How does a brand find its tone of voice?
Here are six takeaways on tone of voice
How can I make the energy transition more understandable for customers? How can I get employees excited about the changes? And how does a heat pump actually work? Gone are the days of simply delivering; today, energy companies must explain, surprise and inspire. In short, they need to give interchangeable products a distinctive voice. Kirsten Lenz, Lead Copy and Concept, shows us how brands achieve this, using our client Yello as an example, and explains how language can be used to convey positive energy. Let’s go!
Listen, listen, listen!
The tone of voice is where the brand meets the target group. But what does your target audience want to hear? Our advice: ask first. Then listen. Even before the relaunch, Yello’s tone of voice was bold, self-confident and free of corporate platitudes. The idea is to retain the unconventional approach while allowing new tones.
It makes sense to look inwards.
The Tone of Voice Principles, i.e. the guidelines that define the character and characteristics of the Tone of Voice, are derived from the purpose, values or brand role. And in such a way that it intuitively feels good and right.
Relevant messages are needed.
At Yello, the brand-defining tone of voice principles of ‘refreshing’ and ‘optimistic’ are joined by two more that ensure the messages are relevant and consistent. This forms the basis for making the yellow in the language appear brighter and yellower.
Long live the guideline!
The guideline is the go-to place for all tone-of-voice queries. Ideally, the text in the guideline should convey the desired language. Last but not least, it provides a useful basis for generating texts in the brand’s language. What makes the implementation at Yello special? Read on to find out!
Design and language
So, finally, the focus is only on language, and then it’s all about design? Yes. Because with the right design, every message sounds twice as good. At Yello, tone of voice and design are created based on the same overarching tonality, with constant consideration of the other area.
I make the world as yellow as I want it to be.
The Tone of Voice should start with the brand, not the product.
In other words, brand comes before product. The result: While not all energy brands speak with the same voice — that would be boring — they do so in a way that suits their respective brand personality and target group. This is particularly pertinent if the product itself has nothing to say.
I make the world as yellow as I like it.
An energy brand can be whatever it wants: loud, colourful, bold… The important thing is that it matches the brand’s DNA and personality.
For anyone who wants to know what Yello sounds like, feels like, and looks like, click here for the case study: