Brand tone describes the overall way a brand communicates with its audiences and the ‘sense’ it creates among consumers. Take music as a metaphor – different melodies create different feelings, thoughts, and sentiments in the listener. This is what brand tone does for a brand. Brand tone is expressed in just about every aspect of communication, including visual branding, written content and messages, product packaging, even office design. Brand tone is dynamic, meaning it adjusts to different audiences, messages, and moments. However it should always emerge from a consistent foundation of brand identity and personality. A brand that is young and unconventional in personality, for example, should reflect that in the tone of all their communications, from slogans to social media posts to swag giveaways. During serious events, the tone should certainly be taken down a notch and be appropriate, however it should still be in keeping with the brand’s overall personality. This can be tricky and it is why companies include brand tone as part of their brand book, providing guidelines to employees about how to strike the right brand tone in all communications and every scenario.
Brand tone
