Why your brand’s tone of voice is much, much more than just ‘tone of voice’

Give up the idea that your brand’s tone of voice is just a ‘tone of voice’: A brand's tone of voice can drive business results just as much as its visual identity. But in the last 10 years, the number of channels a brand language needs to be in have exploded. It's no...

What is tone of voice – an overview

What is Tone of Voice - an overview. Introduction: Please note, this text was generated by an ai platform given the prompt 'Tone of voice - an overview' and I'm testing out its effect compared to other posts. If it wins, I'm retraining. Tone of voice is the way in...

Using Behavioural Economics for copy

You can use behavioural economics for copy. Will they help? Yes. Better than 'real creativity'? Here's what Chris West recently posted: Behavioural economics tricks are good to know. But their effects are trivial and short lived, compared to real creativity. There are...

What’s wrong with most tone of voice in tech?

Truth is, you can't change everything about your brand's tone of voice. Not all in one go, anyway. The big problem we see in tone of voice in tech is that there's too much, erm, tech. Most of your clients aren't as knowledgeable as your CPO. So what should you change...

Communities of Practice for copywriters

What are Communities of Practice? And how can you use them to help your copywriters? Back in 1991, two cognitive anthropologists, Jean Lave and Etienne Wegner, discovered something remarkable. Street gangs don't use agenda. But still they seem to thrive through...

Brand purpose writing

Brand purpose writing

I want to ask CMOs about their brand purpose writing. Is it good enough? This came out of a keynote speech I was asked to give by the Financial Services Forum in London on 16th June 2022. Along with the panel, I was asked whether I thought Purpose contributed to a...

Shouldn’t Your Brand Be More British?

Shouldn’t Your Brand Be More British?

Is this #EndofDays? For 'British' as a desirable value, I mean. Listen to UK radio and it's the woke brigade who's ruined it for everyone else. Two minutes later, there's never been a better time to be British. What's going on? What should brands do? Should you brand...

How to write so bad news doesn’t sound worse.

How to write so bad news doesn’t sound worse.

Started talking about the 'I' word yet? (Hint: 9 letters. Which is equal to the % rate it's now running at.) It's time to relearn how to write those tricky emails to customers. Find a way to talk about price rises. And do it without hurting your brand. Writing can't...

The batman

The batman

Don't let up. Don't change your mind because the plan isn't working. Change the plan.   Don't stop wearing a blue and yellow ribbon because it's getting old. Keep wearing blue and yellow because - because - this situation is getting old. Keep watching the little...

Show your support to Ukraine

Show your support to Ukraine

I am shocked by what's happened in Ukraine this week. I am watching with horror what's going on there. For the last 14 days, work's seemed trivial. I am coming to the view that if you aren't doing something, however small, to actively support Ukraine, then you are...

Are you speaking your clients’ language?

Are you speaking your clients’ language?

In this article, Chris West explains the importance of your brand language when it comes to speaking to your clients or anyone who comes across your company. Discover the 3 levels on which all language is working by clicking the link below:  

What will be the Word of 2022?

[Dec 31st, 2021: What will be the word of 2022?] Quite a few people have written about the new words of 2021 and what they represent about society. Language and new words are always interesting because it represents what society is thinking. But we've not seen anyone...

The best kind of copywriter training?

Smart teams need nourishing. And we all want the best kind of training. Whether that's general training or copywriter training. But what if we don't have all the training budget we want? Buying someone in your department a book often does a lot of the same job. £15...

Think Again – Adam Grant.

Think Again – Adam Grant.

How many times have you been convinced you know what to do, then things don't work out how you expected? Apparently, the smarter we are, the more we struggle to update our beliefs. Time to read "Think Again" by Adam Grant. Why read Adam Grant?  4x NYT best-selling...

The PA’s role at Verbal Identity

hello Chris West, our CEO, is looking to find someone bright and resourceful to free up his time. The PA will be running: some admin tasks some research email handling booking tickets etc digital marketing admin (e.g. posting via Buffer to sites) other tasks depending...

How to choose a tone of voice agency

How to choose a tone of voice agency

8 things to think about when choosing your tone of voice agency Good writing is good for business. And choosing the right tone of voice agency means your brand cuts through, you don't overspend on media and, well, you get to sign off version 2 instead of version 22....

The full stop lives on in Fashionland

The full stop lives on in Fashionland

A linguists’ stroll down Lamb’s Conduit Street.   The full stop is a relic of WhatsApp-free years gone by. Or so it might seem, until you set foot on the achingly hip retail avenue that is London’s Lamb’s Conduit Street, where artfully placed full stops are this...

What’s your brand narrative?

What’s your brand narrative?

Popular conceptions of brand narrative are fundamentally wrong. But this doesn’t mean some narratives aren’t more enduring than others. Here are our favourites for branding. Previously, we discussed universal narratives (read here). Despite what you may have read,...

Why do brands need narratives?

Why do brands need narratives?

And how do you give a tangible narrative to an intangible product?   So, why do brands need narratives? Simply, brands need narratives because our brains are wired to look for them. We were able to evolve from a chaos of noises, opportunities, over-stimulation...

DIY brand voice audit

DIY brand voice audit

Why you should – and how you can – audit your brand’s voice   BEFORE YOU CHANGE YOUR BRAND VOICE – MEASURE HOW IT’S DOING. We’re working with brand owners all around the world to make their brand voice more distinctive, more valuable. One thing I always say is...

How to help technical people become storytellers

How to help technical people become storytellers

How do you help exceptional people tell exceptional stories? Here comes the science bit…   So It’s odd. Three times in the last month, with three different clients, I’ve been asked the same question: “Our experts keep confusing their audiences with technical...

Every business needs an elevator pitch

Every business needs an elevator pitch

How to make people notice first time around To you, it’s obvious why your offering is going to change lives. But you don’t have time to talk every investor, partner or potential customer through all the reasons why. This is where an business elevator pitch makes all...

Luxury Vs. Ultra-luxury

Luxury Vs. Ultra-luxury

How the world’s most expensive car brands speak and speak differently.   After 6 pm, London’s Mayfair is a mini-Monaco. Light bounces off the chrome detailing of supersized ultra-luxury cars, sitting nose-to-pipe outside exclusive members’ clubs. Meanwhile, a...

Why you need an elevator pitch

Why you need an elevator pitch

The curse of knowledge: you know what’s special about your offering, but it’s so intuitive, you’re having difficulty explaining it to other people. The fix? An elevator pitch. Learn why you need one and how to make your own.

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