Tone of Voice Projects
You’ll overviews and feedback on each of the tone of voice projects I’ve worked on below. If you’d like to find out more or would like to discuss working on a project with me, please book a call.
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Brand Positioning, Brand Identity & Tone of Voice
Lottie doll is the perfect alternative to the usual glamazon dolls on the market. I built the brand positioning, values and tone of voice based on the thinking behind the doll’s development. I captured the attitude and approach in the strapline: Be bold, be brave, be you.
Since launch in 2012, Lottie has become a best-seller with a worldwide following, winning 35+ awards and even spent 264 days in space on the International Space Station. The brand is deeply involved in promoting diversity and inclusion, positive body image, innocent childhood, sustainability, empowerment and STEM education.
“Thanks Ed, our brand guideline book that we did with you before we started has been the pillar which we built it all on.”
Ian Harkin, CEO ARKLU
(reply to my comment congratulating Ian following his TEDX Talk)
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Brand strategy, ToV & Website
Start-up anti-money laundering software developer. I helped them articulate their brand positioning, personality and ToV. The brand strategy guided the visual identity and the tone of voice development which I carried through into website copy – built around the central idea of ‘Intelligent Compliance”.
“We brought Ed in to help us redefine our brand position and align our messaging with the new brand. He's helped us cut through the noise and really pin down what is important to us.”
Julian Dixon, CEO
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Brand Positioning, Personality and Tone of Voice Development
This project set out to develop a unique positioning for the OS Leisure brand to set it apart from the corporate mother brand. I created a new positioning, personality and tone of voice to appeal to their target audiences. Guidelines developed with OS Design team and studio Death & Glory.
https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/
“We’ve been really happy with the level of thinking and support Ed has brought to the project. He has been fantastic to work with and brought great intelligence to the development of the leisure brand.”
Nic Hamilton, Senior Content Lead, Ordnance Survey
“WOW!!!!”
Feedback on guidelines from OS copywriter.
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Brand tone of voice project
Supporting a brand positioning project for the OS Master Brand, I built on the idea of ‘See a better place’, developing a brand personality that fed into a storytelling approach that reflected the brand attitude and values. It was important that the brand voice could flex to speak to multiple audiences in the UK and around the world.
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Brand positioning, ToV & Copywriting
Working with the marketing director, I’ve spent over five years working on building the brand positioning and tone of voice, delivering it through every channel, from ads, video, website to brochures and social media.
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As part of a major brand refresh, I developed the brand tone of voice to bring it up to date with the brand idea and new creative approach.
This work took the audit-develop-embed approach, with a far-reaching audit that looked at all aspects of the brand voice, from language choices to reading age of different audiences.
Applied the new tone of voice across all aspects of their brand, from advertising to FAQs, as well as working with the customer service team, helped the brand find a consistent and effective way of speaking to its many audiences.
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Tone of Voice guidelines for global engineering business
Working with Falcon Windsor and the Renishaw team. The challenge was to steer the tone of voice away from PhD–level language to a more human and approachable tone. The year–long project saw in–depth discovery work and I created an in–depth guideline that covered all areas of the business.
“Ed helped us to define and articulate our tone of voice. A challenging task for an organisation which hadn’t formally defined its voice since it was founded over 50 years ago. Our global coverage across multiple markets and distinct business divisions added a potential extra layer of complexity. Ed helped us unravel such challenges through a series of insightful discovery sessions with key stakeholders across the business. These sessions formed the building blocks for a new tone of voice guidance document which is now being used as part of our broader suite of brand style assets across Renishaw. Thanks to Ed and the Falcon Windsor team, we now have the tools in place to communicate with our audiences clearly, effectively and consistently.”
Chris Boey, Content Marketing Manager, Renishaw plc.
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Bringing together two tone of voice/style guides for the global mining business.
Refining and rationalised the brand voice elements and built a more logical and easily applied approach.
Developed extensive examples to demonstrate application across multiple media.
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As part of a rebrand of RNIB to bring it up-to-date for its 150th Anniversary, I was asked to develop a Tone of Voice guideline.
This came out of my experience writing for the brand over the previous few years, including writing two annual reports and the 150th Anniversary Book, which told the story of RNIB from its inception to the present day.
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Tone of Voice, brand positioning, concepts, copywriting and website
Five-year relationship working on integrated launch campaigns for five models, including film, web, eDM and high-end print DM. As a result, I was invited to work with a strategist from BMW to refresh the brand positioning and expression. I also wrote the entire website from scratch.
My favourite line I wrote for the brand: “When a Rolls-Royce drives down the street, the world stands still.”
I later worked with digital agency Zone on a successful pitch for the Rolls-Royce global retail account. My understanding of the brand and UHNWIs helped build the social-led strategy.
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Your brand’s tone of voice helps you communicate clearly and consistently at every touchpoint with benefits for your brand, people and business.
Brand – a recognisable brand tone of voice helps create consistency and recognition. Establishing your brand voice in customers minds, creates recognition and memorable communications at every touchpoint.
People – a strong tone of voice helps you and your team express your brand consistently. As brands become increasingly service-led and the digital social world continues to expand, everyone representing your brand needs to be trained and armed to communicate with your customers in the in the right way.
Business – tone of voice helps you address the challenges your business faces in an increasingly transparent world. In good times, it’s relatively simple to communicate clearly but when things go wrong, reputations can be made or wrecked by saying the right things in the wrong way.
What is tone of voice?
It’s the way your brand speaks - it is as simple as that. Like people, brands have a range of moods and things they way to communicate. From making an announcement to handling a complaint or an apology; from delivering good news to dealing with a technical problem or a commercial faux pas. Often addressing a wide range of stakeholders, shareholders, customers, staff and communities.
Brand voice building blocks
When I create a tone of voice for a brand I start with a simple brand equation:
Personality + Attitude + Content = Tone of Voice
Or, to put it another way, who is speaking/writing, what’s their take on the world and what do they talk about? This is a start point that lets you build a brand voice rooted in your brand personality, purpose, mission, vision and values. That way if you’re a serious blue chip company there’s no danger of sounding like a wacky plant milk maker or an anarchic brewer.
One brand, many voices
Once you’ve defined your tone of voice, how do you make sure it is used consistently when there might be thousands of people representing your brand? The answer is found in clear and simple guidelines that are usable and applicable in every channel, from your website to customer services, from a Tweet (an X?) to a conference speech. There should always be space for people to bring something of themselves through the shared values, attitude and personality of your brand. It’s these elements that underpin your tone of voice rather than specific language (although this obviously plays an important part). As the great adman Bill Bernbach put it:
“Most readers come away not with a clear, precise, detailed registration of the contents on their minds, but rather with a vague, misty idea formed as much by the pace, the proportions, the music of the writings as by the literal words themselves.”
If your brand communicates in a tone that draws in the reader and something about your key messages chimes with them, you’re on the right track.
Why work with a tone of voice consultant help build your brand voice?
As a tone of voice consultant in London, I have worked with all kinds of brands in the UK and beyond to help them uncover and express their tone of voice effectively. From luxury automotive brands like Rolls-Royce and Bentley to an anti-money laundering software business and HMRC, from luxury yachts to children’s charities and a national mapmaker.
And if you’d like to find out more or have a chat with an experienced tone of voice consultant about how we can work together to bring your brand voice to life, let’s talk.
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Brand tone of voice development and training
Roxhill is a media intelligence software business that connects journalists to relevant people. I developed a tone of voice approach built on a brand personality, purpose and values I created for the brand. This let. me produce a concise, usable guideline, which I introduced to the team in workshops.
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Brand Naming & Tone of Voice Development
Working Nick at Vincent Design, I led the naming process for a consortium made up of Rothamsted Research and Societe General, designed to drive change through a combination of agricultural research and entrepreneurial expertise. We defined the brand values, personality and tone of voice, which fed into the naming process. Shake Climate Change was the winner, inspired by a quote from Mahatma Ghandi: “In a gentle way you can shake the world”.
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Developed tone of voice guide for Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky distillery.
A short, easily applied guide with examples that translated into real comms pieces, the guide is still in use by the brand.
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Personal estate agency based in SE London.
Developed brand positioning, ToV and website copywriting
"Ed has an incredible talent for capturing a brand's voice. He took the time to understand our my personality and translated it perfectly into our website copy for the brand. The content feels authentically 'us' and we've received amazing feedback from clients since launching. I'd highly recommend Ed to anyone looking for copy that genuinely reflects their brand."
Tanya Baker – Founder & Personal Estate Agent
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Brand tone of voice and storytelling guidelines & workshops
I was given a very heavy, detailed and theoretical 75-page storytelling guide to translate into a succinct and usable tone of voice/storytelling guide. Relating the voice to the brand positioning led to a much clearer approach, which was introduced to the team in workshops.
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Tone of voice development as part of new brand identity project, working with a designer and consultant. The aim was to make the brand more human and approachable, less B2B and more B2C.
This included a new name and approach to writing and communications that covered every aspect of the business, from advertising to customer service calls.
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I worked with TT Electronics to review their communications and to help them develop a verbal identity that was flexible to work across the whole business - from engineers to senior management to the shop floor. This is very much a B2B proposition, with a lot of complex technical content. The challenge was to create a system that didn't dumb down the brand or communications but also made it accessible to a broader audience.
I developed a tone of voice approach allowed the brand to dial the technical content up and down to meet the needs of specific audiences. This approach was then applied to the website, internal and external comms.
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Brand Tone of Voice development and copywriting
Developed a usable tone of voice guide for the brand, building on existing brand assets. This required a review of the brand elements (purpose positioning, vision, values etc) which I finessed to streamline the approach and make sure it told a consistent story. This was followed with development of new and refreshed copy across elements of the website and marketing campaigns.
“I first came across Ed on LinkedIn while searching for a brand copywriter. From our very first conversation in 2023, it was clear he’d be a great influence on the creative team and the wider business. Since then, we’ve collaborated closely on developing Watchfinder’s new tone of voice, which continues to evolve month by month thanks to Ed’s dedication and insight. He’s an absolute pleasure to work with—super friendly, highly skilled, and deeply knowledgeable in all things copywriting.”
Rachelle Camp – Head of Brand & Design, Watchfinder & Co
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Tone of Voice Development as part of brand identity project, working in tandem with consultant and designer.
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Brand tone of voice development working with consultant and designer to create a stand-out brand positioning and comms. Also ran training workshops for internal comms team.
“Ed is an exceptional copywriter and was a key member of the creative team who worked on the brand refresh at audio network. Right from the off, Ed got to grips with the essence of the brand and its values and he was a pleasure to work with from start to finish. The tone of voice and brand personality workshops he ran were a vital part of the journey we went through as a team and they ensured the entire company were fully bought into the brand refresh. I hope I can join forces with Ed again on future brand projects and would fully recommend him.”
Simon Marrett - Marketing Director, Audio Network
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Tone of Voice creation and CI guidelines
Created new tone of voice guidelines, expanded guidelines on brand, design, company history, ToV and best practice writing for web and social media.
“Ed has a deep understanding of brands and, crucially, how they are evolving in the increasingly fragmented marketing landscape. His craft skills are a pleasure to peruse and he writes with confidence and credibility across all modern platforms. From a tweet to a tome, Ed is your man. A pleasure to work with and learn from.”
Dave Woods, Head of Copy, Keko London
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Brand development and ToV
Working in collaboration with the marketing director to simplify and finesse existing brand elements, create new short guideline with ToV and messaging guide.
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Online accounting business offering Saas with access to personal advice from qualified accountants.
Defined brand strategy – reviewed and redefined brand positioning vision, mission, values and tone of voice.
“Seriously loved working with Ed. A tune up was required to Crunch’s brand and Ed grasped it perfectly with a process that was effortless. What we have now will take us forward with the clarity and exuberance that our business deserves.”
Darren Fell, CEO & Founder, Crunch
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Developed brand for fin-tech start-up designed to revolutionise the way we protect everything from our mobile devices to our cars and homes. Built tone of voice approach with detailed examples and web copy.
Built on the central idea of 'Connected Cover', created brand positioning and tone of voice to ensure the brand was taken seriously by potential VC investors.
“As a start up in the archaic and slightly boring insurance industry, we needed to highlight our innovative approach. Ed brought that out in the style of communication and language. Whether you’re a start-up or you want to rebrand an existing business, Ed is your man.”
Ralph Hazell, Founder, Gaggel
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Developed a simplified tone of voice guide based on the brand personality: The Maverick Spirit.
ToV guideline centred on the positively provocative, restless approach of the brand and used an analysis of Miles Davis’s A Kind of Blue as a parallel that captured a similar spirit and standout tone.
Davis’s musical approach informed the tone of voice – word/note choice, what isn’t played/said, the spaces between the notes/words.
Through Purple Agency.
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Working with the Strategy team at Engine Group. Brand positioning ‘The Human Face of Tax’ came directly from the verbal identity/tone of voice I designed for HMRC to inform how they address their many audiences. The brand voice flexes across all communications, internal and external, from compliant tax payers to tax evaders, reflecting the positioning and the people who work in the organisation.
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Building on a brand development project by another agency, I refined and expanded the Tone of Voice guide. This included brand narrative and external positioning statements, as well as finessing tone of voice attributes and writing extensive examples.
I then worked on communications campaigns for the brand, applying the tone of voice to live projects.
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Brand Tone of Voice creation
Built the first comprehensive Tone of Voice guide for the brand, building on the newly created brand positioning.
The ‘Alive’ concept underpinned the brand and this was carried through the guidelines. I then oversaw tone of voice for website, working with a team of four writers, covering every aspect from landing page to detailed product pages.
“Ed writes beautiful endlessly flowing words. If I had to sum up his unique offering, it would be his chameleon-like ability to find the brand voice and write in an absolutely authentic tone. Most importantly, he always writes copy I want to read to the last full stop.”
Piggy Lines, Creative Partner, Spark 44/Jaguar