Taglines are meant to be quick, memorable expressions of what a product or brand stands for. But too often, they’re forgettable, confusing, or lack meaning for the very people they’re designed to attract. So, why do product taglines so frequently fail?

They Focus on the Company, Not the Customer

One of the most common tagline mistakes is speaking from the brand's perspective rather than the consumer’s. For example, a company might emphasize its heritage (“Proudly Innovating Since 1910”) or its ambition (“Pushing Boundaries Daily”). While that might feel meaningful internally, customers are usually thinking: "What can this do for me?"

They Don’t Reflect Real Needs or Motivations

A tagline should speak to a customer’s need—what they’re trying to achieve, not just what the brand offers. People don’t buy a mattress to own a mattress—they buy it to sleep better. If a brand’s message doesn’t align with that goal, it won’t resonate. This disconnect is one reason why some product messaging feels superficial or vague.

They Rely Heavily on Buzzwords and Broad Language

Phrases like “Inspiring Innovation” or “Excellence Redefined” might sound impressive, but they’re often too generic to stick. Without a clear link to the customer's world or experience, these types of taglines blend into the background noise of the marketplace.

Signs Your Tagline Might Be Missing the Mark

• Customers don’t recall your tagline
• Your tagline could easily describe a competitor
• You need to explain what it means
• It doesn’t connect to a specific customer benefit

Ultimately, the issue isn’t creativity—it’s clarity. A product tagline should be simple, specific, and built around what the customer cares about most. That starts with understanding the context in which they hire your product to solve a problem, something the Jobs to Be Done framework helps clarify. But before we introduce that approach, let’s break down why many traditional tagline strategies come up short.

Even with strong internal branding and experienced marketing teams, traditional approaches to tagline development often fall short when it comes to customer connection. These legacy methods tend to lean on surface-level insights or industry clichés—both of which can lead to vague, low-impact messaging.

Inside-Out Thinking Skews the Message

Marketing teams are often so immersed in the brand’s features, mission, or competitive edge that they forget to step into the customer’s shoes. Traditional tagline strategy starts by asking, “What do we want to say?” instead of asking, “What does our customer need to hear to choose us?”

This approach might produce technically accurate taglines, but it risks being tone-deaf to what people are truly looking for—value, ease, confidence, or personal relevance.

Overemphasis on Creativity Over Clarity

While a clever turn of phrase has its place, cleverness alone doesn't create connection. If a tagline sounds great in a boardroom but takes a paragraph to explain to a new customer, it’s not doing its job. Traditional strategies often mistake wordplay for impact, and in doing so, lose clarity and relevance.

They Ignore Functional and Emotional Drivers

People choose products based not just on what they do, but how they make them feel. Traditional product messaging often leans heavily on functional benefits—“fast,” “durable,” “easy”—without connecting to the emotional reasons behind a purchase. That’s where taglines lose engagement and memorability.

Common Results of Traditional Messaging Approaches:

• Taglines that lack differentiation in saturated markets
• Over-reliance on internal brand pillars rather than user insights
• Mismatch between tagline promise and user expectations
• Underperformance in marketing channels due to weak resonance

These patterns show why even an experienced team can struggle to write better product taglines in a conventional setting. Without grounding the messaging in real customer motivations—the 'why' behind the buy—taglines can miss their full potential.

That’s where the Jobs to Be Done framework shines. It helps marketers shift their focus from what the product is, to what the customer is trying to accomplish. Up next, we’ll explore how JTBD helps you fix weak product taglines and create messaging that resonates far more effectively.

Many brands struggle with product taglines because they craft messaging from the company’s perspective, rather than the customer’s. The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework flips that approach by focusing on the real outcomes customers seek. Instead of asking, "What does our product do?" JTBD asks, "What does our customer want to achieve, and how do we help them get there?" This shift makes your tagline strategy more effective by aligning your words with actual buyer motivations.

Focusing on the Job, Not the Product

Think of JTBD as a way to understand the situation your customer is in, the problem they’re trying to solve, and the progress they hope to make. This context helps you create product messaging that positions your product as a clear vehicle for that desired progress.

When crafting taglines using JTBD, consider:

• The situation: When and where is the product being used?
• The motivation: What result is the person seeking?
• The obstacle: What’s preventing progress?
• The emotion: How does accomplishing the goal make them feel?

What This Means for Your Tagline

Traditional taglines often tout features or generic benefits. JTBD-inspired taglines speak directly to the customer’s intent, making the message far more compelling and relevant. For instance, instead of saying, “Fast. Reliable. Affordable,” a JTBD-informed tagline might say, “Skip the stress of last-minute projects.” Both describe a benefit, but only one shows how it fits into the customer’s real-world need.

By grounding your messaging in real customer needs, JTBD helps you:

• Create more emotionally resonant taglines
• Avoid vague or interchangeable phrasing
• Improve message clarity and conversion rates
• Differentiate in a customer-focused way

JTBD Is Not Just for Product Teams

While originally developed for product development, the JTBD framework is a powerful tool for marketers and brand strategists. Applying it to your marketing messaging – especially taglines – ensures that every word works harder to clarify value, relevance, and resonance.

Unlike traditional copywriting advice, JTBD gives you a deeper reason for why your message works: it meets a specific need in a specific moment. That’s what turns a tagline from forgettable to memorable.

Seeing how the Jobs to Be Done approach improves product taglines can bring the concept to life. Let’s take a look at how leading brands have shifted their tagline strategy to align more closely with customer needs – and how that change made their messaging more effective.

Example 1: Dropbox

Before: “Simplify Your Work”
After (JTBD-aligned): “Keep life organized and work moving – all in one place.”

Why it works: The new tagline speaks directly to the job users hire Dropbox for: making life easier by keeping files, tasks, and projects organized. It taps into the emotional benefit of saving time and stress while adding clarity and specificity.

Example 2: Headspace

Before: “Meditation Made Simple”
After: “Be kind to your mind.”

Why it works: Instead of focusing on the mechanics of the product (meditation), the revised tagline speaks to the underlying motivation – self-care and mental well-being. It's purpose-driven and emotionally connected, reflecting a core job the user wants done.

Example 3: TurboTax

Before: “Get Your Taxes Done Right”
After: “You do life. We’ll do taxes.”

Why it works: The revised messaging positions TurboTax as a facilitator of the customer’s life, not just a tool. It captures the user mindset and reframes the service as a job reliever – customers don't want to “do taxes,” they want to get back to their lives with peace of mind.

Key Takeaway

Each of these improved taglines follows a similar pattern: shift from company-centric language to customer-centered insight. By prioritizing what people are trying to accomplish – and the frustrations or aspirations tied to it – you build a stronger emotional bridge.

This JTBD approach to creating product taglines helps you:

• Clarify real use cases
• Acknowledge customer context
• Create emotional impact
• Offer specific value instead of generic benefits

If your current messaging feels vague or underwhelming, consider what job your customer is hiring your product to do. That insight can spark a tagline that not only grabs attention – but also drives action.

If you're new to Jobs to Be Done, applying it to your brand messaging might feel complex at first. But you don’t need to be a research expert to start seeing results. By asking the right questions and shifting your viewpoint, you can start building product taglines that resonate and convert.

Step 1: Interview Your Customers – or Listen More Closely

The foundation of JTBD is understanding the customer's goal. You can gather this insight through simple conversations, customer interviews, or even reviewing support tickets and product reviews. Some questions to explore include:

• What triggered them to search for your product?
• What were they hoping to fix, avoid, or achieve?
• What other solutions had they tried, and why didn't they work?
• How did using your product make their life easier or better?

Look for themes in motivations, frustrations, and language. These are clues to the job your product is being “hired” to do.

Step 2: Rewrite Your Messaging Around Progress

Once you understand the customer’s desired progress, use that insight to shape your product tagline. This doesn’t mean you need to use their exact words – but your messaging should reflect their goals and mindset.

For example, instead of saying, “The fastest project management tool,” a JTBD-informed approach might say, “Finally finish projects without the chaos.” The shift is subtle but powerful: it shows empathy and gets to the heart of the job.

Step 3: Test and Learn

No tagline is perfect out of the gate. Treat your messaging like a living experiment. Try A/B testing different tagline options on your website, digital ads, or email subject lines. See what resonates, and refine based on real feedback and data. Remember – JTBD helps you start with stronger assumptions, but customer response still leads the way.

Calling in the Experts

If you're unsure where to begin or want structured support, working with research partners like SIVO Insights can help. We bring human-level discovery and tested research methods to uncover what your customers truly care about – and how to turn those insights into taglines that connect.

JTBD doesn't replace creativity; it guides it. By grounding your ideas in real customer needs, you create taglines that reflect the lives your users live – and the experiences they want next.