Copywriting Tips: Understanding Brand Voice vs. Tone in Writing
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- Today, we're discussing the difference between brand voice and tone in writing and what copywriters and content writers should keep in mind when drafting content for clients.
Ready? Let's go!
#copywriting #freelancing
Music: Lone Wolf
Musician: Dan Lebowitz
URL: / @lebo_tone
📒 Show Notes and Resources 📒
⚡ What Are Brand Archetypes? marchbranding.com/buzz/brand-...
⚡ Apple's "Crush" ad: • Crush! | iPad Pro | Apple
Here are the two books I recommend checking out if you're just getting started with copywriting:
✅ The Copywriter's Handbook by Robert Bly: amzn.to/4crh4b5
✅ Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses by Nancy Harhut: amzn.to/4eR8JPR
DISCLAIMER: I include Amazon affiliate links in this description. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - What do we mean by voice?
1:44 - How is a brand voice developed?
2:18 - What do branding agencies do?
2:37 - What are brand archetypes?
3:00 - What is a brand guide?
3:15 - Recent example of why your brand voice matters (and what happens if you go "off-brand")
4:00 - What do we mean by tone?
4:58 - What should copywriters keep in mind when it comes to voice and tone in writing
6:02 - Here's a simple voice and tone checklist
6:36 - Recap and wrap-up
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Great as always. I'd like to hear you talking about any american company's brand voice you find relevant.
Great suggestion! I'll add it to the list.
Some brands have a different tone depending on the platform -- Twitter/X posts can be snarky, for example.
Yes! That's a good point. The tone can definitely shift, depending on the platform. (But the voice overall should still be consistent/recognizable regardless of platform.)
I watched the "Crush" ad and I can see what they were trying to do.
Their thought was saying "all your creative endeavors can be found here in one place *and* it's the thinnest model yet!" but they missed the mark on the filmography. Showing the explosions and the mediums being destroyed, the sound design including the popping of paint cans and strings from instruments coming undone, does not send a hopeful or inspiring message. This doesn't make me want to creative. This doesn't excite me. It's kinda heartbreaking actually. This doesn't convey as "condensing for your convenience" as intended. Rather, the entire creative workspace part is lost. The line about how this is the thinnest iPad yet also failed to emphasize *why* that mattered or how it applies to creative work.
This ad could've easily been interpreted as "we're less concerned about our creative and innovative customers and more concerned about those who need this to be portable". Especially at the end when all that is left is a gray, corporate space. It can be perceived as Apple saying "we're changing our target audience". And honestly I can see the ad being received well by non-creative work-type people who go "hey that was cool and yeah I could use something lightweight to take on the plane during my work trips". If that was their goal then I mean yeah. It absolutely sends the message their target audience changed! And from here on out I expect to see a change in their voice and who they're marketing to. Otherwise, it's a yikes from me.
Looking at Coke's ads could've been great for inspo. They do a lot of swirls and circles in their visual marketing, and I think it's to give it that "bubbly" vibe, but having a sort of cacophony, a visual whirlwind of tons of musical instruments and paint cans and sculptures and books, etc, being funneled into an iPad that's being held in someone's hand already, the camera pans from the flash of rainbow across the screen to the person's smiling face, and whilst walking they're able to wrap up something they were working on before sliding their iPad into their bag and meeting up with friends. Enter the dialogue of something along the lines of "all your favorite tools found in our lightest model yet". That all gives an idea of the purpose of this product and who it's for and why it matters.
It might've worked well to do a "swipe" transition between various shots of different creative peoples- anything from robotics to architecture to music making to digital art, and how the iPad is being used during all of them. The people could be moving the iPad around between frames to visualize just how light and portable it is. This would've shown how efficient and great the product would be for its target audience- creatives in various industries, not just art but also things like engineering. It helps to know which programs the iPad supports and what type of people would benefit most from a lightweight computer. Showing a digital artist be able to take their workspace outside and get inspiration from nature, for example, gives a visual and practical example of how to use the product.
For Apple, I think they missed the mark on not having people in this ad campaign. Crushing creative mediums in a monotone space with only a hand shown at the end was kind of alienating? It comes off cold and corporate, impersonal even. Apple tends to go more towards streamlining responsiveness across their various devices and simplifying workflow without sacrificing customization, so this vibe was a huge shift in how the brand usually operates. They often lean into the whole "minimalist modern and white backdrop but rainbows for a pop of color" so the gray was very new and not a good way.
Marketing is aimed at people at the end of the day, especially the base in B2C. It's like they forgot their products get used by humans. But yeah, crushing was so not the way to go... XD Right idea, horrendous execution!
Great video, Robyn! Thanks for all the helpful insights on brand voice and tone
Great insights as always, Fal! Someone did the ad in reverse, which works better, too, methinks: th-cam.com/video/ZUF9sOSg2kc/w-d-xo.html
@@bostoncopywriter It's a lot better than the original, that's for sure! But I think it'd be a hard task to make "crush" worse than it is XD Starting off with everything smushed and then expanding it and then showing a thin little iPad could work if the juxtaposition was leaned into real heavily. Otherwise if might get confusing. Which is where some strong copy could come in!
The very top of the machine that crushed everything actually is the same shape of the iPad screen... so using that for a fun transition shot could also help bring the visuals together: "Everything you love in our thinnest model yet," or something like that.
I recently pitched an ad campaign to Delta Airlines and I've discovered I really love that form of writing, so critiquing these types of videos- seeing what works and what can be done better- is a boost of serotonin for me XD I doubt the pitch will actually lead to a real ad, but the goal is to help me get my foot in the door there so I can land a full-time job eventually. It's a project I gave myself to show my skills when I network with folks there and so far has gotten me in touch with some great folks :)
@@fallabeaufaebelle That's awesome, Fal!
Whose that behind 😅
That's Stewie! My sidekick sloth. :)
@@bostoncopywriter looks fun
One brand that misses an opportunity with its voice is Death Wish Coffee. It's website is full of mortality puns... Except for its deathly dull blog. It's all about brewing tips. It sounds completely detached from the rest of the site. I wonder if it was written by poorly prompted AI. @bostoncopywriter
Oh wow! That surprises me since they're so on brand with their social etc. You should pitch them with a rewritten blog post that is on brand!
@@bostoncopywriter I should! I should also check their website again. It's been a few months. But it really stuck out.