Most slogans fail one quick check: the swap test. Replace your brand name with a competitor’s and the line still works. That means it belongs to nobody. The 12 prompts below force ownership — a specific stance, a specific verb, a specific phrase — and include diagnostic prompts you can run on slogans you already have.
There’s research behind the format constraints, not just taste. A 2014 study in the Journal of Business Research analyzing real brand slogans found the most-liked slogans averaged about 4.9 words and the most-recalled averaged about 3.9 words, and that lines built from content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) beat lines padded with function words. That’s why these prompts cap word counts and push for verbs. Pair this set with brand story prompts for the long-form positioning behind the line.
TL;DR
- Run each prompt, then kill every line that survives the swap test with a competitor’s name in it.
- Keep candidates to 5 words or fewer for the headline slogan; that’s the sweet spot for recall.
- Lead with a verb or a stance, not an abstract noun (“be your best self” is dead on arrival).
- Stress-test the finalist with prompt #12 before it goes near a media buy.
Which model to use (June 2026)
These prompts are model-agnostic, but the output quality differs by job:
| Job | Pick (June 2026) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Final lines that sound human | Claude Opus 4.7 / Sonnet 4.6 | Strongest pure-writing tone; least “AI voice” to edit out |
| Fast, wide ideation (50+ raw options) | GPT-5.5 (ChatGPT, Thinking) | Quickest divergence; good at riffing on a verb |
| Research-informed, in-Workspace work | Gemini 3.1 Pro | 1M-token context; pulls in briefs and past campaigns |
Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus are both $20/mo as of June 2026; Google AI Pro (formerly “Gemini Advanced”) is $19.99/mo. One get-ryze field write-up reported Claude-drafted ad copy outperforming on click-through in their tests — treat that as directional, not gospel, but it tracks with Claude’s reputation for tone. Practical move: brainstorm wide in GPT-5.5, then have Claude rewrite the top 8 to remove the AI tells.
Best for
- Product launch campaigns
- Brand refresh and repositioning
- Seasonal and tactical campaigns
- Internal rallying cries
- Sub-brand and product-line slogans
- Localizing a global slogan to a new market
1. 5-word slogans
Brand: [name + 1-line description]. Target audience: [persona]. Write 12 slogans of 5 words or fewer. Mix 5 tones: confident, gentle, playful, contrarian, direct. Apply the swap test: cross out any line that works for a competitor. Mark top 3 with one-line reasoning.2. Slogans for a specific stance
My stance: [opinion that brand stands for]. Write 8 slogans expressing this stance directly. No vague "be your best self". Each 7 words or fewer. At least 2 should risk alienating people who disagree — that's the point of a stance.3. Slogans built on the product’s verb
My product's core action is [verb]. Build 6 slogans around that verb. Examples: "Ship faster.", "Read smarter.", "Walk further." Each must lead with or end on the verb. No abstract nouns.4. Anti-positioning slogans
Most brands in [industry] promise [common claim]. Write 6 slogans that take the opposite stance honestly. Each 8 words or fewer. The reversal must be defensible in real copy — not just edgy for its own sake.5. Long-form tagline + short slogan pair
For [brand], write 5 pairs: long-form tagline (15 words or fewer, explains positioning) + matching short slogan (5 words or fewer, memorable). The short one must be derivable from the long one — same idea, compressed.6. Slogan localized
Slogan: "[slogan]". Adapt for [language / region] keeping the spirit. Don't literal-translate. Note any cultural references that needed to be swapped, and flag any wordplay that doesn't carry across.7. Slogan critique
My current slogan: "[slogan]". Critique on 3 axes: is it ownable (passes swap test), memorable (7 words or fewer, rhythm), evocative (image or feeling)? Score each 1-5 with reasoning. Then suggest 5 stronger variants.8. Slogan for internal team
Write 5 internal rallying cries for [team] working on [goal]. Voice: real, not motivational-poster. Examples: "Ship the rough thing.", "Default to action." Each must sound like something a senior person would actually say in standup.9. Slogan from customer language
Here are 10 verbatim quotes from [brand] customers describing what they love: [quotes]. Extract the recurring verb or feeling, then write 6 slogans built from that real language. Don't sanitize the phrasing — keep the texture.10. Slogan that ages well
For [brand], write 6 slogans that will still make sense in 5 years. Avoid: current slang, trend references, hot-take politics, AI/web3/crypto hype words. Test each against "would this be in the brand book in 2031?"11. Slogan paired with a visual treatment
For [campaign], write 5 slogans where each line implies a clear visual treatment: a freeze frame, a split screen, a sequence. Describe the visual in one line per slogan so the creative team can read both together.12. Slogan stress-test
Slogan candidate: "[candidate]". Run 4 stress tests: (1) swap test — replace brand name with 3 competitors; does it still work? (2) sarcasm test — can a hater easily mock it? (3) 6-month test — will it feel dated? (4) literal test — what does it actually claim, and can you defend it? Score and recommend.How to run a real selection round
A slogan you ship is the survivor of a cull, not the first thing the model spits out. A workable loop:
- Diverge. Run prompts #1, #2, and #3 and collect 25-30 raw lines into one doc.
- Swap-test cull. Delete anything that survives prompt #12’s swap test with two named competitors.
- Read aloud. Cut anything you stumble over or can’t say in one breath — rhythm is half of recall.
- Pressure the top 5. Run prompt #12 on each finalist; keep only lines that survive all four tests.
- Localize last. If you go global, run prompt #6 per market after the English line is locked, never before.
Common mistakes
- Generic “be better” / “your best self” slogans that any brand could claim
- 12-plus words long — too much to repeat back
- No stance — pleasant words that say nothing
- Slogan and tagline conflict because nobody wrote both together
- Localized by literal translation, killing the wordplay or rhythm
FAQ
How long should a campaign slogan be? For the headline line, aim for 5 words or fewer. The recall research points to roughly 3-4 words as the most memorable and ~5 as the most liked, so 5 is a defensible ceiling. Use the long-form tagline (prompt #5) when you need to explain the positioning.
Which AI is best for slogans right now? As of June 2026, Claude Opus 4.7 or Sonnet 4.6 gives the most human-sounding final lines, GPT-5.5 is fastest for wide ideation, and Gemini 3.1 Pro is strongest when the line has to draw on briefs or past campaigns in Google Workspace. A two-model flow — GPT-5.5 to diverge, Claude to polish — beats either alone.
Can I trust an AI slogan straight out of the box? No. Treat the model as a divergence engine, not a decision-maker. The selection round above (swap test, read-aloud, stress-test) is where the real work happens, and it’s all human judgment.
What’s the swap test exactly? Replace your brand name in the slogan with a direct competitor’s. If the line still reads as true and on-brand for them, it’s generic and you cut it. A line that only makes sense for you passes.
How do I keep a slogan from feeling dated in a year? Run prompt #10 to strip trend words, hype terms, and current slang, then sanity-check each finalist against “would this still be in the brand book in 2031?” Verbs and stances age well; references and slang don’t.
Related
- Brand story prompts
- Ad creative prompts
- Brand positioning statement prompts
- Product description prompts
Tags: #Prompt #E-commerce #Slogan