Brands, just like people, have a voice – the tone, manner and personality of communication that distinguishes one personality from another. Brand Voice is a more specific and highly useful tool for marketers to create and manage the unique personality of their brands over time.
In the clutter of the modern marketplace there are three essential hurdles all brands, large and small, must overcome with their audiences to enjoy competitive advantage:
Your brand must be heard.
Your brand must be recognized.
Your brand must be remembered.
The Blake Project, the brand consultancy behind Branding Strategy Insider, offers a one-day creative development workshop for corporate communication and marketing executives to develop the foundation of their unique brand voice to help everyone in the organization tell the brand’s story in a consistent and compelling manner.
More importantly, the brand must tell the right story. A story based in purpose and the shared values that shape the organization delivering on the brand’s promise. Aligned with the brand’s identity (who the brand is), brand voice establishes the distinctive personality of your brand that builds deep emotional connections with customers, employees, strategic partners and stakeholders. Brand voice is what you say and how you say it that will differentiate and resonate.
Through highly facilitated, interactive discussion and team exercises, participants will gain clarity, confidence and consensus in the strategic and creative decisions they will make in building the foundation of their brand voice.
In The Brand Voice Workshop participants will make strategic decisions in these important areas:
Defining the brand’s archetype.
The “familiar” characteristics and themes therein that enables your brand storytelling to be mythic and memorable. Within the context of the brand’s archetype, participants will map archetypical associations to the brand’s identity, brand purpose, and brand expression.
Defining the brand’s personality.
The shared values that bond your brand to its audiences. This is an expression of the values that shape your organization and the perception of audiences – not only through brand messaging and content (what you say), but also by emotional and empathetic expression (how you say it).
Defining the range of your brand voice.
This is about the dynamic range of your brand voice. How far your brand voice can extend and still remain relevant and adaptable to different marketplace conditions. What mood, tone and manner are required to say the right things, the right way, at the right time?
Defining the language used in brand communications.
This is more than simply selecting words. The language your brand speaks in must be language your audience speaks in as well. Clear and effective communication begins with understanding and comprehension. Are your messages clearly heard, quickly recognized and easily remembered? The Brand Voice Workshop is commonly delivered in conjunction with The Brand Positioning Workshop and The Brand Storytelling Workshop.
Who should participate in The Brand Voice Workshop?
The nature of this workshop requires strategic decision making that is usually in the domain of the executive and senior leadership of the organization most responsible for corporate communications, investor or public relations, marketing and brand management and marketing communications.
An executive summary will be provided following the workshop, outlining the core decisions and activities of the workshop. This comprehensive document will serve as a tool for effective internal brand engagement and maintaining the consistency of your brand voice across the organization, delivering on your brand promise from the inside out.
Please email me, Derrick Daye for more about how the strategic and educational versions of The Brand Voice Workshop can benefit your brand.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education
