tone of voice worth it?

Transcription

1 Is tone of voice worth it?

2 A few years ago, when we started banging on about tone of voice and the surprisingly big effects it could have on a business people looked at us quizzically. They were interested, but not yet convinced. These days, tone of voice is teetering on the brink of becoming mainstream. Savvy businesses have a head of brand language, or a team of tone champions. And while the average punter might not be talking about tone of voice down the pub, chances are they ll have an opinion about how crisp packets are getting weirdly chatty. (Lookup wackaging the cutesy tone of voice that lots of food brands have started using to uncover love and hate in equal measures.) It all adds up to a sense that brand language is shifting. So we wanted to see just how far tone of voice has really spread in big brands. And given that it s a relatively young discipline, are people seeing the results? We commissioned this research to get an independent view. There were findings we expected, and a few surprises along the way, too. Most importantly, there are plenty of clues as to how to make sure a tone of voice programme pays off in the long run. Neil Taylor Creative partner The Writer 1

3 In summary Some of the largest businesses in the world are investing big in their brand language. But no one s ever really looked at why, or when, or how much. Until now. We spoke to almost 200 people working in businesses across the UK. Half had a tone of voice, half didn t. This is what we found. Is tone of voice worth it? Most businesses think so. They use their tone of voice. They value it as much as, or more than, their visual identity. And the most senior people are the champions. They buy into the process and are most likely to kick off a tone of voice project. How many businesses are missing out, and why does it matter? Just under a third of the top businesses in the UK have a tone of voice. But many businesses without one often don t see the value. They re less likely to have considered developing one. And they don t think it s as important as their visual identity. Who s investing the most, and why? Businesses need tone of voice to help improve their customers experience, and to stand out from the crowd. So it s not surprising that brands in a tricky sector like financial services are most likely to have a tone of voice. And they re spending the most on developing and rolling out their tone. All closely followed by telecoms, energy and transport. 2 3

4 In numbers 116k The average amount businesses with a tone of voice spent on it When your sales go up, when your loyalty scores rocket, when every one of your people is building the brand every day: that s when it s worth it. Adam Kaveney, Global brand language leader, PwC 5 years How often most businesses refresh their tone of voice 11.6m How we did the research Illuma Research, an independent research company, spoke to 197 people working for UK businesses. All of them were involved with the visual and/or verbal identity of their brand. Half (99) had a tone of voice already, the other half (98) didn t. What do we mean by tone of voice? There s no industry definition of a tone of voice. And for this research, we didn t delve into the kinds of tone that businesses have. So it could mean anything from a one-page summary that sits in a brand book, to a full language programme with a set of guidelines, champions around the business and training for all teams. Obviously, we have our own opinion on which of these is likely to get results. (More on that at the end of the report.) The size of the current UK tone of voice market Business type Privately owned (including VC-based) 26m UK subsidiary of multinational UK headquartered non FTSE The size of the potential market for tone of voice in the UK FTSE 350 Had a tone of voice (99) Didn t have a tone of voice (98) 4 5

5 25 The Writer has helped us define a convincing tone of voice. But more than that, they ve helped us use this way of writing to inspire all areas of the bank even those that are subject to complex legal or regulatory requirements. Hasmita Mistry, Head of brand strategy, UBS Is tone of voice worth it? Yes. Our research overwhelmingly found that businesses with a tone of voice used it and valued it. Businesses use their tone of voice, everywhere Or just about. More than 90% of the people we spoke to said it s used in most or all parts of the business. Only a few people said that tone is only used in a few places most likely to be marketing, sales and customer service. How widely is your tone of voice being used within your organisation? Businesses value their tone These days, no serious business would quibble about the value of their visual identity. Even though tone is a much newer addition to the brand canon, 60% of businesses value it as much as (or more than) their visual identity. That could be because tone of voice has a much wider reach across the business. Not everyone will need to use logos or worry about colour palettes. But almost everyone uses language: all day, every day. Compared with your organisation s visual identity, how important is your tone of voice? Quite (used in most functions) Very (used throughout the organisation) Not at all (only used in one or two functions) Not very (only used in a few functions) 53 Tone of voice and visual identity equally important Tone of voice more important than visual identity Tone of voice much less important than visual identity Tone of voice slightly less important than visual identity 6 7

6 Is tone of voice worth it? How important were each of the following in driving your business to launch a new tone of voice? New corporate ID or corporate re-branding Arrival of a new CEO Arrival of a new marketing or brand director Major new advertising campaign Merger/acquisition of another organisation Almost all businesses with a tone of voice would do it again Nine in ten, in fact. Two thirds of businesses with a tone of voice thought the rollout went well. Given these figures, it s surprising then that only 56% thought they d got value from tone of voice. That number went up if they d used a specialist tone of voice or brand agency. And when it comes to who they d use if they would do it again, only the numbers for specialist tone of voice agency went up. We think that s because businesses might have had problems which they think a specialist can overcome. That chimes with our experience of going in to finish, fix or implement tones of voice that haven t quite landed. Tone of voice lives or dies in the rollout: getting everyone in the business involved and engaged. Which takes time, effort, money and, dare we say, experience mean score out of ten If you were to refresh your tone of voice in the next few years, who would you use? Chief executives are likely to kick it all off What makes a business decide to do a tone of voice project? We found a few surprises here. A rebrand is most likely to trigger a tone of voice project. But that you might expect. The second most likely reason is a new chief exec. And that s less intuitive. It could mean that chief executives are more likely to see the organisational value, or bring knowledge of tone of voice benefits with them from previous businesses. We reckon that savvy chief executives understand that tone can be a tool for culture change. (It s certainly what we ve found from working with the likes of BT.) When leaders want to make their mark, language reaches further than visual identity. and senior managers love it How many brand projects get senior managers engaged to a great extent? Not many. Yet four in ten businesses said this about tone of voice. That s massive. And of the rest, more than half were engaged to a fair extent. Again, we think this is because senior people see and appreciate the benefits. Whether that s a drop in complaints, or fewer calls coming in because customers are confused or annoyed. To what extent do senior management recognise the value of your tone of voice? 39 8 Specialist tone of voice agency Brand consultancy Advertising agency Don t know yet Design agency Internal resource only Other N/A Used last time Would use in the future 52 To a great extent To a fair extent To a slight extent 8 9

7 Who s investing the most and why? Some sectors are flying ahead on tone of voice. Others are lagging behind. And it might not be who you d expect. Let s start with the why. Businesses want tone to help improve their customers experience, and to stand out from the crowd If you send out thousands of customer letters and s, you re going to need to sort your tone of voice, because that s where most of your customers will get to know you. And if you market intangible products or services, like energy or pensions, you depend more on differentiating your brand to win and keep customers. So it s not surprising that these are the main reasons behind tone of voice projects. How much did you spend on developing your tone of voice? One industry is leading the way on tone Talk about tone and people are (still) quite likely to think of Innocent smoothies and the like. But our research shows FMCG isn t top of the pops. Instead financial services is well out in front. They spend the most. They re most likely to have a tone of voice. And they re most likely to want one if they haven t already. We can probably blame/thank the financial crisis for this, because Financial Services have had to look for a new tone to help rebuild trust with customers. Tone of voice has grown up, in other words. And it s just as important for the bad news as it is for the fun marketing stuff. Financial services Telecoms, media, technology Health/Pharma Retail/FMCG Energy and utilities Manufacturing Transport Leisure Other 94k 91k 87k 81k 129k 123k 119k 112k 146k mean spend split by sectors Telecoms follow closely behind Again, telecoms businesses fit the profile: they have a broad customer base; they re often marketing intangible services; and there s not always a lot to distinguish their offers. Next in line? Energy and transport. (Which might surprise you if you ve ever heard the average train delay announcement. But there we are.) 10 11

8 We estimate that less than a third of big UK businesses have a tone of voice Those without it underestimate how much tone of voice costs How many businesses are missing out and does it matter? Loads of businesses are missing out on tone of voice, and the opportunities it brings. Because once businesses get a tone of voice, they see the value. And when they get it right, it translates into some extraordinary business benefits. From cost savings and culture change, to better customer experience. Take BT, who saw a 10:1 return on investment. More than 500k k k k k Less than 50k That s based on our sample for the survey only a third claimed to have a tone. (We found more who did to balance it out.) If that s representative and there s no reason it isn t that means two thirds of businesses are missing out. How much did you spend developing your tone of voice? Or how much would you anticipate spending in developing a tone of voice? If businesses are thinking about doing tone of voice, they only expect to spend around 73k. The actual average spend is 116k. Don t know Had a tone of voice Didn t have a tone of voice 12 13

9 How many businesses are missing out and does it matter? And they re not excited about it More than 80% of businesses without one think it s unlikely they ll get one in the next few years. It s just not on their radar. And only a quarter of the businesses we spoke to without a tone of voice had ever thought about looking into it. Around 65% say it s much less important than their visual identity. In other words, they re yet to be sold on the benefits. How likely would your organisation be to develop a new tone of voice in the next few years? Not at all likely Not very likely Quite likely But it s set to stay just as important for businesses over the next few years More than 80% of businesses with a tone of voice think it will stay as important, or become more important in the next few years. Based on our other findings, we d expect that figure to grow, as more and more businesses start to see the benefits. And compared with your organisation s visual identity, how important is the development of your tone of voice? Equally important Tone of voice slightly less important Tone of voice much less important Tone of voice not important at all So, you re thinking of doing a tone of voice project How is the importance of tone of voice likely to change over the next few years? 5 Tone of voice will become much more important Had a tone of voice (99) Tone of voice will become slightly more important Tone of voice will become slightly less important Tone of voice will become much less important 59 Importance of tone of voice will not change 7 Don t know 14 15

10 What can you learn from these results? Here are our top five recommendations to get good value Get your CEO involved Be ambitious Spend decent money on it Review it A new chief exec is more likely to drive a new tone of voice than a new brand or marketing director. Over the years, we ve learnt that tone of voice is culture change in disguise. To make that happen, you need really senior support. The good news is that these results show senior people really do get behind it. A new CEO (or one with a new agenda) is a great hook to hang a new tone of voice on. Tone of voice has proved to be a brilliant Trojan Horse to help bring about the culture change we need Richard Lloyd, Head of brand for people and culture, BT More than 90% of the people we spoke to with a tone of voice said it s used in most or all parts of the business. A good tone of voice is something every bit of the business can use (and do). So don t just make a tone of voice for brand, or customer experience, or HR alone. Join the dots. Set your sights high and see how it could help the whole business. And don t underestimate how big the changes can be. A retail bank we worked with needed their business customers to get back to them about a procurement contract. There was a lot of info they had to include, including the dreaded mandatory legal copy. And it was a pretty dry topic to begin with. So we helped them rewrite it in their tone. They expected a 2% response rate. They hoped for a 5% response rate. They got a 46% response rate. 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% expected hoped got The average spend on tone of voice is 116k; many businesses spend more. Cultural change again: to make an impact in a big business, you can t do it on the cheap. The good news is most people who invest in their tone of voice end up thinking it was well worth it (and as important as, or even more important than, their visual identity). 4. Use a specialist When we asked people who they d use if they did a tone of voice project again, the only category that went up was specialist tone of voice agency. We would say that, wouldn t we? But we think people are more likely to use a specialist agency because we re the ones with the experience of making a tone of voice really practical, and rolling it out so it sticks. And businesses often call us because they need our help to fix or finish a tone of voice that hasn t quite worked. Which suggests that using a specialist is more likely to get results that last, first time round. Most businesses expect to rework their tone of voice every five years. Nothing lasts forever. And the business problems you want your language to address will probably change over the course of five years. It doesn t mean you need to throw out what you ve done before; rather you might want to shift the emphasis (for instance, from getting your people just to write like human beings, to something that s genuinely distinctive). Neil Taylor Creative partner The Writer Doing a tone of voice project allowed us to take a step back from doing the same-old sameold on copy. Suddenly everyone cared about writing. It really helped us drive our brand on in a way you only usually get through a mega transformation. Harry Tulip, Brand strategy, British Gas 16 17

11 Want to know more about tone of voice? We d love to chat. Just give us a call on +44 (0) in the UK or in the US Read the whole story at thewriter.com info@thewriter.com Follow Join us on LinkedIn 18

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