Brand Tone of Voice
A new brand and a new identity means a new tone of voice. That tone of voice is the way we speak to people. It’s not just what we express, but how we do it: reflecting and communicating who we are.
It’s the things we do and do not say, the way we say them, and the reasons why. It’s not complicated but it matters – and it impacts our ability to reach and engage our audience.
| What does that mean ? | How do we write it? | |
| Confident | Solvay has a heritage of scientific discovery and expertise. We’re proud of our history, excited about our future, and confident in our abilities. | Our language is authoritative and informative. It has a confident tone that conveys our extensive knowledge and experience. |
| Approachable | We are warm, friendly and inclusive: people are at the heart of everything we do . | We speak like human beings, using everyday language and avoiding jargon. |
| Passionate | We’re passionate about our solutions, our people and the power and possibility of science. | We use engaging language that shows that we are visionary and forward-thinking. Language that communicates our enthusiasm for our work. |
| Honest | We’re an honest, trusted, and responsible business that is not afraid to address difficult subjects | We use direct, open and informed language. We don’t hide behind platitudes or purple prose. |
Best practices:
- Sell the benefits with catchy headlines
- Be brief
- Be clear
- Be specific
- Choose simple words
- Use active voice
- Avoid technical jargon
- Avoid packing your text with corporate buzzwords: leverage, ideate, optimize, value-add, disrupt…
- Follow the link below to Reuters Handbook for punctuation, grammar and other style guidelines
- (Top tip) Read your text aloud. If you find yourself tripping over your words, time to edit!