Think Before You Slogan: Why Your Food or Drink Brand’s Message Matters

In the world of food and drink branding, a great slogan can be your most powerful marketing tool. 

It’s the phrase that lingers in customers’ minds, gets repeated at dinner tables, and sometimes becomes part of pop culture. 

But a confusing or poorly worded slogan can do just the opposite—muddy your brand message, make your audience cringe, or even turn them away.

Take Pepsi’s recent slogan: “Living it, not liking it.” At first glance, it feels like a rallying cry for passion or authenticity—perhaps Pepsi is trying to align with a bold, unapologetic lifestyle? 

But dig a little deeper, and the meaning becomes murky. “Not liking it”? For a product you’re asking people to drink and enjoy, that wording seems counterintuitive. 

Some viewers have even interpreted the advert as suggesting that Pepsi isn’t something you’re supposed to like—just something you endure. Hardly the message you’d want to send about a drink you are trying to market.

This highlights a crucial truth for any business, especially in food and drink: words matter.

Your slogan isn’t just decoration—it communicates your values, personality, and promise to the customer. 

It's often the first impression someone gets of your brand. If it doesn’t make sense, or worse, gives off the wrong impression, it can undermine everything else you’re trying to build.

What Makes a Great Slogan?

Here are a few principles to keep in mind when crafting your own slogan:

Clarity over cleverness: A pun or twist of phrase can be memorable, but only if the meaning is clear. Confusion is the enemy of engagement.

Speak to the benefit: Your slogan should hint at why your product is worth trying. Is it delicious, comforting, energising, or indulgent? Say so.

Stay on brand: If your business is fun and quirky, your slogan can reflect that. But don’t stray so far into quirkiness that your core message gets lost.

Test your ideas: Run your slogan past people who haven’t been involved in creating it. Their first impressions can reveal whether it’s landing the way you intend.

Bottom Line

Whether you're selling artisan chocolate, local craft beer, or a new plant-based snack, don’t rush your slogan. It should earn its place alongside your logo, website, and social media presence as a key brand asset. Learn from the big players—not just from what they get right, but from the missteps too.

Because at the end of the day, you don’t just want people “living it.” You want them loving it.