It is often obvious when the client is the copywriter for their companies tagline. But seldom is the result this aggregious.

“Experience the power of the source of all your paper, packaging and facility needs. – Unisource.”

Wow. I really should not have to make any comment. “the power of the source” ? Huh? Yeah yeah I GET the horrendous pun but seriously, it makes my ears bleed. Yes, it does convey something about them and what they do… but in 14 words?

They were trying too hard. Puns are the copywriting hack equivalent of condom dispensers in bathrooms. If you’re at the point you have to use one, god help you.

They are created in advertising by lower level intellects who do the word jumble every week, and not the NYT crossword puzzle. They want to show how clever they are that they ‘got it’ immediately… In what they don’t know is demonstrating their intellectual inferiority.

It’s a slightly higher level version of the retarded kid with the shiny blue ribbon. So excited they are.

There is a reason that copywriting, especially taglines, should be left up to people who actually know words not in See Spot Run books. It’s an art of precise communication.

The tagline is not so you get it, it’s so your consumer quickly and succinctly gets the message.

Yes, the above tagline does communicate that they are in paper and facilities. But it does communicate anything differentiating. “the power?” you could insert any brand into that because it does not communicate anything. It just sounds cool.

“The power of communication”
“The power of knowing your customer”
“The power of technology”
“The power of being there for you”
“The power of power management”

It’s just linguistic bullshit and does not mean anything. But it’s a nice big testosterone ladden word.

You get what you pay for.