All Copy Should Aim to Be Google

Take note of the title of this post. “All Copy Should Aim to Be Google”. Normally I take this space to critique a piece of copy which annoys me for one reason or another. But in this case, I am doing the exact opposite. As a writer who spends a lot of his time crafting copy and working up human/SEO friendly copy, I am constantly looking for the best of both worlds: an article, a paragraph, a sentence, a tag line which not only pops off the page but also gets picked up by the almighty Google algorithms.

However from the copywriters point of view, the most important feature of Google is that the word Google has become so embedded with our culture that it is a synonym for search. In a normal conversation when you hear someone say, “I am going to Google that”, or “Google that”, or “Google it”, you know exactly what it means. You know it means that person is going to search for something via Google. This is an amazing achievement in not only excellent brand services but in brand awareness. For a brand to take the place of a defined word is an incredible achievement.

Google

But let me ask you something, what is Google’s tag line? What is the brand name tag of Google? Do you know? Have you ever heard anyone ever state it? Without Googling it (“Googling” – another amazing milestone of Google) do you have any idea what the Google tag line is?

Search, Ads & Apps

Google: “Search, Ads & Apps”. “Search, Ads & Apps” is the tag line of Google. The tag line was announced quietly in 2007 however I can’t remember a single time Google ever really openly advertised it.

What is Google’s Tag Line?

Which, if you think about it, goes against everything copywriters stand for. They stand for tag lines. For brand awareness. For powerfully persuasive copy designed to lure a consumer in and make him walk through the marketing door into the sales funnel. Google doesn’t do this. Google, as far as I know, is one of the only globally recognized brands without instantly come-to-mind brand tag line. And this is where Google is genius. Google doesn’t advertise a tag line because the name Google is so recognizable, so instant, so indexed, so ingrained in culture that “Search, Ads & Apps” simply isn’t needed. This alone should be the goal of every copywriter, marketer and brand guru alive. The goal of every copywriter shouldn’t be “Just Do It” or “All Day I Dream About Soccer”. No, the goal should be Google. It should be having an effective enough service, in both application and marketing, that the consumer simply remembers the brand name. Google. It’s genius. It’s short. It has ultimate staying power.

One more thing, don’t believe me that Google has a tag line which they never seem to use or announce? Google it.