Image © by Brian E. Faulkner Keywords: tagline, taglines, orange juice, OJ, soft drinks, carbonated soft drinks, cola, soda, competitive advantage, brand story
It’s hard to imagine. Americans are turning away from orange juice! Not in huge quantities, mind you, but the trend definitely is down, according to a FoxBusiness story online. August sales data from Nielsen and the Florida Department of Citrus revealed a drop in volume of 9.2% (gallons) vs. a year ago. Dollar sales were down 5.4%.
What’s that all about?
Cost is one factor. A gallon of OJ ($6.44 average retail, up 4.1% over last year) now costs almost twice as much as a gallon of gas ($3.45 according to AAA). A bacterial disease also is making the revered breakfast staple more expensive by reducing fruit production, says Florida Department of Citrus spokesperson David Steele, III.
But one of the biggest factors in diminished sales seems to be that old bugaboo, sugar. Another may be misplaced attention.
“Nutritional experts have been advising against the sugary fruit drink,” reveals Gabrielle Karol in her FOXbusiness story. She cites Alissa Rumsey, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, writing that she’s “definitely heard people say it’s affecting their decision whether to buy orange juice or not.”
Okay … but shame on the sugar police for picking on our orange juice! As a friend said in discussing this story, “It ain’t exactly soda.”
True. A 12-oz. soft cola soft drink has close to 40 grams of sugar. A glass of orange juice (presumably 8-oz.) has about 21 grams of the sweet stuff -- not added sugar, mind you (like high fructose corn syrup), but the natural occurring variety. If my math is right, a 12-oz. glass of OJ would have approximately 31 grams of sugar. A small cup of Greek yogurt in my fridge has 14. A tablespoon of my favorite Morello Cherry “fruit spread” has 8g. A dollop of ketchup, 4. And an 8-oz. serving of apple cider (no added sugar) has 31g.
So a breakfast-sized serving of OJ (probably more like 4-oz) compares favorably with other sweetish fare – and it’s good for you to boot -- especially compared to the real dietary demon: soft drinks, which are sugar bombs with zero nutritional value.
It could be that OJ simply has lost its cool - if it ever had any (I thought OJ was great when I was eight). But carbonated soft drinks have been the beneficiaries of billions of dollars worth of artificially maintained cool over the years. And today we consume soft drinks in shamefully large annual quantities as part of the "American lifestyle”.
So maybe what OJ needs (the carbonated beverage, not the celebrity criminal) is an attractive new tagline – not to mention some relief from dieticians who appear to have nothing better to do than pick on a true-love product like orange juice. (To be fair, the dietician quoted in this story recommends eating whole oranges instead of drinking orange juice, for the fiber content and because the sugar is less concentrated.)
As for OJ's new tagline, I thought immediately of The Un-Soda. But that’s too 7-Uppy sounding. So what about these possibilities:
Orange Juice: The Anytime Sunshine Drink.
Orange Juice: Made by the Sun, Enjoyed by You.
Orange Juice: The Best Way Start to Your Day … Under the Sun.
No doubt other good ideas will pop into readers’ minds. Meanwhile, OJ: Don’t let the bullies get you down.
TakeAway: The OJ trial taglines above reveal key ingredients to be considered in giving birth to a tagline that clearly communicates competitive advantage, invites people into the brand story and makes future customers want what you have – without wasting a word. A tagline must be:
1. Simple.
2. Direct.
3. Compelling.
4. Authentic.
5. Strategic.
6. Personal.
7. Meaningful.
8. Visual.
9. Memorable.
10. Enduring.
Notice I didn’t include “creative.” There are too many clever -- but empty -- taglines already out there.
Content © by Brian E. Faulkner
It’s hard to imagine. Americans are turning away from orange juice! Not in huge quantities, mind you, but the trend definitely is down, according to a FoxBusiness story online. August sales data from Nielsen and the Florida Department of Citrus revealed a drop in volume of 9.2% (gallons) vs. a year ago. Dollar sales were down 5.4%.
What’s that all about?
Cost is one factor. A gallon of OJ ($6.44 average retail, up 4.1% over last year) now costs almost twice as much as a gallon of gas ($3.45 according to AAA). A bacterial disease also is making the revered breakfast staple more expensive by reducing fruit production, says Florida Department of Citrus spokesperson David Steele, III.
But one of the biggest factors in diminished sales seems to be that old bugaboo, sugar. Another may be misplaced attention.
“Nutritional experts have been advising against the sugary fruit drink,” reveals Gabrielle Karol in her FOXbusiness story. She cites Alissa Rumsey, a registered dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, writing that she’s “definitely heard people say it’s affecting their decision whether to buy orange juice or not.”
Okay … but shame on the sugar police for picking on our orange juice! As a friend said in discussing this story, “It ain’t exactly soda.”
True. A 12-oz. soft cola soft drink has close to 40 grams of sugar. A glass of orange juice (presumably 8-oz.) has about 21 grams of the sweet stuff -- not added sugar, mind you (like high fructose corn syrup), but the natural occurring variety. If my math is right, a 12-oz. glass of OJ would have approximately 31 grams of sugar. A small cup of Greek yogurt in my fridge has 14. A tablespoon of my favorite Morello Cherry “fruit spread” has 8g. A dollop of ketchup, 4. And an 8-oz. serving of apple cider (no added sugar) has 31g.
So a breakfast-sized serving of OJ (probably more like 4-oz) compares favorably with other sweetish fare – and it’s good for you to boot -- especially compared to the real dietary demon: soft drinks, which are sugar bombs with zero nutritional value.
It could be that OJ simply has lost its cool - if it ever had any (I thought OJ was great when I was eight). But carbonated soft drinks have been the beneficiaries of billions of dollars worth of artificially maintained cool over the years. And today we consume soft drinks in shamefully large annual quantities as part of the "American lifestyle”.
So maybe what OJ needs (the carbonated beverage, not the celebrity criminal) is an attractive new tagline – not to mention some relief from dieticians who appear to have nothing better to do than pick on a true-love product like orange juice. (To be fair, the dietician quoted in this story recommends eating whole oranges instead of drinking orange juice, for the fiber content and because the sugar is less concentrated.)
As for OJ's new tagline, I thought immediately of The Un-Soda. But that’s too 7-Uppy sounding. So what about these possibilities:
Orange Juice: The Anytime Sunshine Drink.
Orange Juice: Made by the Sun, Enjoyed by You.
Orange Juice: The Best Way Start to Your Day … Under the Sun.
No doubt other good ideas will pop into readers’ minds. Meanwhile, OJ: Don’t let the bullies get you down.
TakeAway: The OJ trial taglines above reveal key ingredients to be considered in giving birth to a tagline that clearly communicates competitive advantage, invites people into the brand story and makes future customers want what you have – without wasting a word. A tagline must be:
1. Simple.
2. Direct.
3. Compelling.
4. Authentic.
5. Strategic.
6. Personal.
7. Meaningful.
8. Visual.
9. Memorable.
10. Enduring.
Notice I didn’t include “creative.” There are too many clever -- but empty -- taglines already out there.
Content © by Brian E. Faulkner
About Brian Faulkner:
Brian Faulkner is a content writer and Key Message expert. He helps clients come up with words to set their businesses, brands and products apart and attract the customers they want most. His strategic insights, and the words that go with them, have made a significant, often immediate difference for client companies over many years. His "sweet spot" is smaller to moderate sized consumer products, retail, service and manufacturing companies that may have struggled to find just the right words to position their business, brands or products to competitive advantage:
> blogs to establish you as the thought leader / authority in your business category
> case stories that communicate your sales successes and invite prospect inquiry
> testimonials that showcase customer / client satisfaction in 1-2 short sentences
> positioning statements to guide business development & marketing
> landing page copy to set your business or brand apart in a compelling way
> tagline development to attract the interest of your most qualified prospects
Brian also is a three-time Emmy award-winning Public Television writer and narrator of over 100 segments for UNC-TV’s popular Our State magazine series, on the air since 2003.
> blogs to establish you as the thought leader / authority in your business category
> case stories that communicate your sales successes and invite prospect inquiry
> testimonials that showcase customer / client satisfaction in 1-2 short sentences
> positioning statements to guide business development & marketing
> landing page copy to set your business or brand apart in a compelling way
> tagline development to attract the interest of your most qualified prospects
Brian also is a three-time Emmy award-winning Public Television writer and narrator of over 100 segments for UNC-TV’s popular Our State magazine series, on the air since 2003.
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