Tone of voice comparison: Levi’s vs Nike

Levi’s and Nike are two big companies with two big visions of the world.?

Levi’s is the quintessential “American” clothing company, with a cultural impact so strong their jeans were banned in East Germany during the Cold War.

Nike meanwhile is the archetypal “sports brand”, which became associated with elite athletes such as Michael Jordan during the fitness boom in the late 20th century.

In this article, we'll examine how these differences play out in terms of brand tone of voice.

The text will include a fun section that likens Levi’s brand personality to Marlon Brando and Nike’s to Serena Williams.

Imaginary brand voice narratives

Levi’s brand voice narrative is rooted in an eternal quest for adventure. Company DNA feeds off a bold and restless pursuit of unexplored places.

Let’s see how this story compares to Nike.

Nike’s brand voice narrative is all about winning, winning for yourself, winning for your team, winning for your community. From social posts to Superbowl commercials, this heroic story of triumph galvanizes comms.

Now we understand a bit more about the narratives of the two brands, let’s conceptualize some tonal values.

Tonal value #1

Levi’s: rugged informality

“Rebel rebel, you've torn your dress Rebel rebel, your face is a mess Rebel rebel, how could they know? Hot tramp, I love you so!” – David Bowie

Founded in 1853, Levi’s remains a rebel at heart. To show this is true, copy is often informal, truncated, and conversational. The asset below, for example, looks like it’s been written by a cowboy poet who found a permanent marker in the latrine after an afternoon on the beer.

Nike: Overload

At the gym overload is when you put an extra five kilos into your dumbbells and fall over.? At your desk, overload is when you push a pun beyond its normal limit or stick an extra compound adjective into a sentence that already looks full.

Tonal value #2

Levi’s: Like YOU want

Nobody owns Levi’s except the people who wear Levi’s. This is a brand of the people, so the brand bashes around the second person pronoun, “you”, absolutely everywhere.

Nike: Crew before you

Nike isn’t just about winning cups and competitions. It’s also about winning the world. This is a brand on a mission to substitute tired, worn out thinking with fresh, new ideas.

Doing stuff like twisting idiomatic expressions is a great way to start breaking down the stereotypes. ?

Tonal value #3

Levi’s: timelessness

Levi’s jeans fade, but the brand doesn’t. Look at the copy, and you’ll find a very specific set of vocabulary choices. Words like “classic”, “iconic”, and “legacy” crop up a lot. This is because the brand might have been born in the nineteenth century, but that doesn't stop it from seeing itself as eternally roaming the universe's wind-swept plains.

Nike: Modernismo

Always quick to the point, this is a brand that doesn’t just want to stay young, it is young. So, the language stays fresh with cute little tricks like alliteration sprinkled here and there for an extra lols. ?

Which famous person embodies the spirit of the company?

Levi’s: Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando died in 2004, but his spirit lives on in the minds of cinema goers everywhere. He was great playing the old guy. He was great playing the young man.

In the Godfather, his rough voice could cut down opponents with a few words. In the Wild One, considered to be the original biker outlaw movie, he was the epitome of rough masculinity.

In short, Brando caught the hearts of the nation, and his wild but streetwise nature reflects Levi’s values.

Nike: Serena Williams

One of the world’s biggest icons, Serena Williams is as relentless as an entrepreneur today as she was on the court in the past. She’s not afraid to speak her mind as an advocate for change, and her champion spirit makes her voice invaluable.

An intelligent and energetic woman, with a superhuman serve and forehand, Serena’s cool, trendy, and highly driven. Just like Nike.

Agree? Disagree? Strongly disagree?

Do you agree with me about the Levi’s and Nike tones of voice? Have I got it right or completely wrong?

Let me know in the comments below.

#Nike #Levi #Copy4Poetry