Powerlines

“Car 54 Rides On”

Ask any American man of a certain age if he can recite the theme song from the popular early ’60s sitcom, Car 54, Where Are You? and he’ll most likely burst out singing:

“There’s a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn’s broken out in fights. There’s a traffic jam in Harlem that’s backed up to Jackson Heights. There’s a scout troop short a child. Khrushchev’s due at Idlewild. Car 54, where are you?”

Why do such lyrics endure? Catchy phrases that combine music and words to deliver a message are memorable. Such “powerlines” become part of each person’s individual memories and makeup, as well as the cultural lexicon. Powerful words can awe, inspire and move you to vote a certain way, buy a product or change your thinking. Unfortunately, new millennium marketers have not yet produced the caliber of powerlines that dominated advertising in the mid-20th century.

Powerlines and Brands

Powerlines follow six basic rules:

1. Powerlines must be honest, and portray a real or invented but accurate experience. They should differentiate a product from its competition.
2. If a powerline works, don’t change...