do as i say: the key to unlocking your brand voice

Do as I SayFinding Your Voice in a Crowded World

Do As I Say: The Key to Unlocking Your Brand Voice

@nancypekala

Do As I Say nancypekala.com @nancypekala

Choice of words and how we use them helps to build a consistent picture of who we are.

The way we say things is much more memorable than what we say.

While a brand has only one voice, it should alter its tone based on the purpose of the message.

Everyone in an organization needs to sound like the brand ….yet still be different depending on the audience and need.

What is Brand Voice?

• Voice is your communication style. (Quirky, Corporate, Personal)

• Voice is your personality. (Smart, Whimsical, Sarcastic)

• Voice is your vibe. (Confident, Competent, Energetic)

• Voice is your brand. (Innovative, Dependable, Contemporary)

PersonaPlayful

Inspiring Casual

Authoritative Warm

Professional

ToneAuthentic

HonestHumblePersonal

DirectAcademic

LanguageSimpleSavvy

Jargon-filledFun

SeriousWhimsical

PurposeInform

EducateEngage

AmuseMotivatePromoteEntertain

Brand Voice

Southwest Airlines Friendly

FedEx Straighforward

Forrester Authoritative

Yahoo! Personal

Virgin Tongue-in-cheek

W Hotels Surprising, indulgent

Progressive Fun, Whimsical

Step 1: Define Your Brand Purpose

» Why does your brand exist?

˃ Whom does it serve?˃ How is it different from every other brand?˃ What is the single thing about your brand you want every customer to

know?˃ Why is your brand special? What is it doing differently?˃ What do you wish would change about how business is done in your

industry?˃ Why does the world need your industry?˃ What does your brand stand for?˃ What is your brand’s point of view?

Target Hits Brand Voice Bulls Eye

Target: Serving Up Value

Intel: News You Can Use

Intel: Smart and Savvy

Kew: Escape and Enjoy

USAA Puts Its Principles Right Up Front On Its Website

GEICO: Customer-Centric

“A big part of our corporate mission is to encourage active, involved citizenship.”

“Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we all pull together?”“Not only do we

offer products that protect our policyholders and give them peace of mind, we also provide incredible opportunities to do more than just work here.”

Step 2: Define Your Brand Persona» Think of your brand as a person

˃ What does it look like?

˃ What kinds of activities does it like?

˃ What are its dreams?

˃ What is it emotional about?

˃ Who is it friends with?

˃ What kind of clothes does it wear?

Apple: Clear and Focused Brand Story

“We sign our work. You may rarely look at it. But you’ll always feel it. This is our signature. And it means everything.”

Apple: Simplicity Refined

Apple: A Well-Rounded Personality

Source: Jennifer Aaker, 1997

Your Brandon

Your Terms

Brand Attributes and Voice

What PERSONAL looks like

• Treat people as individuals• Think of communication as one-on-

one interaction• Use personal language (“How can we

help you?” vs “How can we be of help?”)

• Talk frequently about people, not policyholders or products

• Paint a picture with writing by using emotive quotes and case studies

• Use contractions. It makes writing easier to read.

• Vary sentence lengths. It keeps writing interesting.

• Sentences that begin with a conjunction is conversational and can make it stand out.

• Use descriptive language that people can relate to.

• Use adjectives that are specific.

What ATTUNED looks like

• Use active language• Craft sentences with active

subjects• Writing should be positive. Copy

is more engaging if it describes something that is happening rather than something that isn’t.

• Incorporate expressions of empathy and feelings

Brand Attributes and Voice

What STRAIGHTFORWARD looks like

• Use clear and simple language• Opt for short words over longer

ones• Avoid technical jargon• Refrain from using abbreviations

or acronyms

What TRUSTED looks like

• Write in an authentic voice. Be honest and don’t shy away from writing about difficult subjects.

• Express empathy in writing. Remember there’s a human being on the other end of your communication.

• Be consistent.

Oxygen: Confident, Current

MailChimp: Voice and Tone

Warby Parker: Witty, Sincere

Warby Parker: Company Values

Donald J. Pliner: Sophisticated Luxury

Donald J. Pliner: Distinctive

MetLife: Value, Commitment

Allstate: Caring, Concerned

Step 3: Apply the right tone» The right tone for the right audience

» The right tone for the right message

» The right tone for the rightchannel

What’s Your Tone of Voice?

» Warm but not gushing» Helpful but not cloying» Straightforward but not curt» Honest but not confessional» Playful but not zany» Witty but not sarcastic

Cancer Research UK: Tone of Voice

Cancer Research UK: Flexibility

Brand Voice

Editorial Promotional InformationalSocial

• Blog posts• News stories• Feature stories• White Papers• Newsletter

articles

• Social media channels

• Blog• Videos

• Annual Report • Infographics• Employee

communications• Customer service

documents• Transactional

documents• Business emails

Journalistic Focus Conversational Focus Marketing Focus Communications Focus

• Press release• Ads• Direct mail• Marketing

emails• Videos

Different Audiences, Different Channels

• Annual Report• Press Release• Forms/Invoices

• Blog Posts• Social media• Internal

communications

• News articles• Feature articles• White papers• Newsletters• Business emails• Infographics

• Ads• Brochures• Marketing emails• Video

StraightforwardDirectFormal

HonestTrustworthy

Factual PersonalConversational

EngagingInformal

Promotional

Formal Personal

Thrillist: Whimsical and Fun

Thrillist unleashes its funny, “bro” vibe on Facebook.

CarWoo: Engaging and Entertaining

Geico: Personal, Value

Chubb: Strength in being Straightforward

American Family: Home and Hearth

“Living your dream is always in season. “

Allianz: Direct, Attuned

Style Guidelines:» Abbreviations» Acronyms» Ampersands» Bullet points» Capitalization» Dates» Figures/Tables legends» Headings and titles» Initials» Italics» Titles (of individuals)» Numbers» References» Technical terminology» URLs

Punctuation Guidelines

» Addresses

» Colons/Semicolons

» Quotation marks

» Exclamation marks

» Hyphenation

» Spacing

Step 4: Use the Right Language

WordMap» Honest» Reliable» Competent» Dependable» Customer-focused» Helpful» Valuable» Positive» Benefits» Empathetic» Innovative» Creative

What words and phrases best map to your organization’s values?

Customer-focused

» Diverse» Warm» Personable» Trustworthy» Exceptional Service» Supportive» Integrity» Accountability» Stable» Security» Caring

» Superior performance» Specialized expertise» Financial strength» Quality» Teamwork» Winning spirit» Respect» Thought leadership» Consistency» Safety» Commitment» Empowerment

Trampoline: Fun, Fresh, Entertaining

Ocean Value: Fresh, Contemporary

John Hopkins: Innovator, Thought Leader

“We’re a business school designed to be among the best in the world. And determined to be the best for the world.”

John Hopkins: Problem Solver

“Timid doesn’t play well here. We believe that business, by embracing the bigger picture, has the power to change the world in a positive way.”

Oxygen: Consistent Social Media Voice

Sharpie: Colorful and Creative

Sharpie on Instagram:Creative and Fun!

Taco Bell: Irreverantly Intriguing

Taco Bell rules on Twitter with its weird but witty tweets.

Sephora: Informational, Educational

Addidas: Healthy and Helpful

Doubletree: Here to Help

ThinkGeek: Mastering Geek Speak

HUGE: We’re So Witty, Oh So Witty

Huggies: Engaging Mom and Dad

Discovering Your Brand Voice

1. Discover what makes people engagea) Use listening and monitoring to cull real-time engagement insightsb) Conduct a voice auditc) Identify and analyze engagement of key influencers and brand advocatesd) Measure engagement with real-time analyticse) Analyze search behavior

2. Develop a roadmap for a shareable voicea) Create workable content style guidelinesb) Conduct voice trainingc) Map messaging to story pillars

3. Monitor and measurea) Define analytics to measure voice impactb) Define positive measureable outcomes and actions (sales, reach, market share,

perception)

Source: Ketchum Digital

Unlocking Fundamentals of Brand Voice» Brand voice packs a powerful punch. The way you talk to people impacts

the bottom line.

» Voice comes from within. Everyone in the organization owns the voice.

» Voice is present in every niche of the company---from help centers to the CEO’s personality to the corporate website.

» Brand voice is unlocked, not learned; discovered, not concocted.

» BE the voice. Speak the way you write.

» Your brand voice should always sound like yourself.

» Your brand voice is unique. It should be difficult to replicate.

» Your brand voice should be consistent across all channels but the tone should match the purpose of the content and channel.

» Your brand voice should be flexible and grow as your brand evolves.

» Content should be written with the end user in mind.

» Writing should reflect your brand’s values.

More Fundamentals of Brand Voice

Cultivating Adoption of Brand Voice» Brand voice is an art, not a science. Resist the

temptation to regiment a brand’s language.

» Train staff to recognize when writing is adhering to the brand’s values.

» Encourage writers to put their own personality into their writing. Refrain from stifling writers’ own unique voices.

» Do allow writers flexibility to express themselves by writing in the voice of the brand.

» Don’t adopt a content-by-committee approach to writing. Good writing will get watered down and the writer’s original thoughts lost. The brand voice will invariably be sunk.

» Do change your tone---but not the voice---when speaking to different audiences.

“If you try to regiment a

brand’s language

you’re stultifying its

development.”John Simmons, Brand Language

Evangelist and Author

Do As I Say nancypekala.com @nancypekala

Thanks! Keep the Conversation Going! » Twitter: @NancyPekala

» Website: nancypekala.com

» Email: nancypekala@gmail.com

do as i say: the key to unlocking your brand voice

whimsical2013 nancy

contemporary2013 nancy

feelings2013 nancy pekala

rightchannel332013 nancy

brand stand

personal voice

brand special

sarcastic voice

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