All stories · 3 April 2023

Give your brand a voice

What verbal identity is and why having one is more important than ever today.

In this article:
Verbal identity: shall we get to know it?
What is a brand’s verbal identity?
Why is a brand’s verbal identity important?

Verbal identity: shall we get to know it?

Alongside a company’s mission and vision, its core values and its visual identity, a brand’s verbal identity is one of the tangible elements of its DNA. The difference is that while mission, vision, core values and visual identity are well-established concepts — developed with the right professionals, some more strategically than others, but firmly embedded in corporate language for decades — verbal identity remains a far more nuanced concept, whose importance is only recently beginning to emerge in both small and large businesses.

In most cases, awareness and structured development of a true brand verbal identity still lag behind the actual relevance that voice holds in a world where relationships are increasingly built through digital words.

What is a brand’s verbal identity?

But what exactly does a brand’s verbal identity consist of?
A brand’s verbal identity is its unique and distinctive voice, and it is truly effective when people can recognize it simply by reading a few words. Much like the world’s most iconic yellow “M”: McDonald’s — instantly recognizable even when shown in the smallest format.

Just like visual identity, verbal identity is made up of several elements. While the former includes logo, colors, fonts, filters, styles and all the visual components that consistently represent the brand across every channel, verbal identity mainly consists of:

Voice: this is how the brand expresses what it wants to say. Voice is a precise strategic branding choice; it reflects and helps build the brand’s personality. Brand voice must remain consistent across all channels and communication tools — it never changes — and it defines which words to use and which to avoid, adjectives, technical terms, corporate vocabulary and stylistic choices. Since a brand communicates primarily through the written word, it is essential to use linguistic devices that recreate the meta-messages typically conveyed in spoken language. This means carefully calibrating semantic nuances, syntactic structures and punctuation.
Tone of Voice (TOV): tone of voice refers to the modulation of the brand’s voice depending on the channel and context in which it is expressed. Valentina Falcinelli, tone of voice expert and author of the book “Testi che parlano”, uses the metaphor of a thermometer to explain how a single brand, with one consistent voice, can slightly warm up or cool down its tone (by just a few degrees) depending on the situation, moving along a scale that ranges from cool tones (bureaucratic, institutional, professional, dreamlike) to warm tones (friendly, conversational, ironic, bold).
Payoff: usually a concise statement that encapsulates a brand’s mission, vision and values — the most synthetic, emotional and effective expression of its value proposition and essence. Like voice or logo, a payoff should not change; it should endure over time, possibly coexisting with other claims, and gradually settle in the audience’s mind to build brand memorability and distinctiveness.
Recurring messages: these are repeated keywords, signature phrases, brand claims and branded hashtags — all the elements that help reinforce and embed the brand’s personality over time.

Why is a brand’s verbal identity important?

Today, any organization that wants to stand out and be heard by its audiences must inevitably deal with: keywords, long-tail keywords, hashtags, microcopy guiding users through clearly defined digital journeys, email subject lines, captions and calls to action. But this is not just about SEO strategies, web marketing funnels or social media tricks. In the digital space, words remain, multiply, and become sensitive, powerful and at the same time delicate assets — deserving of particular care and attention.

A brand voice, much like a human voice, has become more crucial than ever in shaping a brand’s personality. It enables brands to stand out, be memorable, give meaning to their communication and value proposition, speak the same language as their audiences, express emotions, humanize organizations and build long-term, meaningful relationships. Which, ultimately, is the true goal of any branding strategy.

Publisher

Jessica Manzella

Senior Copywriter

Appendix

A brand voice, much like a human voice, has become more essential than ever in shaping a brand’s personality. It allows a brand to stand out, be memorable, give meaning to its communication and value proposition, speak the same language as its audiences, convey emotions, humanize the organization and build lasting, meaningful relationships over time. Which, ultimately, is the true purpose of any branding strategy.