The National Trust’s new strapline – Time Well Spent

The National Trust announces new strapline

Having spent time with a client today discussing the merits of corporate straplines I was fascinated to read about The National Trust changing their strapline. (To be honest, I didn’t actually know they had a strapline… and for the record, it’s ‘For ever, for everyone’). 

So why the need for change? Well let’s take the two parts of the existing strapline…

The first part: ‘For ever’ – merely reinforces the cynic’s preconceived idea that the Trust is there to preserve old relics, crumbling buildings and ancient works of art. ‘For ever’ reminds most people of turgid history classes and boring school field trips to stately homes – which seem to have been around, quite literally, ‘for ever’…

The second part of the old strapline: the ‘For everyone’ bit. I’m afraid ‘everyone’ just doesn’t fit the profile of the stereotypical National Trust member! You see, the National Trust is perceived as an organisation that’s run exclusively by – and for – old folk. Maybe that’s not true, but ask Joe Public about the average age of Trust members and I’d be surprised if they said under 70. 

And so to the new strapline. It’s a mini-masterpiece that cleverly changes perceptions amongst people who may previously have not been drawn to The National Trust. ‘Time well spent’ is aimed at encouraging visitors to have great days out without spending loads of cash. It’s far more inclusive and dumbs down ‘history’ into ‘time’. Neat, isn’t it?

Expect to see more of the new strapline over the next six months as the Trust tries to attract first-time visitors as well as boost repeat visits among non-members. Adverts will target a range of groups from active families in the run-up to the summer holidays and older people at less busy times.

With thanks to the article at Marketing Magazine

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