“But, is it ownable?”

A question that I am often asked when it comes to brand positions and taglines is “we like it, but, is it ownable?”

This question intrigues me because what I have found is that the question is the right one to be asking, however I have found that the confusion really resides in what makes something “ownable”.

Typically, the question is based upon the words themselves. And to be honest, words, alone are hard to “own”. You could drop the name of the company or the brand into the position or tagline and it might feel more “ownable”, but that is not really the issue. “Owning” a position or “owning” a tagline is really much deeper, you must develop both with the intention to resonate with your audience and to be lived by your colleagues.

To achieve “ownable” you must have a deep knowledge and understanding of your consumers and be able to identify the insights that will enable customers to view your brand differently than the others in the marketplace.

Two tagline examples I often reference are from McDonalds and BMW. For years McDonalds used the “I’m lovin’ in” tagline.

Is this “ownable”?

Only after the brand stood behind it and brought that attitude to life in all of their touch points could it be “owned”. It conveyed fun and freedom. They knew their customers - what would resonate with them - and they sought to communicate differently than their competitors.

So was it “ownable”?

Definitely, but not just because of the words, but because of the relationship between brand, company and customers.

The other example is “The ultimate driving machine” by BMW. This is a classic example of a tagline that could have been used by other premium automobile manufacturers, but they would not have been able to “own” it. Again, think about BMW owners and drivers and their relationship with the brand. These words represent their mindset about why they drive a BMW and it also acts as a vision statement (of sorts) for the brand, they had better live up to this aspirational message throughout the organization and in their products.

So, it is not the words that make a position or tagline “ownable”, it is the insight behind those words and the further actions from the brand that will truly determine if the brand has the right to “own” those statements.

The next time that you are pitched a brand position or a tagline, and you are compelled to ask, “But, is it ownable?” Think about how you would answer that as the brand representative. Do you know your customers well enough and know your colleagues well enough to answer that? Because that is what you are really asking.