Striking the right tone to engage consumers
How brands and retailers talk to their consumers is now more important than ever. Not only does communication across all channels need to be instant, consistent and reflect a brands personality, it often needs to capture a standpoint on sustainability, social issues and sometimes a political point of view. Here are some examples from a diverse range of brands and retailers who are striking the right tone.
Patagonia is well known for their strong stance on sustainability, support for environmental causes and and for expressing a political point of view. This comes through in their tone of voice which is often anti-authoritarian and occasionally designed to shock. Patagonia are also known for getting across strong messages in very few words, such as their concealed ‘Vote the assholes out’ message, that was stitched onto the reverse of care labels during the US election. Other hard-hitting communications include the much-talked-about Black Friday campaign a few years ago, fronted by the statement ‘Don’t buy this jacket’ to encourage consumers to think before they buy.
Patagonia generally use a matter-of-fact tone of voice that often suggests meanings that go deeper than the words themselves. This approach can be seen in everything from their mission statement ‘We're in business to save our home planet’, through to their no-nonsense product descriptions that simply outline necessary product details and usage.
Handmade cosmetics brand LUSH has an uplifting, honest and playful brand personality that comes through in their communications. LUSH’s ‘food market’ inspired store signage includes ‘Feed your face - with fresh fruit and veg' and 'We really do put the whole fruit in’. This playful style extends to product descriptions such as bath bombs called Eggy Wegg, Follow the White Rabbit, Intergalactic and Love Me Do. The words of LUSH fans are also brought into the mix as consumer reviews, comments and experiences support online product descriptions.
LUSH also carefully balances their serious side when talking about ethical and environmental subjects. LUSH’s stance against animal testing ‘fighting animal testing’ is an example of LUSH using short, punchy statements to drive their ethical message home while incorporating an element of humour.
Peter Pizzeria, an independently run Italian pizzeria, has a tone of voice that is direct and reflects a very dry sense of humour. Not taking itself seriously and often taking a pop at social media, messaging is entertaining and creates an impression of the people behind the brand. Statements in and around the restaurant such as ‘Come and try the worst pizza one guy on trip adviser ever had in his life’ and ‘I’d eat here – The Owner’ are supported by other quirky messages on pizza boxes, napkins and signage. Overall the language used helps to build an experience of the brand that goes beyond the food and décor, and to top it all the pizza is amazing...
Within the store environment we created for Ultimate Outdoors, everyday simple language is used to get across what is often complicated technical information, alongside end-use scenarios to help customers make the right product choices based on their needs. As an outdoor retailer providing everything needed for an outdoor life, the overall tone of voice captures a feeling of the outdoors, building in references to exploration and adventure.
Laid-back furniture brand ‘Loaf’ has adopted a tone of voice both online and in its ‘slowrooms’ (Loaf doesn’t have showrooms it has ‘slowrooms’), that makes you feel as relaxed as you would enjoying some time on one of their sofas. Warm, chatty and playful the brand have aligned their communications with positive emotions and made-up words.
This tone of voice is included instore on wayfinding graphics and signage that are inspired by retro cinemas and sweet shops, such as ‘Now Snoozing’ and ‘Hang Loose’ just to mention a few. Loaf’s cosy and witty style extends to the product names and descriptions within their sofa range that includes ‘Bear Hug Sofa - If this sofa were a person, they’d welcome you with open arms, a cheery smile and have you quickly installed for a good old brew and a natter,’ and ‘Sugar Bum Sofa – Those who know how to binge on a box set will hopefully be in seventh heaven. Just put your bum in position and let this squish monster do the rest!’.
Although the tone of voice used in communications by all of these brands is very different they have several things in common:
- Captures a unique brand personality and point of difference compared to competitors
- Builds an engaging story around products and ranges
- Utilises short, instant and punchy statements that drives the core message home
- Applies a consistent tone of voice across all channels of communication
- Includes humour that appeals to the target market and often includes a double meaning
- Gets across technical or detailed information in a simple, easy-to-understand way
- Builds upon the bigger picture of what the brand is about and stands for
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4 年I thought I recognised Pete's Pizza Jenny! This tone of voice, emotional engagement and memorable story telling makes a huge impact and remains in customers' minds.