The tone of voice is key to targeting and engaging audiences; particularly now when social media channels are the main interaction point between brands and consumers.
Another thing driving the increasing importance of tone of voice, is market saturation. The internet and technology innovations mean that competition isn’t restricted to down the road, the same city or even the same country for many sectors. If you think you’ve got a unique idea, the internet quickly helps you realise otherwise. So if you can’t say different things to your competitors, the way you say it becomes the point of difference.
Here are a few brands that I think effectively use tone of voice to help their brand stand out.
Aussie Hair
Aussie hair embraces the Aussie stereotype and use it to sell their brand. They’re laid back, tongue-in-cheek and entertaining. They manage to strike the right balance between not taking themselves too seriously but establishing credibility. They’re really consistent at bringing that tone through in everything they do which is the hallmark of a great strategy because everything feels so aligned. They use lots of exclamations and parenthesis which adds a really nice rhythm to their copy and helps to create their conversational style.
Skittles
You probably know the Skittles brand is designed to be a bit off-the-wall and zany because of their TV ads which proved very popular. But have you ever been on their website? Firstly it flies in the face of most well-known brand websites. The Skittles website is actually just a Tumblr page which basically reads as the random ramblings of someone who has waaaay too much sugar, but it’s fun. As one Twitter user put it “It feels like a millennial trying to make friends, and I’m here for it” and that is exactly what I reckon Skittles is going for.
Harry’s
Harry’s was set up to be the opposite of Gillette. Gillette heavily focus on technology and science of their razors, and their tone is quite serious and over the top. Harry’s approach is simple and so is their tone of voice. It’s soft, warm and down-to-earth. Just like Aussie Hair, they still speak about quality and credibility, they just don’t over-egg it and avoid jargon. The end result is an experience that feels really far removed from the Gillette one.
These are some examples of brands nailing their tone of voice to help differentiate them in the market place and really engage their audiences. If you would like help crafting and executing your brand’s tone of voice then simply get in touch with Orb and let’s talk Plan B — https://www.thisisorb.com/contact-us/
