How do you strategically create a branded tone of voice and is there a framework you can follow?
Filed Under Strategy
The strategic decisions influencing a branded tone of voice affect your perception. Learn how you can use a strategic framework to construct a suitable tone for your brand’s messaging.
Ever wondered why some brands feel right, the moment you read a single message from them? Such instant recognition isn’t by magic. It’s the result of a deliberate, strategic process. Welcome to the strategic world of branded tone of voice – the unsung hero of brand expression.
While many brands obsess over logos and colour palettes, far fewer invest the same energy in how they are conveyed in words. Yet, your brand’s tone of voice can be a key difference between being lost in the endless noise or being unforgettable.
Beyond the Logo: What’s Really Behind a Brand Identity?
A brand identity has two aspects to its identification: one is visual and the other is verbal. Visual identity is the seen brand – think logo, typography, imagery, motion and layout. It’s the style of dress your brand wears to meet its audience.
In contrast, your verbal identity (including your branded tone of voice) is how your brand speaks, writes and expresses itself through language. It’s how your brand holds a conversation, tells a story or shares an opinion. Literal identifiers are things like your Brand Name, Product Names (aka Nomenclature), URL, SEO Snippet, Terms of Reference and even the Navigation Terms you choose. It all communicates who you are.
While visuals are surface expressions, how you speak to your tribe It is a deeper, more intimate affair, one capable of building instant impressions and lasting relationships. While pictures can express a thousand words, the latter are used by brand communicators to prevent ‘slippage’ in meaning a picture can convey.
Crafting a Linguistic Profile
At the heart of a brand’s verbal identity is its linguistic profile – the building blocks of brand language. This includes vocabulary choices, rhythm & cadence, sentence structure, formality and grammatical style. Are you characterised as more Reserved or Enthusiastic? More Formal or informal. More Sophisticated or Quirky. Do you communicate with Brevity or Verbosity?
This linguistic DNA creates a consistent tone across all your branded touchpoints – from web copy to social captions to customer service replies. As they say, you cannot ‘not communicate’ and every choice is colouring your brand’s perception. So we need to be strategic in our choices. Using a strategic brand framework for our tone of voice will help discover the right tone for your brand.
What Shapes Your Branded Tone of Voice?
A strongly branded tone of voice draws from three key elements:
- Your Brand’s Personality – Is your brand bold and energetic, or calm and nurturing? Personality traits form the foundation of your tone – like they do in the people you know
- Your Audience’s Expectations – You need to speak in a way that resonates with your audience’s world. A wellness brand that sounds too aggressive or ‘salesy’ will clash with its community’s more authentic leanings
- Your Market Positioning – Are you a challenger brand in a stuffy sector might adopt a rebellious, cheeky tone to stand out. Meanwhile, a heritage brand might lean into elegance and authority
Driving Creative Decision Making
Your branded tone of voice must flow from your overarching brand strategy. The clearer your brand purpose, values and positioning, the easier it is to make linguistic decisions that align creatively and commercially.
As author and communication expert Ann Handley puts it:
“Tone of voice isn’t what you say. It’s how you say it – it’s the secret sauce in your content.”
Tone of Voice in Action: Nike vs. Lululemon
Let’s compare how two leading sports brands express themselves as a natural outcome from strategic decisions governing their branded tone of voice.
Nike’s tone is bold, punchy and inspirational. It speaks like a coach. Short sentences. Strong verbs. Urgency and empowerment. “Just do it!” is beyond a slogan – it’s a command that demands and inspired action.
Contrast that with Lululemon, who expresses a calmer, wellness-focused tone. They speak with a more gentle, encouraging softness, using empathy with their tribe. It’s not about pushing limits – it’s about balance and personal growth. Their tone feels like a ‘vegan yoga teacher’ versus Nike’s ‘steak and beers track coach’.
Both brands are in the same category, but their brand Tone of Voice strategy has defined them and set them apart, helping them to connect deeply with their respective communities.
A Checklist for Your Branded Tone of Voice
Use this checklist to describe your brand’s tone of voice and shaping characteristics:
- What are your three core brand personality traits?
- Is your tone formal, semi-formal or casual?
- Should your tone feel more inspiring, informative or entertaining?
- Do you use contractions (you’re, it’s), or prefer more precise, formal structures?
- Are you more abstract or concrete in your language?
- Should humour play a role in your tone?
- How do you handle negative topics or bad news?
By answering these questions you can begin to define the strategic, creative guardrails for your brand’s literal identity.
In summary
Your branded tone of voice is not a side project – it’s a strategic asset. A well-defined strategy for your branded tone of voice ensures every word reflects your mission, every sentence builds consistency and every paragraph earns trust.
In a world of visual overload, the way your brand sounds might be the one thing that truly sets you apart.
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Your brand’s literal identity is comprised of several components- each one is building a perception about your brand. The TOV is arguably the most important as it is used across all your brand touch points, from digital surfaces to physical ones.
Your brand’s tone of voice is comprised of key creative choices used to construct your linguistic profile – when applied to your messages, these consistently applied choices form your brand’s TOV.
The tonality must be driven by and aligned to your brand’s strategy, before being applied and rigorously managed in every instance.
Your TOV must colour all your brand communication in a consistent tonality. You are not seeking conformity but consistency. Therefore not all touchpoints will sound identical. Your brand’s social voice will be more casual than your C-Suite’s comms but each will embody your character principles and share a similar linguistic profile.
Tone of voice isn’t what you say. It’s how you say it – it’s the secret sauce in your content.
