Written by council historian Jan.
Those of us who are registered Girl Scouts know that our troop, service unit, and council are part of Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), but how do we let those not part of Girl Scouts know who we are? In today’s business world, this means: what is our tagline?
The name “tagline” is relatively new in the business world, but the idea has been around since the early 1920s. The word tagline originally came from the theater as the final line of a speech. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, ads featured the basic facts about a product. In the mid-1900s, businesses began to focus on feelings and lifestyle to make their products stand out from their competitors.
A tagline is currently defined as a short, memorable phrase used in marketing to communicate a brand’s core values, mission, or personality. It acts as a verbal logo to help customers instantly recognize the brand and understand what it stands for over the long term. Popular examples include “Breakfast of Champions,” “We Try Harder,” “A Diamond is Forever,” and “Just Do It.”
A tagline is short, usually two to seven words long. It is permanent in that it is designed to last for years, unlike a slogan. A tagline is clear in that it captures the overall essence of a company rather than a single “product.” It highlights the uniqueness of the company and what sets it apart from its competitors.
GSUSA created its first tagline in 1999: Girl Scouts: Where Girls Grow Strong. It is short, but does it communicate that Girl Scouts is an all-girl organization open to any girl who wants to belong? In 2001, GSUSA made Girl Scouting: For Every Girl Everywhere our tagline. It is still used today and lets people know that we are an organization that is uniquely for all girls, no matter where they live.
You may be wondering about other sayings that we have used in the past. These were slogans that were unique to an anniversary or a program. A slogan is used for short-term projects and/or campaigns. For example, the slogan for our 25 anniversary was “Girl Scouts Today-Leaders of Tomorrow,” the 35 anniversary used “Better Citizens Build a Better World,” the 50 anniversary was “Honor the Past-Serve the Future,” “Today’s Vision-Tomorrow’s World” was the 60 anniversary slogan, and the 80 anniversary went with “Girl Scouts Care for the Earth,” while the 100 anniversary had “Year of the Girl” and “To Get Her There.” Remember the slogans “Brownies Can Do Anything” from 1972 or “Strength in Diversity” from 1994? The Cookie Program and Fall Product change their slogans every year too!
As Girl Scouts, we know that no matter what state, city, or neighborhood a girl lives in, she can join us as a troop member or Juliette. We do not care what a girl’s family finances are, what, if any, religion they practice, or what race or nationality they are. We will welcome her. Our tagline lets everyone else know.