Copy deconstructed: Green Flag

A tale of two straplines. This week: the challenger brand comes out swinging.

Part two

Last time, I considered The AA’s strapline – ‘Because anything can happen’ – (you can find the post here: www.dhirubhai.net/hp/update/6181788079028789250) and the upshot was that I found it a bit uninspiring. Cynical, possibly.

It’s a different story over at Green Flag, however. Their line (which has been around since 2013 – who knew?) is the altogether-more-positive ‘No matter what’.

Get in. If I’d come up with that, I’d have treated myself to an early finish and a couple of pints of continental lager (the expensive stuff).

The positives

1)   This is all about tone. The two lines are saying pretty much the same thing; the only difference is how they’re saying it. In essence, the message from Green Flag is: ‘We’ve got your back’.

2)   When you can work a well-known idiom into your strapline, you’re off to a flying start. ‘No matter what’ is a phrase that the audience will already recognise. This helps when it comes to trust, engagement and recall.

3)   Brevity always wins. There’s nowt wrong with a four-word strapline, but it’s better (punchier and more memorable) if you can do the job in three.

4)   Some might say that having a negative (‘no’) in a strapline is taboo. I’m sure that a discussion was had about this during the creative process and I’m glad that the team stuck with it.

5)   This is a slightly brave strapline in that Green Flag have clearly chosen not to explain what they do – there’s no mention of ‘breakdown’, ‘cars’ or ‘assistance’, for example. It demonstrates the strength and confidence of the brand.

Where the copy could work harder

1)   I’m sure ‘No matter what’ is a Boyzone song. And that’s a bit of a worry.

The last word

Well-judged and well-executed. Gold star stuff.

What do you think? Have I got it wrong? Got something to add? Let me know!

Are you the copywriter?

All the above is just my opinion. No offence is meant and I know (too well) that the path from concept to reality can be arduous, with external input and inflexible brand guidelines. If this is your piece of work, I’d love to hear your thoughts.