Twenty-five years ago Nike unveiled its still iconic slogan “Just Do It”. It’s a phrase that has – for decades – been embraced for inspiration by athletes, entrepreneurs struggling to get a business off the ground, cancer patients battling through chemo, and people trying to muster up the courage to ask the person of his/her dreams out on a date. It means stop procrastinating and start doing – no excuses.  There were so many times when I heard that slogan in my head when I needed to find the true grit to push through something scary or painful, to make a major life change with no safety net.  I trust most of you can relate…right?

Wear the Cape is excited to announce our tagline: Better Than That™.

From the skate park to the locker room, you’re “better than that” means do what’s right, not what’s easy. It says, “Rise above the level of negative influences.” And it’s a phrase that’s meant to inspire others to reach their greatest potential (Wear the Cape is harnessing it as a reminder to self, too – check out the bottom left hemline of our tees!).

Better Than That™ is about knowing what you’re worth. The phrase captures what Wear the Cape is all about to me– emboldening good character and kindness. Wear the Cape adopted Better Than That™ as a way to tell our loved ones that we believe in who they are and to tell the world, “I know my value, and I’m striving for my behavior to reflect that.”

I fell in love with this phrase when I thought about its broad reach and deep meaning.  I was so in love with Better Than That™, I went out and found myself a lawyer to trademark the phrase for Wear the Cape. Trademarks – uggh….what an education that was!  It was cool to work on the trademarking though, and I was amazed to hear my kids (who are still all under six years old) talking about our trademarking journey and which “marks” are and are not available.  I guess we are never too old or too young to learn new things!

So, what did we do with our beloved trademark of Better Than That ™? As I mentioned above, our tees have BETTER THAN THAT™ printed upside-down along the bottom left hem. This unique placement is so the person wearing the shirt can read the phrase as a reminder to live up to his or her worth (i.e., you are better than being provoked by negative peer pressure, and even if/when you make mistakes, you’re better than your behavior…and your subsequent actions should show that).

• Cyber bullying someone via social media? Come on, you’re BETTER THAN THAT.
• Not doing your homework? You’re BETTER THAN THAT.
• Excluding someone from a game at recess or at lunch? You’re BETTER THAN THAT.
• Lying to your parents about your plans for the night? You’re BETTER THAN THAT.

One of my all-time favorite movies is Rocky Balboa. In one of the scenes, Rocky says to his son:

Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth…not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!

Wear the Cape, be Better Than That ™.