Does a dorky slogan doom a brand to failure? It hasn’t done so yet for the Cleveland Indians, whose fans have adopted “It’s Tribe Time Now” as their postseason war cry. I suppose it’s an advantage that you can shift the words around without losing the sense, as in “Now It’s Tribe Time” or “It’s Now Tribe Time.” Or it can be used as an exhortation, albeit one that sounds like a pregnant woman telling her mate it’s time to rush to the delivery room: “Tribe, It’s Time Now.” Still, the phrase doesn’t exactly sing. This hasn’t stopped Clevelanders from adorning the stadium’s Bob Feller statue with an “It’s Tribe Time Now” shirt, though. Or from buying tons of Tribe Time merchandise. Still, if the Indians fall short of World Series victory, people may wonder whether better copywriting might have put them over the top.

—Posted by Mark Dolliver