Find Your [Brand] Voice

My obsession lately has been with brand voice. Social Media has brought brands into a dialogue with their customers and customers into a dialogue with each other. What that means, is that brands need to figure out how to translate their image into diction, syntax, and tone, and then convey that to their Facebook fans and Twitter followers. There's nothing worse, than Tweeting something witty to one of your favorite brands, one you aspire to emulate, and then receiving in return, 140 characters of lifeless PR script. I think what it comes down to, is that not everyone has figured out how to be themselves online. For companies, it's extra difficult because an individual, with their own unique personality has to interpret and adopt the brand identity. A lot of companies seem to be taking cautious action; getting into the space and being active, but regulating what can be said and how, which results in a stiff, sort of sickeningly corporate voice. 

The other day, I read an article by Jack Welsh, the legendary head of GE about political authenticity. He was talking about how Mitt Romney hasn't been able to overtake the Republican Primary because he's trying to make himself out to be an everyman when he clearly is not. People don't believe him. Mitt's ever-changing persona is simply an example of personal brand voice. I think Welch makes a good point. A candidate that was real, and not afraid to be his or herself would probably run away with the election. Obviously they should act professional and moderate their speech. But be genuine, joke around, have some fun, act like you would in your everyday life and people will like and trust you more. Without getting too political, I think Obama has done a good job with this. He's always seen out and about at local places that him and his family enjoy. Some people think he should be working rather than having fun, but it's nice to know that he's still a normal guy, despite his title.


Being genuine is as important for brands as it is for politicians. Tweets, posts, and videos should all sound natural and not too scripted. Fans already personify companies, so a spontaneous kind of dialogue will get them excited about conversations. Think of how Wheat Thins addressed Twitter haters and adoring fans with a personal visit and lifetime supplies of product. I think the main recommendation for both people and companies is to really put some time into their online personality. Think about how dialogue should flow and what your company wants to say. Develop this and maintain it! If you want to really engage your audience, don't just talk about product all the time. Talk about trends in your industry, related products, and things that your customers and more importantly you find interesting. That'll keep you genuine.

In closing, I want to come back to that point about acting professionally and moderating your speech. Speech should first and foremost reflect your brand. If you're Nickelodeon and you're speaking like a lawyer, you're going to fail. Most companies should speak respectfully and watch your language, but it's stupid to freak out if a curse word is slipped. I was really annoyed when, I think it was Chrysler, fired their social media person because he accidentally tweeted the word "shit". Brands should avoid cursing but if your audience is college students or older, it really shouldn't be a big deal. Everyone curses, and for younger audiences it can actually help make yourself look a little more real as long as you're not throwing out four-letter words like a rapper.