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Tone of voice

Hot off the press: our thoughts on what's happening in the world of brand language and business writing. Warning: may contain the occasional rant.

Tone of voice

Does Starkey need a new tone of voice?

If you watched TV historian David Starkey on Question Time last night (or if you’ve ever seen him on TV, heard him on the radio or met him in person) you’ll probably have noticed his slightly *coughs* abrasive tone.

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Tone of voice

New banks on the block

There are two new high street banks floating about at the moment. They both want your attention, and they both want your cash. Those banks are Virgin Money and Metro Bank.

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Tone of voice

Online, every little helps

Most businesses don’t think about their writing enough. Some only ever think to write well when it comes to external things like ads and posters. But a few get it right all the time.

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Tone of voice

Season’s greetings

Now that the Coca Cola ad’s aired, the red cups are here, and the sponsored lights have been switched on, we can safely say the countdown has begun.

Consulting, Brand & marketing

Tone of voice

Imagine if George Clooney wrote Ryanair’s emails

Three weeks ago, I went on holiday for the first time in three years. This was a big deal. After many nights mining holiday sites, I finally found the perfect farmhouse.

Consulting, Customer experience

Tone of voice

Hello, I'm your crisp packet! Please be my friend!

In this week’s Observer, Eva Wiseman let rip at nauseatingly cute food packaging. ‘We’re all being babysat by the stuff we buy. Lullabied with the padded language of packaging – packaging that, in recent years, has begun to talk to us. Talk to us like we’re children...’

Consulting, Customer experience

Tone of voice

Please keep your seatbelt securely fastened

I’ve done a fair bit of flying recently. And I’ve noticed some of the airlines have jazzed up their safety videos in a bid to make us pay attention.

Consulting, Customer experience

Tone of voice

Without goals, no one would unicycle the Appalachian Trail

Groupon. Some say their writing is the secret to their success. Others think it’s the worst in the world.

Consulting

Tone of voice

An offer you can't refuse

It's always good to read a well written, interesting opinion piece. Even better when the opinion is one you actually agree with.

Consulting

Tone of voice

Here’s a tip

You’re in a restaurant. You see a sign that says...

Writing, Customer experience

Tone of voice

Error: overly technical speak

I love my iPhone. It’s intuitive, informative, entertaining and keeps me in touch with both work and play. According to Apple, about 90,000,000 iPhones have sold so far, and millions more own similar incarnations.

Writing, Customer experience

Tone of voice

Ts and Cs with personality

There are lots of brands out there that think long and hard about their words. But more often than not, those pesky terms and conditions let them down.

Writing

Tone of voice

The road less travelled

If you think the subject you're writing about is too mundane to be interesting, think again. And try adding a bit of personality. Take a leaf out the book of BBC London Travel's tweeters and have some fun with your words. Here are a couple we liked:

Tone of voice

Bad language hits the buffers.

There’s a lot of bad language on the railways. Not swearing, though when trains get cancelled even sensitive souls dig into a store of expletives they didn’t know they had.

Writing, Customer experience