In the movie the Sunshine Boys, there was a bit of dialogue between an old comedian and an upstart on what was funny. “K is a funny sound”, was a piece of advice. Cab is a funny word, but taxi is not funny. Kumquat is funny, peach isn’t funny. Cucumber is funny, lettuce is not funny.  

By themselves, these words aren’t funny. What he was getting at is that if you have a choice of words in a joke or a one-liner, choose the funny sounding word. Same theory applies for a funny slogan or a catchy slogan. The sound of the words matters.

An example is found in the old Coke slogan, “The pause that refreshes”. If they had said the “break” that refreshes, it would have meant the same thing. But the word “pause” sounds much more relaxing.  When you think of pause, you think of sitting back, relaxing and having a Coke.

On the other hand, the McDonald’s slogan, “You deserve a break today” was a catchy slogan because it sounded more upbeat. Busy people in a hurry need a quick break to recharge. If they had said, “You deserve a pause today” the meaning, at least technically, would have been the same, but the slogan would not have the same sound. It would not have rung true.