Most established businesses have documented brand guidelines which direct how their brand should be presented – not just how it looks, but how it sounds as well.
These guidelines help to ensure consistency and coherence across all touchpoints.
It’s fair to say the visual components of a brand tend to get the most attention, perhaps because it’s relatively easy to spot whether the correct logo has been used or the colour palette, fonts or iconography are ‘on brand’.
For a variety of reasons, many businesses find it difficult to define and document their tone of voice, also known as brand voice. Why is it so hard?
Tone of voice sounds nuanced
To begin with, tone of voice is subjective so there may be differences of opinion on what tone best represents the company.
Indeed, the process of documenting a company’s tone of voice demands you have a deep understanding of the organisation’s mission, vision, values, and target audience.
As marketing and communications professionals know all too well, it can also be difficult for a company to document their tone of voice in a way that is both specific and flexible enough to apply to a variety of channels and contexts. Finding the right balance between being specific enough to be useful, but flexible enough to be applicable in different situations can be tough.
Add to that the difficulty of ensuring a consistent tone of voice at every touchpoint. It requires a concerted effort to maintain the same tone of voice in all communications – especially if lots of staff, agencies and freelancers are contributing.
Still, when done well, a distinct tone of voice can set your business apartment from its competitors and help you to communicate your brand message effectively.
In brand guidelines, brand voice typically addresses three things. Here’s an example:
Tone
Our brand voice is confident, friendly, and approachable. We speak in a conversational and informal tone, avoiding jargon and technical terms.
Language
We use simple, clear, and direct language that is easy to understand. We avoid complex words and phrases that might be difficult for our target audience to understand.
Personality
Our brand personality is optimistic, innovative, and adventurous. We want to be seen as a company that is always looking for new and exciting ways to improve our products and services.
There are many brands and businesses that have a distinct tone of voice:
- Coca-Cola’s tone of voice is warm and upbeat.
- Virgin’s tone of voice is humorous, irreverent and adventurous.
- Deloitte’s tone of voice is professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy.
- IKEA’s tone of voice is friendly, approachable and down-to-earth. More on that in a moment.
Something you might not yet realise about ChatGPT is it is able to adjust its tone of voice to your query.
To illustrate, we asked ChatGPT to explain the circular economy in a variety of tones and voices and for difference audiences.
Kanye West
Yo, it’s your boy Kanye West here, and I’m here to tell you about the circular economy. You see, the circular economy is all about keeping resources circulating and not just wasting them. It’s about being smart with our resources and not just using them up and throwing them away. It’s about making sure we’re not just taking from the earth, but giving back too. It’s about making sure we’re not just living for today, but thinking about tomorrow. It’s about making sure we’re not just making money, but making a difference. It’s about being sustainable and being responsible. It’s about being a true innovator and a true visionary. It’s about being a leader, not just a follower. It’s about being Yeezy, not just being average. So let’s all come together and make the circular economy happen, and let’s make the world a better place for us and for future generations.
A six year old
Okay, so you know how when you play with your toys and then you’re done with them and you just throw them away? Well, the circular economy is like the opposite of that. Instead of just throwing things away, we try to find ways to use them again and again. It’s like recycling, but even better! We try to make things that can be used over and over and not just used up and thrown away. It’s like taking care of our planet and making sure we have enough resources for everyone to use. Like, if we use things over and over, we don’t have to keep taking more from the earth, and that’s good for the earth and good for all of us! It’s kind of like when you share your toys with your friends, it’s more fun when everyone gets to play with them. And it’s the same with resources, it’s more fun when everyone gets to use them. So that’s the circular economy, it’s all about using things over and over so we can take care of our earth and have fun with it too!
IKEA
At IKEA, we believe in creating a better everyday life for the many people. And one way we do that is by embracing the circular economy. It’s all about designing products and processes that keep resources in use for as long as possible. We believe in using resources in a smart and sustainable way, so that they can be used again and again. We want to create a closed loop where nothing goes to waste, and everything is reused, repurposed, or recycled. Because at IKEA, we believe in creating a better everyday life for the many, today and for generations to come.
Nature (scientific journal)
The concept of a circular economy represents a shift away from the traditional linear model of resource extraction, consumption, and disposal towards a closed-loop system in which resources are kept in use for as long as possible, extracting the maximum value from them before recovering and regenerating them. This not only conserves resources, but also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating new economic opportunities.
The circular economy is based on three core principles: designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems. This can be achieved through strategies such as product design for longevity and recyclability, sharing and rental models, and closed-loop production systems where waste is reused as inputs for new production.
Recent studies have shown that transitioning to a circular economy has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, it can also create jobs and stimulate innovation, as well as promote social and economic development.
The circular economy has gained momentum in recent years, with several governments and companies committing to circular economy principles and practices. However, the implementation of circular economy strategies remains in its infancy and more research is needed to fully understand its potential and to identify the most effective policies and practices to facilitate the transition.
In conclusion, the circular economy represents a paradigm shift in the way we think about resource use and waste, with the potential to create a more sustainable and resilient future. The scientific community must continue to investigate and understand the implications of this new economic model to support its implementation.
So much has already been written about the extraordinary power and potential application of machine learning models such as ChatGPT. If the bot can teach you one thing today, let it be this: It’s not just what you say, it’s the way that you say it.
