Give up the idea that your brand’s tone of voice is just a ‘tone of voice’:
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It needs to be flexible enough to work in different channels
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It needs to deliver engagement to the attention you pay for
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It needs a more sophisticated definition than just 4 adjectives
Why skyscrapers are OK in Manhattan but not downtown Mountain View, Ca.
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At 10,000 ft, an area’s ‘narrative’ is clear: they kind of place it is, what it believes in, what it doesn’t allow |
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At 1,000 ft, the personality of the narrative flexes to suit the different uses in each area or neighbourhood |
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At Ground Level, choices about details are consistent with the personality and the area’s overarching narrative |
A modern, flexible, engaging brand voice needs to be defined on 3 levels
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At 10,000 ft, define your world, what you believe in, what you don’t allow |
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At 1,000 ft, define your personality so that it suits the overarching narrative and can respond to different uses |
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At Ground Level, define the words and phrases you do/don’t use, to make sure you reinforce the personality and the narrative |
Language shapes thinking. Shape your language and you shape your customers’ thinking:
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Define your brand voice comprehensively on all 3 levels
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Train your writers
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Test and iterate
Corporate narrative, tone of voice guidelines, copywriting and writer training?
Contact Chris West: chris@verbalidentity.com