How to Find Your Own Brand Voice

Innocent smoothies have a lot to answer in this writer’s humble opinion. 

There was a solid five years where I couldn’t move for brands wanting to sound like Innocent. Launched in 1999, with very little marketing budget, they were probably the first brand that saw packaging as an opportunity to communicate to their customers. And it’s likely you’re well aware of their tone of voice; very twee, very chatty. Their copy team posited a world where a bottle of smushed fruit was actually your friend, how you were doing a Good Thing™ when you chose their product and they were nothing like the corporate bigwigs who only wanted your money - sure, they sold out to Coca Cola in 2013 but that’s by the by - they were just like you!

Much has been said in print about their approach, and whatever your opinion, Innocent remains a compelling case in a brand taking on a human-centric tone of voice and sticking to it. Allow me to elaborate. 

Why we reach for brands we recognise

It doesn’t matter if you’re established or just starting out - describing a tone of voice is surprisingly tricky. You know when something feels right. And you can probably spot a sentence that sounds horribly wrong. But explaining exactly what you want before the words exist is hard and so it’s natural you reach for an example. I actively encourage my clients to do just that, because an instantly recogniseable brand is a useful reference point.

But really, it’s about drilling down why you like it. Is it the warmth? Or the humour? Could it be the feeling that an actual person has written the words, rather than an overworked project manager throwing down words and seeing what sticks?

There are all very useful things to know, especially if you’re looking to brief a copywriter. 

The next step is working out which of the qualities you like actually belong in your copy and how to make them sound like you, and not ‘like Innocent’. 

Because ‘like Innocent’ might actually mean:

• We want to sound approachable e.g. Mailchimp

• We’d like a little more personality e.g Surreal

• We’re tired of formal, complicated language e.g. Monzo 

• We want people to enjoy reading our copy e.g. Oatly

• We’d like permission to loosen up e.g. Liquid Death

Look at any of those brands and you’ll see examples of pushing the copy to do more beyond the confines of their industries, but there are limitations. What works for Monzo won’t work for Santander, they’re both banks but are trying to reach largely different customers. 

The key is to take the principle, and find your own words. Or let me do that bit for you. 

You already have something to work with

Finding your brand voice doesn’t always mean inventing a personality from scratch. You’ve got clues everywhere once you start looking. 

How do you explain your work to a new client? What do customers thank you for? Look at the emails people respond warmly to. Listen to the language your team uses when they’re being helpful or presenting. Think about the conversations that have made someone say, “Oh, that makes much more sense now.”

There may be a bigger gap between those conversations and your website than you realise.

Bringing the gap between those insights and your website/blogs/emails closer together can help make your copy feel natural.

Of course, the words a customer may respond to when browsing the drinks aisle will probably be very different to when they’re looking for an accountant. However, I’d argue there’s a common thread of trust and clarity. 

It’s easier to have a sense of humour about how delicious your range of drinks are, but you can also be informal and still make your payment terms easy to understand. A playful line might help someone feel at ease, or it might also get in the way of an answer they’re trying to find. Your tone of voice needs enough flexibility to respond to context. 

We do this naturally in conversation so there’s no reason your business can’t do the same. 

Still no clue how you want to sound?

That’s fine. It will take more time than it’s taken to read this blog for you to arrive with a finished answer.

When you’re working with your writers and marketing teams, come armed with examples you like, the words you can’t stand and the paragraph from your current website that makes you wince a little. Tell them about your customers and the impression you want them to leave with.

You should explore a few directions using the same piece of copy as sometimes it’s easier to see what you do want, once you’ve seen what you don’t want. You might realise you want less humour but more warmth. Maybe it’s about adopting short, sharp sentences and breaking down the explanation of what you do.

It’s all useful progress.

So, can you sound like Innocent?

You can certainly use Innocent, or indeed any brand you admire, as a reference point. It’s an opening to a helpful conversation where we can work out what appeals to you and what your audience needs. Let’s work together to find the language that feels comfortable, and ultimately, wins hearts and minds.