Project: Brand Voice (Acquisition Strategy Part 1.3)

Besides mission statement and story, we also called out the importance of defining a specific brand voice for your company. But one common problem we’ve observed in many new companies is the tendency to describe their brand voice in very generic terms.

For example, a company might define its brand voice as “warm, polite, and conversational”—a very uninspired description that only scratches the surface of personality.

The goal of this project is to narrow in on your brand voice by distinguishing between close synonyms. Even if you feel you already have an idea of your company’s brand voice, we advise completing this quick exercise—it’ll help you further define your branding.

1. Open and save a copy of our Brand Voice Adjectives list.
2. Sort the list’s adjectives by copying and pasting them under one of the two labeled categories: We Are and We Are Not.
   • Adjectives that belong in the We Are category should accurately describe who your company is and how its voice should sound.
   • Adjectives that belong in the We Are Not category are the opposite. These are off-brand adjectives that don’t accurately represent your company.
   • There is no minimum or maximum number of words you should aim for with either category. However, your We Are list should be shorter than your We Are Not list.
3. After you’ve finished sorting all of the brand voice adjectives, identify the five most important adjectives in your We Are list. These are the adjectives that, above all else, best describe your brand voice. Highlight them.
   • If there are other adjectives that are not listed but that you feel better describe your company’s ideal brand voice, add them to the We Are column. Consider these words as well when evaluating your most important adjectives.
4. From the work you've done here, summarize your ideal brand voice in Part 1.3 of your Acquisition Strategy doc.