We’ve all seen double-meaning taglines before.

They can be clever, funny, and thought-provoking. But more importantly, almost all these catchphrases are extremely memorable to the point of becoming a priceless asset for any brand.

Brands that can pull this one off effectively go to market with an ace up their sleeve.

That ace is a tool to land in the mind of their target audience to enhance brand recall.

In this article, we discover why this type of tagline is so effective and review 30 unique examples to inspire your brand-building development.

Why Double Meaning Brand Taglines Work

I’ve seen plenty of double-entendre tagline examples in my time.

Some made me laugh out loud, others made me think, some were from iconic brands (like KFC’s Finger lickin’ good or Allstate’s You’re in good hands), and others were from small business owners and tradesmen with dirty minds.

But why are double-meaning (or double-entendre) taglines so effective and considered the holy grail of taglines?

The answer to that question lies in the role of the tagline.

The tagline plays a strategic role.
In partnership with the logo, It’s the chief of brand recall.

Many people confuse the tagline with company slogans or even a jingle. But their roles differ: A tagline encompasses the entire brand, like Nike’s Just do it.

On the flip side, a catchy slogan represents a specific marketing campaign, like M&M’s famous Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. Though in some cases, particularly successful advertising slogans become taglines because they’re just so memorable, which is what happened to fast food giant McDonald’s and its iconic I’m lovin’ it.

Another popular example of a slogan becoming a tagline (at least in the mind of consumers) is Mastercard’s There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else, there’s Mastercard.

The brand’s actual tagline is Priceless, but the longer version is significantly more popular.

In contrast, can you think of American Express’s tagline?

At any rate, the job of a tagline is to land and take root in the audience’s mind to enable them to easily “recall” the brand name — either on cue or during the buying decision process.

The more memorable a tagline, the more chance it has of achieving its strategic goal. Sometimes, it takes brands many tries before achieving success — and others, brands change their tagline, but a previous version is more memorable and thus, the new iterations are largely ignored.

Such is the case of State Farm’s Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there, which the brand dropped in 1971 — which has now been replaced by “Here to help life go right.”

A brand tagline with a double meaning makes neural connections in the brain between the dual meanings which influences the way the brain stores it to memory.

And though the explanation is complex, the result is pretty straightforward. You just need to read, got milk? to see what we mean. This 30-year-old campaign by California Milk Processor Board has earned a permanent spot in the minds of consumers across the globe.

In short, you remember catchy taglines like these more easily than others because of how the brain stores them. However, you also need a memorable brand to go with. Let’s play a quick game to illustrate this point:

Whom do you think of when we say, the quicker picker upper? What about betcha can’t eat just one?

If you identified Bounty and Lay’s, we can call both successful.

So, let’s take a look at some epic examples.

Brand Tagline Example #2
Nothing Runs Like A Deere – John Deere

Few brands can say they’ve been around longer than Coke, but John Deere is one of those historical brands (Founded in 1837).

They’ve been a consistent pillar in agriculture for over 180 years and their tagline leans into that reliability.

Tagline Meaning #1:
Nothing compares to the majestic run of a deer

Tagline Meaning #2:
Nothing runs as reliably as a John Deere vehicle

Neural Connections
John Deere + Deer + Reliable

Brand Tagline Example #4
“Make.Believe” – Sony

Sony’s products are tools of the imagination, from their video game products to their photography products.

Their tagline captures this idea beautifully by splitting a beloved word associated with youthful imagination.

Tagline Meaning #1:
Our products are tools for you to “Make believe”

Tagline Meaning #2:
“Make” what you believe or what you can imagine

Neural Connections:
Sony + Make Believe + Imagination + Create

Brand Tagline Example #6
“Think Small” – Volkswagen Beetle

In a time when “Bigger is better” was the mantra across America, Volkswagen Zagged while everyone else Zigged.

The Beetle’s “Think Small” tagline challenged perceptions and associated the brand with smart independence and value.

Meaning #1
Think for yourself, not all that’s bigger is better

Meaning #2
You don’t have to spend so big

Neural Connections:
Volkswagen Beetle + Smart + Independence + Value

Brand Tagline Example #8
“The Best Men Can Be” – Gillette

Gillette has been a mainstay for 120 years.

Gillette’s original tagline “The Best A Man Can Get” is over 30 years old. Their recent “toxic masculinity” campaign promoted “#thebestmencanbe” (a new tagline variation), and tested a shift in positioning slightly towards a more responsible purpose-driven stance that challenged men to lead society forward.

Like Apple, McDonald’s and Nike before them, Gillette are staking a claim to own a coveted brand idea in the mind of their audience.

(Though they may have fallen short based on the mixed temperature on their campaign).

Meaning Number #1:
Gillette brings out the best version of the man (Appearance)

Meaning Number #2:
Be the best man you can be (Integrity)

(Intended) Neural Connections:
Gillette + Best + Integrity + Responsible

Brand Tagline Example #10
“Where’s The Beef?” – Wendy’s

As big as Wendy’s is, it’s dwarfed by the size of its giant competitors McDonald’s and Burger King.

With their tagline “Where’s the beef?” Wendy’s took an “against position” on their giant competitors and pointed to the quality (or lack of) in their burgers.

This association with the big boys landed Wendy’s in their audience’s mind whenever they considered an alternative.

Meaning #1:
Our competitors use less beef

Meaning #2
The beefiest burgers are here

Neural Connections:
Wendy’s + Beef + Quality + Better

Brand Tagline Example #12
“Shave Time, Shave Money” – Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club started as a small business trying to take on an industry with established players like Gillet.

They did so by taking the hassle out of shaving, and their messaging reflects this minimalist approach. In just four words, they manage to convey a message that speaks directly to their audience while being incredibly memorable.

Meaning #1:
Save time and money on a tedious task (shaving)

Meaning #2
Know that it’ll always be there thanks to its subscription model

Neural Connections:
Affordable + practical = Dollar Shave Club

Brand Tagline Example #15
“Because You’re Worth It” –L’Oréal

The cosmetics giant coined one of the most minimalist, memorable taglines in the industry by emphasizing that yes, you deserve to take care of yourself. It’s both a testament to the quality of the products themselves and the fact that it’s ok to invest in that quality because you are worth it.

Meaning #1:
You deserve to feel good

Meaning #2
L’Oréal is an investment in yourself

Neural Connections:
Quality + self-care + empowerment