There are two specialized meanings of the word slogan. A slogan can be a short, attention-getting phrase used in advertising. Slogan also refers to a key phrase connected with a political party or candidate for office.

The purpose of an advertising slogan is two-fold: to communicate some information about the product in question—whether it is a good or a service—and to fix it in the consumer’s mind in a memorable way. Advertising slogans often contain the name of the product or company, though not all do, as these examples show:

We Better be Better, We’re Braniff. (Braniff Airways)

Once you pop, you can’t stop. (Pringles®)

Notice that the Braniff slogan uses unusual capitalization to call attention to the words beginning with B and W. And, while Pringles® aren’t mentioned in the slogan, the consumer’s experience in opening the distinctive packaging and subsequent desire for the product is neatly captured with a rhyme.

Advertising slogans rarely exist as words alone. They are often accompanied by the company logo that is used in any visual medium, such as television ads, billboards, and magazines, and/or a jingle, a memorable bit of music. The jingle may simply accompany the slogan, or the slogan may be sung for television and radio advertisements.

A campaign slogan can be considered a key element of a candidate’s run for office, whether the office is student council in a junior high or middle school, or the presidency. Campaign slogans may either be intended to fix the candidate’s name in voters minds or the slogan may actually be a motto, an expression of the ideals or beliefs of the candidate, or an attack on the candidate’s opponent(s), as these examples show:

Ross for Boss (Ross Perot, 1992)

Keep cool with Coolidge (Calvin Coolidge, 1924)

A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage (Herbert Hoover, 1928)

Who is James K. Polk? (Henry Clay, 1844)

Perot’s and Coolidge’s slogans are designed to help familiarize voters with their names: Perot lost, while Coolidge won by a landslide. Hoover’s (winning) slogan reveals the stated goal of his presidency. And Clay takes a poke (so to speak) at his opponent, by suggesting that no one knows who he is. Apparently just enough people knew who Polk was: he was voted into office, but by a narrow margin.