· "Make 7-Up Yours" (7-Up) - Launched in the US, it was quite quickly replaced. Not at all surprising really – it’s generally not good to say to your customers “up yours”.

· "We can help" (Currys) well a key ingredient with straplines is relevance. Applied to a charity it would have more credibility. But an electrical retailer…..?

· "We can be bothered" (Simplyhealth) – it’s good news if you’re sick that a healthcare brand is showing concern and care but they’re just “bothered”. What like Catherine Tate?

With your straplines, try and be original – not just overlaying what others do and you need to differentiate. I like the Independent’s “It’s Independent – are you”. Include a key benefit and make it punchy.