Copywriting
Key question
What does the brand sound like when it speaks?
Tone of voice is the way a brand speaks: approachable or distant, objective or emotional, serious or playful. The same message has a completely different impact in a different tone. A consistent voice makes a brand recognisable, even without a logo.
Learning objective: You can describe a tone of voice using dimensions, justify your choice of form of address, and formulate tone guidelines that others can apply.
How you say it is part of what you say.
3.1 / Dimensions of tonality
Four sliders instead of many adjectives.
Terms like 'modern' or 'approachable' offer little help when writing. Contrasting pairs that allow a brand to define its position are much more tangible. The Nielsen Norman Group outlines four such dimensions.
01
Formal – casual
How close is the brand? Tone of address, sentence structure, word choice.
02
Objective – emotional
Does the text appeal more to facts or emotions?
03
Serious – humorous
How much lightness can the brand take?
The fourth dimension is respectful versus irreverent—essentially, how cheekily a brand challenges conventions. What matters is not where a brand stands, but that it remains consistent in that position.
Consistency is more important than the perfect position.
3.2 / Choosing the voice
From brand personality to tone of voice guidelines.
The tone of voice is derived from the brand personality, which is defined in the brand strategy. A local bike repair shop sounds different from a private bank. A brief description can be helpful: ‘We sound like a helpful neighbour who knows their way around bikes.’
Good tone-of-voice guidelines are concrete and include examples: ‘We use first names.’ ‘We explain technical terms in a single clause.’ ‘We don’t make jokes about accidents.’ This enables others to write in the brand’s tone as well.
A tone rule needs an example.
3.3 / Forms of Address (Informal, Formal) and Gender-Inclusive Language
The tone of address is a decision.
In Switzerland, addressing customers informally using 'Du' is standard practice in advertising for younger audiences, sports, lifestyle, and many online services. Banks, insurance providers, and public authorities typically use the formal 'Sie'. The decisive factors are what your target audience expects and maintaining consistency across all touchpoints.
There are several approaches to inclusive language: gender-neutral terms such as "cyclists", paired forms, or characters like colons and asterisks. Many brands commit to one approach and stick to it consistently; the Federal Administration, for example, avoids asterisks and colons, opting instead for neutral terms and paired forms. In doing so, readability and values should be considered together.
Make up your mind once, and stick to it.
Exercise
Writing a tone of voice guide
Task: Write a brief tone of voice guide for a brand.
STEP 1
Position the brand using the tone of voice slider.
STEP 2
Formulate five tone rules, each with an example and a counterexample.
STEP 3
Sets the form of address and style of inclusive language.
STEP 4
Write a message in this tone and have it proofread.
Evaluation: Did others recognise the tone without knowing the guidelines?