My husband thinks my job is bollocks.

I don’t know if there’s something in the water right now but in the last month I’ve ended up in conversation with a startling number of companies who’ve told me that “brand voice stuff just isn’t for us”. And it’s making me want to pull out my own brain through my nostrils with a pair of tweezers.

Because it shows me that far too many companies still don’t actually understand what a tone of voice is.

They’re like my husband, who, when we first got together, told me quite cheerfully that he basically thought brand voice sounded like a load of bollocks. Because he hates anything gimmicky or where he feels like he’s being ‘marketed at’. He likes to buy from companies that keep things simple and straightforward - you know, companies that “don’t bother with all that ‘hilarious’ quirky waffling and just get to the point”.

But what he didn’t realise (although I’m sure you can imagine just how quick I was to educate him) is that those brands he likes so much for talking in a straightforward way have actually put just as much time and effort into the way they communicate as those quirky brands he hates.

He’s not noticing a difference between businesses that have a voice and businesses that don’t – it’s the difference between businesses that have a voice he actually likes, rather than one he doesn’t.

And this is what so many companies, still, fail to grasp - that 'having a brand voice' doesn’t presuppose any particular style or way of talking to your audience.

It’s not some niche thing that’s only for fun, off-the-wall brands like La Vie or Who Gives a Crap. Or bold, edgy brands like Tony’s Chocolonely or Thug Kitchen. Or brands selling ‘fun’ things like shoes or diamonds or holidays or beer.

Brand voice doesn't equal hilarious quirky waffling.

It simply equals making sure that the way you talk to people doesn’t only convey information about what you do as a business but also paints a picture of what you’re like. (Whether you’re wacky and irreverent, calm and traditional, or anything in between.)

Your company inevitably has a voice. There’s no escaping that. Every brand is in the same boat there.

But what that voice sounds like? That’s entirely up to you.

So don’t be like my husband (before I reformed him) and write off brand voice as some bullshit buzzword that’s got nothing to do with your business because you're “too serious” or “no-nonsense” or have "got a more conservative audience”.

A voice isn’t some frivolous gimmick that only lightweight brands need to bother with. It’s a serious tool for building trust and establishing a connection with your audience.

And those are things no business on earth can function without.

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My husband thinks my job is bollocks.

Here's why he's wrong. And why you might be making the same mistake...

Because it shows me that far too many companies still don’t actually understand what a tone of voice is.

They’re like my husband, who, when we first got together, told me quite cheerfully that he basically thought brand voice sounded like a load of bollocks. Because he hates anything gimmicky or where he feels like he’s being ‘marketed at’. He likes to buy from companies that keep things simple and straightforward - you know, companies that “don’t bother with all that ‘hilarious’ quirky waffling and just get to the point”.

But what he didn’t realise (although I’m sure you can imagine just how quick I was to educate him) is that those brands he likes so much for talking in a straightforward way have actually put just as much time and effort into the way they communicate as those quirky brands he hates.

He’s not noticing a difference between businesses that have a voice and businesses that don’t – it’s the difference between businesses that have a voice he actually likes, rather than one he doesn’t.

And this is what so many companies, still, fail to grasp - that 'having a brand voice' doesn’t presuppose any particular style or way of talking to your audience.

It’s not some niche thing that’s only for fun, off-the-wall brands like La Vie or Who Gives a Crap. Or bold, edgy brands like Tony’s Chocolonely or Thug Kitchen. Or brands selling ‘fun’ things like shoes or diamonds or holidays or beer.

Brand voice doesn't equal hilarious quirky waffling.

It simply equals making sure that the way you talk to people doesn’t only convey information about what you do as a business but also paints a picture of what you’re like. (Whether you’re wacky and irreverent, calm and traditional, or anything in between.)

Your company inevitably has a voice. There’s no escaping that. Every brand is in the same boat there.

But what that voice sounds like? That’s entirely up to you.

So don’t be like my husband (before I reformed him) and write off brand voice as some bullshit buzzword that’s got nothing to do with your business because you're “too serious” or “no-nonsense” or have "got a more conservative audience”.

A voice isn’t some frivolous gimmick that only lightweight brands need to bother with. It’s a serious tool for building trust and establishing a connection with your audience.

And those are things no business on earth can function without.

‍

Want more 'thought leadership' pieces that basically boil down to the fact that everyone who isn't me must be an idiot? Sign up to get my editorials dropped into your inbox every month.

‍

‍