How to Build a Company Personality - 2/3 - Tone!

The tone of your company’s personality is linked closely to your style, but is more to do with the attitude by which you want to deliver your message. Are you the kind of company that wants to be seen as cheeky, provocative, or passionate? The way in which you speak, or write, to your customers differs depending on how you want to be seen.

Let’s go back to Innocent smoothies. Their style is incredibly informal, but their tone is cheeky, funny and subversive. Just take a look at their contact page. One of the best things I knew about Innocent even before researching them for this book is that every bottle says you can drop into their head office, known as Fruit Towers, any time you like. This is part of their attitude and it’s delivered on their website like this:

“(The entry gate is on Kensal Road. Just in case you thought you had to scale the fence.) We’re closed on evenings, weekends and public holidays. If a 9-5 is good enough for Dolly, it’s good enough for us.”

Their attitude is more than just the words used, it’s part of the way they speak to their customers. This is their tone.

Another example is National Geographic. Their style is more formal and their tone is more passionate and focused on the facts. On their website they describe themselves as follows:

“The National Geographic Society is an impact-driven global nonprofit organization that pushes the boundaries of exploration, furthering understanding of our world and empowering us all to generate solutions for a healthy, more sustainable future for generations to come. Our ultimate vision: a planet in balance.”

Their tone here is of supreme integrity and honesty. They tell you their vision, they focus on how they aim to make a lasting impact and they feel passionate and knowledgeable about the work they do. The National Geographic Society is about conservation and that really comes through in their style, their tone, and in the final piece of a company personality - voice.

See you next time!