“Friendly greetings!” The Power of Personal Catchphrases
One of the nicest things you can do for other people is make yourself easy to remember. Instead of burning their brains trying to recall who you are and what you stand for, a personal catchphrase is a elegant anchor to the rest of you. It serves as a compact memory assistant that melts mental blocks. You don’t need to be a celebrity, but you do need to have personality.
Ever heard of Rodney Dangerfield? The man said:
“I don’t get no respect!”
thousands of times (are you seeing him in your head as you read this?), and he literally built a prosperous and durable comedy career based on that catchphrase. Let’s make no mistake, he was a versatile performer who chillingly portrayed an abusive father in Natural Born Killers, but to many, his sheer lack of received respect coupled with mannerisms like tie-tugging helped him be recognized and succeed.
Whether you love, hate them — or otherwise — Donald Trump’s “You’re fired” and Paris Hilton’s “That’s hot” are unlikely to leave your head anytime soon. And you can’t get much briefer than 2 words. As a type of meme, catchphrases’ brethren include LOLCATS and other Internet phenomena like the many parodies of 300’s “This… is… Sparta!” which are immediately accessible, and thus, spread easily. As Internet marketing guru Seth Godin (who’s coined catchphrases) sez:
“Ideas that spread, win.”
My catchphrase is “Friendly greetings!”, and I use it to introduce my Second Life video tutorials (with almost 3 million views) and other public activities. If you google for it in quotation marks right now, you’ll find I’m the #2 match with this image:
Without quotes, I’m still in the Top 10. This didn’t happen all at once, but in waves. Here’s my advice on popularizing yourself through a personal catchphrase so you can reap the rewards:
Your catchphrase must be natural
Don’t hunt for the obscure: just about all catchphrases consist of simple words that are easy to remember. And even alien quips like “Klaatu barada nikto” have a singsong quality which is pleasant, especially if you’ve not just read, but heard the original. If you have an opportunity, record yourself saying your catchphrase. It adds a dimension that’s impossible in text alone, and almost all catchphrases originated from being said out loud.
I stress that being creative doesn’t mean being alien — by appropriating words already familiar to other people, you’re well on your way. In fact, I’d hedge on “go for a catchphrase that sounds like it couldn’t be any more obvious”. Most people psychologically make the mistake of thinking “obvious = bad” when it can clearly be the opposite; my “Friendly greetings!” is certainly a fine example. And obviously, you need a catchphrase you’d say without sounding forced and artificial. It should connect with the surrounding conversation. This is why “Friendly greetings!” is such a strong lead to the rest of a discussion.
You can’t overuse your catchphrase
Family and friends may get tired of seeing your catchphrase, but the world has over 6.6 billion people and you’ll never, ever reach everyone who could possibly be interested in you and what you have to offer.
Note that I mentioned “personal catchphrases”, because while there are a lot of similarities to advertising slogans, your catchphrase is dependent on your delivery, not an inanimate object’s. If someone else says it, they’re likely either parodying or paying homage, thus spreading it further.
Also consider if others can be proud of sharing your catchphrase with their friends, bringing them in on you. You, first and foremost, must be willing to commence that fun.
You must often hear your catchphrase being said back to you
I feel sorry for Wayne Knight because of how Seinfeld typecast him with “Newman!”, but it’s better to be known than forgotten.
One of the simplest ways to tell if a catchphrase is working is if you put it out there and hear it echo back. I get awesome people saying “Friendly greetings!” back to me everyday, and one of the reasons it works so well is it’s an icebreaker and it’s comfortable to say.
Target audience matters too: Beavis (Butt-head’s buddy) may have had an affinity for proclaiming “I am Cornholio”, but it’s unlikely buttoned-up academics will be chanting that phrase too (unless they have a wild, secret, subversive streak).
Take 3-4 seconds and think about whether your catchphrase is something the people you target (whether it’s kinds of friends you want to make or a market niche you’re aiming for) will be able to relate to. If it works for you, it’ll attract like-minded people, I guarantee.
And be brave to throw away dead-end catchphrases (yes, you can have more than one — I’m working on boosting “Yayzerama!”); it’s pretty easy to tell in weeks if they’re starting to work or not, so drop the weight.
Your catchphrase must have a purpose
Even if your catchphrase doesn’t state the purpose, it’s pointless to have popularity without followup results. Is your catchphrase a hook to help you move product, get you gigs playing at parties (and hot dates afterwards), or simply to make you smile?
They can sound nonsensical and stupid, but catchphrases absolutely must do something good for you, and desirably, your fellow humans. Otherwise, why bother?
Share your catchphrase just about everywhere
If you can put your catchphrase in a blog post title and make it flow, more power to you — numerous SEO strategies observe that Google and other search engines weigh titles heavily. Flickr picture titles (as the one I showed you) and other opportunities to get your catchphrase seen matter, too. From experience, I’ve found this to be true.
If you’re self-employed or otherwise have creative control, your catchphrase should be on your business cards. This gives you a fab opportunity to create rapport by saying your catchphrase out loud as you give your card to a fresh acquaintance. (Alas, if you work for a company that already has strong branding and isn’t in the business of letting your personality help boost them, your individuality can’t shine as much.)
Remember the above steps and keep it terse yet memorable. All the best being catchy, and let me know your catchphrases in the comments!
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Torley
Torley amplifies your awesome with the useful and fun.
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Comments
JanetM says on July 22nd, 2008 at 9:22 am
Years ago, when I was pretending to be a Novell admin, I picked up the phrase, “Good $GREETINGTIME, $USERNAME” from the startup script. Since then, I have used “Good greeting-time, user-name!” as a casual hello. Obviously, I don’t use it in formal contexts.
JanetM says on July 22nd, 2008 at 9:24 am
Oh, and my other common catchprase is “Another haggis shortage averted!”, stolen from Marion Zimmer Bradley, and meaning, approximately, “We can disagree on this matter and remain friends” or “de gustibus non est disputandum”.
Shanel Yang says on July 22nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Friendly greetings, Torley! Thanks for another great post — useful, thought-provoking, and insightful points.
Mine is: “Be awesome! Be your own hero!”
Dot H. says on July 22nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Hmm, I don’t have a catch phrase. I’m not good at thinking up catchy titles or phrases, but it’s true that it instantly calls some people to mind when you remember their catch phrases. I’m remembering Billy Crystal on Saturday Night Live saying, “You looks MAHvelous!” in his Fernando Montalban impression. I guess catch phrases can sound a bit phony if we’re not careful. I’ll be trying to think of one now that I’ve read this thought-provoking idea.
Khaos Farbauti Ibn Oblivion says on July 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
When i started my blog years ago, i used “Que la paix soit avec vous” (may the peace be with you) a lot, not really as a catch phrase but more as a signature.
And it appears that now, readers expect to see these words each time i publish something personnal. I have comment from time to time telling me how my “text was great but the signature was forgotten”
Holly Hoffman says on July 22nd, 2008 at 11:38 am
“Travel well.”
My catch phrase evolved naturally from my favorite Buddhism quote: “It is better to travel well than to arrive.” So I always wish people to “travel well.”
Anonomya says on July 22nd, 2008 at 1:41 pm
“Denny Crane”! :)
jmbeauford says on July 22nd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
“Be Well” is what I typically say to almost everyone as we depart.
Another one I’m working on now is: “Be the hedgehog” which refers to Greek poet Archilochus which says: ‘The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing’.
With that, …”Be the hedgehog”.
Mary says on July 22nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
I have to catch phrases…. I teach middle school math, so when I introduce the topic of the day, say finding the slope of a linear equation, I would say “Slopes in a linear equation are our friends…” the are our friends part is something I say every time I tell the class what we’re doing that day. If I forget, the students finish saying it for me. At the end of class, they know they are dismissed when I say, “I have good day or not, the choice is yours.” They’ll say it at the end of class on their way out the door if I forget.
I even hear my “catch phrases” when I’m grocery shopping in the same store as one of my students or at a resturant where one of my former students is working. At least they remember something from class!
Ricky Spears says on July 22nd, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I don’t know if I would call them catchphrases or not, but I have had a few phrases over recent years that I’ve said frequently. At my last job, when people would ask me, “How are you?” I would usually respond with, “It’s still too early to tell.” For a while I responded with something a boss man form a previous job used to say, “I’m just proud to be part of it!”
Another thing I’m knows for saying is, “That’s a little more information that I need,” when people go into more detail about something than they should.
Most recently, when someone asks me a question right around lunch-time I’ll say, “That’s entirely too weighty of an issue to handle on an empty stomach. Let’s go get some lunch and then we’ll talk about it.” (I’m sur I was influenced by C.S. Lewis’ Uncle Screwtape on that one.) I usually get a good laugh and usually a lunch partner out of it.
Mike L says on July 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
This is a risky suggestion. As you’ve noted, it can backfire and become a source of parody behind your back. Or worse — to your face!
You don’t want to become “unforgettable” by annoying people with some trendy or pretentious slogan.
The aforementioned “travel well” and “be the hedgehog” work because they are slightly humourous and can prompt curiosity in the recipients about their origins.
Travis Helms says on July 23rd, 2008 at 2:10 am
I have a couple but, my favorite is:
“What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?”(and your point is)
Irishpolyglot says on July 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 am
I had this one I would always say in school: “Never!!!” with an evil laugh after it; said in the way you’d imagine Dr. Evil would say it. Used when asked if I was going to give up on something (argument or otherwise). I forgot all about it until I met an old school buddy a few weeks ago who used it to greet me!! It shows the power of what you are talking about.
An absolutely fascinating article; definitely something to consider!! My only issue is that I deal with several languages so I’d have to think of something clever, concise AND understandable across languages. Time to put the thinking cap on…
Laurie | Express Yourself to Success says on July 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
hmmmm…I’ve never thought of having a catchphrase - good thing I read your post! Now you’ve got me thinking.
I have a friend whose catchphrase is “It’s all good.” She’s the optimistic sort and finds the silver lining in any situation.
I’ll keep thinking of one for me…
Timothy says on July 23rd, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Mine will be “you can’t possibly be more fucked up”!
shelly says on July 23rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I am known to say, “Done is better than perfect”. I am also known for promoting “shooting for a C, not an A” and going on and on about the 80/20 rule.
I hope people don’t think I am a slacker!
Edward says on July 24th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Some of your people must be absolutely insufferable to work with. I have never read such bad advice in my life, and that’s a real disappointment coming from a site that I have had a lot of respect for over the past couple of years. Very disappointed that this garbage made the front page.
Dot H. says on July 24th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Oh, I just remembered, I had a catch phrase on one of my websites several years ago. It was, “There is more to life than increasing its speed,” quoting Gandhi.
Emory says on July 25th, 2008 at 10:19 am
I never really thought of it as a catchphrase, but I always say Life is Good.
Most passerbys and friends ask “how’s it going” not really expecting an anwser and I reply with Life is Good. I started saying it to remind me to look on the bright side.
I also have Life is Good stickers in my cubicle and on the car, so I’m essentially branding myself and using a catchprase.
Kellye L. Parish says on July 26th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I think mine would be, “I’m not even worried about it,” because I say it often. Sometimes sarcastically and sometimes to make a point about how dumb it is to worry about something trivial in the larger context. Sometimes followed by, “We’re all dying.”
I’ll say it if someone is stressed for owing me money, or especially if someone says something really pessimistic, like, “I heard it’s going to pour down rain today.”
A: “I’m not even worried about it.”
Just a comment about just being instead of being anxious, I guess.
Torley says on July 27th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Thrilled to hear from each and almost all of you here, with catchphrasey goodness! I read and reply to my comments on Lifehack.org and am appreciative you took the time to… be catchy. ;)
@JanetM: Haha, that’s great! I had a similar experience with a friend who did coding for Sierra-like adventure games. You can guess how that went.
I haven’t consumed Haggis… yes!
@Shanel: Friendly greetings, and you’re most graciously welcome. I want to read Cuckoo in Your Nest! but it seems my message didn’t get through? I shall ping ya again.
@Dot H: If it feels natural to you, then surely, it must not be phony. It’s true that great catchphrases can be exaggerated to humorous effect.
@Khaos: Intriguing story. “May the peace be with you” sounds a lot more classy in French!
@Holly: Oh! That sounds connected to “The journey is the reward”, and that’s lovely.
@Anonmya: Who is this “Denny Crane” ye speaketh of?
@jmbeauford: I’ve said “Be Well” as well, nowadays it’s more of “All the best” from me. I like the hedgehog quip even more, that’s a sleek reference!
@Mary: Now, that’s a fantastic example of a memorable catchphrase. I know some educational methods have used catchphrases and mantras to great effect… and I’m glad you hear yours repeated back to you as you’re out-and-about! Just like I wrote above, that’s indicative of a catchphrase’s power!
@Ricky: I like that you included your picture with your comment, because it eases me visualizing you saying your phrases out loud.
@Mike L: Yup, and if a catchphrase fails you, hopefully you can share another which is more successful. A subtle tint of curiosity (but not frustrating ambiguity) is wonderful for conversation-starting.
@Travis: I remember first learning about that one around the same time as “Is the Pope Catholic?” I took them so literally! Now I know better. :)
@Irishpolyglot: Haha, you have a great picture. I like the hat (is that the same as your thinking cap? ;) ) very much. Laughs are one of those things which you simply have to HEAR to “get”. Muhahaha.
@Laurie: “It’s all good” is like the reverse of a certain Depeche Mode title. Best of hope finding one!
@Timothy: And in which situations do you use that? o.O
@shelly: I’m a big Pareto principle fan too. I like to create successive works of art with new, unfolding ideas instead of trying to unload *all* the ideas into a single work (which is what perfectionists have a tendency to do, thinking something is “missing” but not viewing it in the “big picture” of their canon).
@Edward: Please explain more?
@Dot: Gandhi has many great quotes. I think he and Alvin + Heidi Toffler would’ve got along smashingly good.
@Emory: One of my fave movies is “Life is beautiful”. “Life is Good” is very simple, and very true. Cool to hear you’ve got stickers for it! Did you get them custom-printed?
@Kellye: That would’ve suited Donnie Darko excellently!
tekisui says on September 1st, 2008 at 11:50 am
Denny Crane is the character in the TV series Boston Legal, played by William Shatner.
He really made his name a catchphrase, really worth seeing.
E.g.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
Patrick says on October 18th, 2008 at 6:34 am
I use two catch phrases:
#1 “See you around the noodle factory.” (when I am leaving)
#2 “Drive fast” When someone else is leaving
Still looking for that great response to “how are you?”
Tudor says on January 15th, 2009 at 3:36 am
Supermaaaaaaaan!!!! :D
venus_star says on February 14th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Lets do the time warp again is hella kewl fer days. (fer days is another kewl one) and ‘nah man’ to wut ever someone says.. it really doesnt mater wut they say it will wurk anyway.