You Are What You Say... "At its best, a corporate slogan is like a Japanese haiku -- a highly concentrated form of expression that attempts to communicate an essence, a distilled truth loaded with meaning and significance. ... GENERIC IS BAD." That's the way Ivan Levison sums up the pros and cons of corporate taglines in his July marketing newsletter.

Levison writes about his favorite slogan -- Think outside the bun. "Playing off the pun on 'Think outside the box,' Taco Bell is able to instantly position itself against hamburgers. The line is saying, 'Hey, you want fast food? You don't have to go to McDonald's or Burger King.'"

So has any real estate service provider distilled its essence into a compelling tagline? Well, I visited dozens of real estate service providers' home pages looking for inspiration. Hmm. What I found was pretty generic fare. Not much seasoning. But maybe that's the nature of the real estate beast. What do you think?

CB Richard Ellis ... "Navigating a new world"

Colliers International ... "Global breadth. Local depth."

Cushman & Wakefield ... "Global real estate solutions driven by talent, resources and results"

Grubb & Ellis ... "Property solutions worldwide"

Insignia/ESG ... "Excellence in commercial real estate"

Jones Lang LaSalle ... "Providing innovative real estate solutions for occupiers and investors worldwide"

Marcus & Millichap ... "Creating and preserving wealth for our clients"

Newmark ... "Real estate and financial services"

Sperry Van Ness ... "Experience the power of cooperation"

TCN Worldwide ... "Sharing your sense of ownership and accountability"

Who's missing? Send me your favorite taglines, slogans or catchwords. Does all this directly impact corporate branding? Maybe yes, maybe no. Check out Mike Lipsey's new survey of the Top 25 Real Estate Brands at www.lipseyco.com. Good food for thought.

--Peter Pike