A pretty face is nothing without a pretty soul, or at least that’s what we’ve all heard right? If someone is scrolling through social media and sees a young girl with bright red braids and cheeks covered in freckles, they may smile to themselves, think she’s sweet, and continue scrolling. But what happens, when they see that same girl paired alongside Tweets roasting some of their favorite companies? Even if they’ve seen her face a million times, this makes them stop. And read. And read some more. Sound familiar? This roasting is just one of many ways the popular fast-food chain, Wendy’s, has defined their brand, and more specifically their brand voice.
By playfully mocking companies that volunteered themselves up for #NationalRoastDay, Wendy’s redefined their brand and expanded their audience. Rather than only attracting burger lovers and fast food goers, Wendy’s name circulated through outlets such as the Today Show, Entrepreneur.com, and CNET with individuals subsequently following them for their out-of-pocket content.
While the specific brand voice may seem kitschy and off base for many brands, the concept itself has aided in creating a whole new layer within strategic marketing efforts. What’s inside counts and adding this layer, a soul, to a brand gives it depth and the ability to relate and be relatable. The creation of this soul comes from mixing up the perfect cocktail of strategy, psychology, and creativity. When beginning this process, there are a few key steps a brand can take:
Find a Niche Each company is created with a specific purpose in mind and comes to life as an audience is identified. The particular space within an industry that a company fills is its niche. Identifying where that space is is crucial to a brand and the creation of a brand’s voice. When an individual is public speaking, it is easiest to do so when their audience is familiar. This person can tailor their wording, tone, and approach solely based on how they believe their audience will perceive the content. This is the same personality adjusting that occurs once a brand determines either who their audience is, or who they want their audience to be. Taking time to do market research and social listening is a worthwhile foundational investment into creating a brand voice that adapts and lasts.
Be Willing to Pivot - and Fast! Once an audience is determined, a company will begin personifying its brand. Whether this brand is going to be snarky and edgy like Wendy’s or exclusive and buttoned up like SKIMS, a consistent yet moldable personality allows a brand to pivot their messaging- and fast. The social video app TikTok has redefined trends in terms of growth speed and accessibility. With popular music and video transitions catching on and catapulting videos into the eyes of millions, a brand’s ability to adapt its voice to mesh into the current social environment is crucial. Pivoting to participate in a trend as it gains momentum, if done right, can bring about hordes of new customers. Being able to do this authentically and in line with the predefined brand personality keeps the current audience satisfied, and the new audience engaged.
Be Bold & Dare to Fail Finally, through it all, be bold and dare to fail. Boldness is the easy part. If failure was not a possibility, individualism and creativity would be lightyears beyond where they are at now. It’s the acceptance of failure that allows a brand the space to be authentic and project its voice through new ideas. While many components of content creation can be tweaked and refined in order to maximize audience size and engagement, conceptually taking leaps and testing new ideas is what creates the trends that define the present social atmosphere.
Incorporating individualism in branding is one of the best ways to bring humanity and purpose into business, and it pays off! Authenticity stands out and creating a brand voice that is defined enough to build a personality yet malleable enough to relate to many others, is one of the many superpowers marketers possess.
If you’re willing to take the steps above and dive into the creation of a brand voice, contact Fifth & Cor! Our team would love to discuss how we can take your business to the next level.