Lillian:

One Friday morning in November, I found myself making an emergency trip to Pune. One of our long-time clients wanted a ‘consult’ to define his brand voice. Our team of branding experts and designers had been working with him on the brand identity for a new product of his. So, when Maya told me that I should hop across to discuss brand voice, I was flabbergasted. Brand voice after all is very much part of the branding exercise. I just couldn’t figure out why I needed to go in for a meeting focused only on brand voice.

And then I got the lowdown from the team. Chris (as Martin Christopher Ponnusamy likes to call himself) is a serial entrepreneur. He’s made oodles of moolah with his SAAS platform focused on supply chain logistics for pharma companies. His new brainchild was an AI-enabled Electronic Health Record system that would act as a Dr’s assistant. Now Chris's current grouse was that his marketing team was using the brand voice for Medsafe (the pharma platform) and Jarvis (the EHR system).

So, here I was on my lonesome trip to Pune. Maya weaseled out ( hot date apparently ). Pity was on one of her self-discovery trips to Varanasi. Not sure if it’s the pot or god(s) that draw her there! I made sure to catch the early morning flight. They still run those turboprops in the early mornings (I like to call them chicken sheds with wings). While they used to give me the jitters earlier, they now welcome me like old friends. 

I reached well in time for a small detour to get my supply of Shrewsbury biscuits and Mawa Cakes from Kayani bakery and then forged ahead to Hinjewadi. I waltzed in expecting to catch my breath before the meeting (Chris is normally late and I was 20 minutes early). But I was ushered into a conference room where Chris was pacing while his team sat in nervous silence. With a bare acknowledgement of the niceties, Chris got down to brass tacks. He strongly believed that Jarvis was on the brink of becoming the next Unicorn. The only thing stopping it, he felt, was that the messaging and even the language used in the platform did not jive with the medical community.

Chris has an incredible energy and passion for sharing his thoughts and ideas, which sometimes leads to a flurry of words. It's like solving a fun puzzle, piecing together his thoughts! When I could get a word in, I reminded him that the brand voice was a manifestation of the brand archetype we had agreed on for Jarvis. A combination of the Caregiver (60%) and Everyman (40%). After taking a look at the customer journey map and a few of the user interfaces developed, I felt we could perhaps tone down the current formal speak and make it more casual.

For example, Jarvis currently reports a treatment plan as below:

The patient has been promptly started on aspirin, nitroglycerin, and clopidogrel, and is scheduled for a coronary angiography to assess coronary artery blockages. We have also initiated IV heparin to prevent further clot formation.

We can slightly tweak this to say:

Hey Dr Taylor,

How’s your day been? I’ve got an update on John Doe’s treatment plan.

We gave John some aspirin, nitroglycerin, and clopidogrel. He's also scheduled for a coronary angiography to check his arteries. We've started him on IV heparin to prevent further clot formation.

Want to know anything else?

Similarly, we could tweak marketing messaging to read as: 

Our AI-enabled Doctor's assistant is like your personal healthcare buddy.  We've got your back, making sure you are well informed.

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The brand voice is the manifestation of your brand archetype. As human beings we crave connection. Nothing makes you sit up and listen more than a voice that’s speaking specifically to you. When a mother speaks to her child, it’s very different from when she talks to a salesperson on the phone. In fact, if you know a person well enough you can figure out who they are speaking to by just listening to the tone used.  

Your brand should talk to your target audience. If your brand voice resonates with your target audience, then they’ll keep coming for more.

For example,  MailChimp's brand voice is approachable and creative. They provide email marketing solutions, but their messaging is fun and engaging. Their "MailChimp & Co." campaign featured quirky, anthropomorphic characters, making email marketing approachable and memorable.

The first step of course is to define your target audience and your brand archetype. This then gives you the broad canvas to explore your brand voice. Make sure they match, else, you’ll end up giving bi-polar vibes. For example, if your archetype is Caregiver, then your brand voice should be warm and empathetic.

Something like:

Life can be tough, but together, we'll navigate these stormy waters. Our promise to you is simple: we care, we listen, and we're here to provide you with the understanding and support you need.