Tag: Branding Agency

Categories
Branding Services

Package Design: The OG Influencer of your brand!

Package Design

YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE AT MAKING A GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION!

No, we didn’t leave the caps-lock on but are screaming at the top of our lungs to make the point. Ever noticed how some of the most delicious looking candy and gum bars are placed right in the customers’ eye-line at the billing counters of supermarkets? Yeah, these products want to draw the customers’ attention towards the bright red, buoyant blue and puckering green through their package design and eventually convince customers to add them to their shopping bag.

Now we’re not just telling you this because we’re the best package design company in Ahmedabad and across Gujarat (which of course we are! *flips hair*), but because we know for a fact that it takes hardly 7 seconds for your potential customer to make a purchase decision. And that’s why your packaging is the biggest influencer of your product. That pretty boy or girl with 100K Instagram followers comes second.

Hear it from the best branding agency on how package design influences purchasing choices among customers and how they can drive your sales in an upward graph.

The one where you catch their eye!

package’s design

Attractive colours, eclectic typography, distinctive shape and size. These elements tend to draw the attention of the consumers, and differentiate a package’s design from the sea of products out there in the market. For instance, walk into a store to buy a box of green tea. Now, in the store shelf, almost all the brands end up using the same light green packaging. But then there is the one which sticks out, with a pastel colour scheme.

A more premium metal container instead of the usual cardboard box and an uncommon, fun mascot in place of the omnipresent slim waist of a woman and the stock image of a glass cup.

It goes without saying that the buyer does check out this odd-one-out product. Whether he/she buys it or not depends on several other factors, but the first round is yours, where the package design has generated curiosity for the brand and caught the eye of the potential customer.

The one where you win with the Ease of Access

Your writer here was once struggling to open a tray of a ready-to-eat meal, and at the end of that bout that lasted precisely 2 minutes, the office floor was the winner as the packet ripped into two and the contents flew out like the squashed tomatoes at the La Tomatina Festival. And she swore to never order such inconvenience again. This was bad packaging costing the brand a customer.

Gaurav Jalan of Packman Packaging emphasises on the importance of ease of access. According to him, when you are designing your packaging, look to incorporate several methods to open it. A package that includes multiple mechanisms, such as loops, hinges, and slide-out trays, would be a lot easier to open than a package that can merely be opened using one way.

Kamaii's new packaging

Kamaii, a home-cooked food ordering and delivery app, onboarded Flora Fountain as their branding agency and digital marketing agency. As one of the premier package design companies in Ahmedabad, we understood the assignment well and upgraded their packaging to easy-to-open containers that separates the food items of their thaali or meals, all shut perfectly with a see-through lid and placed conveniently in an attractively designed sleeve.

The one where you make them feel good about themselves

Being the good guy does pay off rich dividends and a strong, loyal customer base. At a time when we’re being warned by our scientists about the ill-effects of plastic packaging and how it takes up to 1000 years to degrade naturally, not only go for sustainable forms of packaging but let the customers know about it too.

How, you ask? Scream it out loud in your packaging. Tell them about the material used in manufacturing that box, cup, container, bag in which their product is being packed. Let your customer know that by buying your product, they’re actually contributing towards making the world a better place to live for the future generations. Educating your customers through branding in this way, makes life easier in the marketing of this brand for a digital marketing agency!

non-conventional artwork on its packaging

Just look at the way Slay Coffee nails their influential package design! They tick the boxes for the above points too, eye-catching design, easy-to-open packaging and promoting sustainability by showing their clients how to reuse their coffee boxes. So much so that it has also influenced the Fountainheads at the best branding agency in Ahmedabad to always order from Slay to stay caffeinated.

Now if you too are wondering if your product packaging needs a refresher and change, visit us for a chat over some coffee and cookies. Or you can simply wave us an hola on hello@flora.ffteam.in.

Categories
Branding Services

Brand strategy 101 for Start-up Founders

Brand strategy 101 for Start-up Founders

When the term ‘amazon’ comes up, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Online shopping, right? You definitely didn’t think of Amazon rainforests.

Similarly, when a term like ‘apple’ pops, rather than thinking of the fruit we remember the tech giant Apple. And when you search online, you are Google-ing. This is the power of good branding. All consuming their user’s mind. But these brands are famous not just because of their products or services, but because they have mastered the art of branding themselves to their user.

And if you have decided to join the legion of start-ups shaking up the market, you will have to achieve such a level of memorable and, perhaps even disruptive, branding.

Flora Fountain, currently one of the best branding agencies in ahmedabad, was also a start-up back in the year 2016. Through our experience, we understand that building a new business from scratch is tough. But still exciting!

So here we are, with a simple brand strategy for you to not be “just another start-up”!

Research & find your niche

The first thing as a start-up you need to know is – who is your audience and what moves them. Finding answers to simple questions can help you get clarity on what you need to do next. Questions like:

  • Who is my target audience?
  • What do they like or dislike?
  • Where are they?
  • How old are they?
  • How likely are they to seek a service or product like mine?
  • How would they come across a product or service like mine?
  • Who are my competitors?

And so on.

If you think you need help in finding the answers to the above questions, you can also hire the brand strategy services from agencies that hold expertise in these segments and find answers to these questions through user and market research. Such services include interviews, surveys, focus groups and workshops which help find answers to such questions.

As one of the best branding agencies in Ahmedabad, Flora Fountain also conducted a similar branding workshop for a manufacturing company. With the help of innovative questions and exercises, we assisted them in finding their niche.

Research & find your niche

Identity creation

According to Harvard professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of all the thinking that prompts our behaviour (including consumer decisions) is subconscious. That means your target audience will be driven by subconscious factors that they associate with the brand. How the brand makes them feel, whether or not it aligns with their values and lifestyle, how they think associating with this brand will be perceived in their peer group and so on.

Identity creation-1

A great example of an older brand that has worked on an impactful identity creation touching on all these points creating a loyal following is Royal Enfield.

Identity creation-2

“Naam me sab rakha hai!”

When the renowned playwright William Shakespeare said “what’s in a name”, he was definitely not referring to the world of business! Because when it comes to identity creation for a company, NAME actually matters!

As an entrepreneur, your company name is the first thing that comes out of your mouth while introducing your work. That name helps you to stand out from the crowd and promote your values.

As branding experts who have advised and named a number of companies, we’ve seen how creativity and research can help brands build an image in the market. One such example is one of our clients who was into the retail of health and kitchen products like alkaline water purifiers. They were named Shri Laxmi Enterprise. While selling a healthy forward-thinking product they needed to connect and wow their audience, so we came up with the brand name, Sante Life. Sante meaning a cheer to good health in French worked perfectly with the word life to both be simple, memorable and yet connected to the products they were selling.

Still not convinced? Believe us, choosing the wrong name proved to be bad for many brands!

Connect with a memorable message

You need to get your audience hooked. Sometimes the best way to do this is by telling them your story. Think about the origin of your company, where did the germ of this idea originate, what prompted you to create the products you are offering? Dig deep and find your motivation and values.

You can convey this message with the help of logos, colours, taglines, a distinctive voice in all the mediums you use to communicate with your user.

When it comes to logos, make sure that you perform due diligence to avoid any trademark violations or copyright infringements. Create a new one but keep some points in mind.

Of course, you can hire a branding agency like Flora Fountain which offers logo design and brand strategy services in Ahmedabad to many well-known brands in the region. Brands such as CarzSpa – the car detailing studio, Vajra jewels, Mulberry looms, Goodwooder, Mistrywood and so on.

CONNECT WITH A MEMORABLE MESSAGE

Similarly, it is said that colour improves brand recognition by up to 80%, hence choose your colour wisely. Make sure to be consistent with the colour on all platforms for it to work for your brand.

Define your voice which you want to use to connect with your audience. For instance, if you want to come off as a casual and lively brand, use a quirky and playful voice while talking to your customers. If you want to talk to teenagers, choose a hip and more friendly tone that not only communicates with them but also upholds the company’s voice. Just remember to establish a persona for your company, for the people to relate to you.

Website to make the customer sit up and take notice!

Last year in January there were more than 4.66 billion active internet users all across the world. Hence, when all of your audience is online, your web presence is a must. Your website can help you do that.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that the colours, fonts, typography, and images used on the website should be of the same family. The tone on your website should reflect what you want to convey to your audience. But before that, you must have a domain name, an address where users will be able to access your website.

Social media

Look where most of your audience is and which platform they use the most. And then create profiles on it. Considering the large number of people who use social media (approx. 4.62 billion people) in current times, a fraction of your audience must be on it too. You can easily reach and stay in touch with your potential customers too!

Social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, Quora, give you an opportunity to connect with your potential clients in real-time via comments, reactions, and chats. Study your audience and leverage their social media preferences. Show your clients that you are indeed a real deal.

As one of the top digital marketing agencies in Ahmedabad, we also started social media for a start-up called Zoobiz helping them gain a reliable and steady audiences through social media promotions.

PRO TIP: Consistency is the key! Always remember to be consistent in the efforts you make for your brand.

It’s true that the complexity of the branding process sounds like a lot! But it doesn’t have to be, with Flora Fountain’s Brand Strategy Services in Ahmedabad. Let’s bring your vision to life over a cup of coffee! Call 09558079502 or email us at hello@flora.ffteam.in to start a conversation.

Categories
Branding Services

Lift up your brand spirits with humour

branding agencies

An entrepreneur, an advertiser and a comedian walk into a bar….

Yes, they made a knock off your pants funny campaign together, got featured on Social Samosa, generated a whole lot of ‘shares’ and ‘saves’ on Instagram and branded their message right into their TG’s minds!

You get the drift.

So why and how are some of the best branding agencies in India and Ahmedabad, yours truly at Flora Fountain included, using humour to create memorability and differentiation for a brand? Read on to know it all…

Why humour works in selling?

People love to laugh. It’s something that almost everyone has in common. That’s why using humor is a popular advertising technique. The key, of course, is doing something that a majority of people will find funny. Laughter is always good for people. It can reduce pain and stress as well as lower blood pressure. Getting people to laugh also makes them more inclined to think positively about a business and buy its products.

And guess everyone knows, that the best ice breaker in the world is jokes (after food of course). And some of the most commonly heard conversation starters are, “have you seen/heard that ad where…”. That’s how humour creates a recall for brands, making it stand out and get its message shared among more people.

Popular brands that have used humour to spice up their marketing game

Let’s take a look at how some of the brands became household names with their wit and humour in delivering the message and marketing their products.

Old Spice

The popular men’s deodorant and hygiene products brand is known to go meta with their campaigns, making fun of the whole idea of advertising in itself. It usually features a very well built, handsome man, doing something completely out of context in their commercials, like riding a horse on a beach while mouthing the catchphrase addressing women, “Ladies, your man can smell just like me”. Here, take a look at one of their television commercials that aired sometime back.

Prime Video

Amazon’s video streaming service Prime Video in India has decided go all out and tickle the funny bone to promote the movies and shows on their platform. One look at their India Instagram page and you’ll find out posts peppered with humorous memes and jokes all involving some scene or dialogue from one of the movies in their catalogue, and a pop culture reference. One of their longest running advertising and marketing gags is wishing its followers “Good Morning” through funny memes. Here check out a few:

Prime Video

Prime Video-2

Netflix

Everyone hates spoilers. And everyone hates that one Netflix subscriber in the group who watches every movie, every TV show right when they release and give out spoilers to everyone. Netflix gave out fake spoilers of its highly popular shows through huge outdoor billboards as a part of their smart and funny campaign asking people to stay at home during the pandemic, to stay safe from the coronavirus and spoilers.

Eleven 11 Restro Cafe (@eleven11restrocafe)

This Ahmedabad-based restaurant cum cafe is not only known for its lip smacking food and Instagram-worthy ambience and interiors, but their quirky social media presence too.
The brand knows that their audience on the internet is a young, hip crowd that loves their memes and are fluent in pop-culture references.

Eleven 11 Restro Cafe

And to match their vibe and draw them to their outlets, Eleven 11 regularly indulges in fun banters and shares witty takes on their social media pages.

Falguni Gruh Udhyog, Vastrapur (@falgunivastrapur)

This Ahmedabad-based snacks and packaged food brand is synonymous with being a Pakku Amdavadi, i.e. loud, funny and a total film buff. Falguni Vastrapur is a legacy brand, with loyalties of their customers spanning 30 years.

But they promote their products through trending memes and jokes shared on their Instagram pages. Here’s a sneak peek on what they usually talk about online.

Falguni Gruh Udhyog, Vastrapur

The idea behind this is that the brand is pretty confident that the elders of the house (mothers, grandmothers, etc) will always visit the store to purchase their snacks. But the brand wishes to attract the cafe-hopping, new-gen audience by speaking to them in their lingo, while promoting their traditional and fusion Gujarati snacks.

Customers appreciate and remember a funny take

Sprout Social conducted a detailed survey of consumers in relation to brand personality. The report found that three in four consumers appreciated humor from brands. Humor helps a consumer remember and engage with your brand and that they appreciate good humor from companies

Good humour, a cheeky take on oneself also showcases honesty. Which is something every customer seeks from a brand. This honesty helps in building the trust between the consumer and the brand. And when there is trust and honesty in such a relationship, customers tend to engage more with the brand and further refer it to their friends and family too.

Can humour fail in marketing too?

But not every brand has the chops to be cheeky. Failing at humor in the marketing world is sure to attract attention, but not the kind that your brand wants. What builds a powerful connection also has a downside. Humor tends to be highly subjective. What’s funny to one may offend another. That can spread like wildfire and damage your brand. Humor can also water down your message. Make sure your team is on the same page and consistent with who you want your brand to be.

88% consumers dislike it when brands mock their fans
71% of consumers find brands engaging in politics on social annoying

Dos and Don’ts when it comes to using humor in marketing.

  • Test your jokes on others before posting

What’s funny for one, might just be a plain ‘fact’ for another. Check if the ‘hilarious’ joke you thought up for your brand actually makes any sense or not, by cracking it with your peers, maybe the designers, the copywriters, and even the interns.

  • Avoid controversial topics

What’s worse for a brand is a joke offending people than a joke not landing. People may let go of an ‘unfunny’ post, tweet or a blog, but a joke that mocks their beliefs, ideologies or anything sensitive has a high chance of backfiring.

  • Be sure the timing is right

Oh, and what’s worst, is a badly timed joke. Never make jokes or post something funny when there is a scenario that is serious and sensitive, like a national mourning, war, natural calamities, etc.

  • Select the right channel

Some jokes are specifically crafted for particular platforms. For instance, the “Like, Comment, Share” jokes are meant only for Instagram. Posting them on Pinterest or Twitter will never work.

You know what, some of the funniest jokes come out when you hanging out with the right people. How about you drop by our office for a cup of strong coffee and stronger punchlines for your next brand promotion? Drop us a hello on hello@florafountain.in

Categories
Social Media

Engage with them! How interactive content helps a brand grow online

How interactive content helps a brand grow online

Pick 6 Horror Movies and We’ll Guess Your Biggest Fear with 98% Accuracy
Heels or Flats: How do you dress to impress on date night?

We all have come across such articles on the internet. And in most cases, have clicked on the link and answered all the questions, either out of curiosity or interest in the brand. This is interactive content at play, on web and social media.

What is interactive content?

Any form of content that encourages the user or follower to not just passively consume content, but participate and interact with the brand, is called interactive content. It can include quizzes, surveys, polls, riddles and calculators added into articles, social media posts and stories.

It is an interesting and fun approach to connect and interact with the customer, pick her brain on what they think about the brand, its products and in some cases, even collect data from them for future marketing activities. And anything more than just reading text is always more engaging.

In order to provide the best social media marketing services in Ahmedabad, Flora Fountain has always believed that content must engage, educate and delight the brand’s user.

BuzzFeed – Killing it on the internet with interaction

Everyone knows BuzzFeed. While there might be different reasons why people like them, the one thing that makes them stand out in the market in terms of content, are their interactive posts, quizzes and surveys. According to BuzzFeed, 96% of users who start their sponsored quiz, complete it. That is a very high completion rate!

buzzfeed-landing-page

And the brand has been successful in generating engagement, user interaction and data collection because their content targets specific audiences, it is created to be mobile-friendly and incorporates a lot of visual elements.

It’s very simple, create content that makes storytelling a conversation, rather than one-way communication, where the consumer is only reading and gaining information but cannot interact back.

Like, this FRIENDS S1-based quiz that takes one on a nostalgic trip back to the teens. What’s fun is that they become addictive after a point.

Benefits of interactive content

Increases consumer engagement

When a brand creates any form of interactive content, it is seeking its users’ opinion about the topic. It shows that the brand truly values the consumer and they are open to accepting their users’ ideas, thoughts, and feedback.

Instagram-reel

And no, it’s not rocket science to create engaging content online. And one of the best examples of it is this great use of the Poll Stickers feature by youth fashion brand Forever21 about their footwear trends.

More attention from the audience

When a brand regularly creates interesting interactive content on their social media platforms, it creates a great recall value in the minds of its followers and users. They begin to participate in the quizzes, puzzles and polls regularly and look forward to the next such post.

One such example is of Falguni Vastrapur on Instagram. Its digital marketing company in Ahmedabad regularly creates funny, engagement inducing content on its Instagram pages.

word-puzzal

Most of the participants in their comments are their customers, who are delighted that their favourite snack brand interacts with them like their next door friendly neighbour.

More data captured for optimised lead generation and conversion rates

fusion sweets brand

Interactive content doesn’t always have to be just This or That type of polls and quizzes. They can also be a simple Ask Me Anything (AMA) or DM for Price Request types of questions too.

Ahmedabad-based fusion sweets brand Bellezoe has been known to be keeping its stories interactive in a way that it gets to capture customer data like their social media handles, and in some cases, their contact details too.

With the database of interested users on Instagram, they keep these ‘users’ or prospective customers updated about their latest products, offers and much more.

Types of interactive content

Instagram Polls & Surveys

Instagram is a goldmine of interactive content. Especially its stories, with multiple stickers which offer interactive tools for users to engage with the brand. Some of its popular stickers include the Poll, Question, Rate Me and Link Me.

Some of the top brands from around the world, like Forever 21, Ray Ethnic and local brands like Bellezoe use such stickers to engage with their followers regularly.

Quizzes & Puzzles

As mentioned earlier, BuzzFeed is the champion when it comes to Quizzes. Almost every other media company or brand all over the world uses BuzzFeed’s Quiz template or a modified version of it in their content.

LIVE Q&A sessions

Many celebrities and even brands love using the LIVE feature on Instagram and Facebook to host direct Q&A sessions with their followers in real time.

Some of our favourite LIVE interactive sessions include musician Ehsaan Qureshi’s late-night Instagram LIVEs during the pandemic-induced lockdowns where he’d invite budding artistes and singers to join him on the same screen and perform for his followers. A similar activity was done by the Instagram page Your Food Lab, where the chef would host a Cook With Me with his followers on LIVE, while answering their questions and having fun chats with them.

Calculators

Feed in the data and get to see the results. One of the best and professional ways to interact with consumers and users is to provide them with an easy to use calculator to find out answers to their questions themselves.

It not only improves their engagement with the brand, but increases the chances of them taking the conversation forward and getting converted into a potential sale/business. One of our favourite calculators is the one below, from Ahmedabad-based Investment Advisory firm White Ocean.

sip-dashboard

How to plan your interactive content?

It’s not rocket science. Simply follow this checklist below, created by digital marketers of Flora Fountain, one of the best social media marketing services in Ahmedabad, follow.

    • Outline your objectives clearly
    • Use the language your audience interacts in
    • Keep it simple as you can
    • Keep it mobile friendly
    • Collect & store customer data for future

Easy-peasy? No? Worry not. We’re here for you! Drop us an ‘Allo on hello@florafountain.in and we’ll help you create such amazing, interactive content for your brands too!

Categories
Branding Services

Brands, It’s Time to Enter the METAVERSE. Here’s how!

Brands

Imagine a world, where a large number of people hang out together, online. Wait, don’t imagine. It’s already a reality now. Various online gaming platforms have evolved from simple tasks and challenges to a complete universe in itself. (Grand Theft Auto, we’re looking at you!)

At a time when companies like Microsoft are announcing that their number of subscribers are going over 10 million, it is quite visible that the pandemic has dashed any hope of weaning children (and adults!) from the online world.

That is the power of the metaverse.

Meta-what?

Imagine yourself walking into a showroom with a friend and going through different products while customizing them according to your choice. Two clicks and you are out of the showroom. As soon as you take your hands off the mouse and your eyes off the screen, you are at your place sitting in your room.

THIS IS METAVERSE

A parallel virtual world that combines multiple technologies like augmented and virtual reality, videos, and 3D avatars. It creates a space where people can shop and trade but also work, travel, socialize, and interact with one another. All of this on the internet, just like they do in real life.

For a term coined three decades ago by Neal Stephenson in his sci-fi novel, Snow Crash, ‘metaverse’ sure took a long time to become a part of the mainstream discourse. Though the actualization of the metaverse can still take a few years, the aspects of it can already be seen in online game universes, like Fortnite, Roblox, Animal Crossing, and Minecraft. These video games provide the closest metaverse experience because players don’t just play games anymore, they also use it for other activities in “cyberspace”.

Brands like Nike have entered the metaverse by creating a virtual world, Nikeland on video game platform Roblox Corp, effectively becoming the first big brand that created a digital space for players to customize their avatars with special Nike products. And like Nike, other big-names are also trying their best to engage young customers while being averse to traditional advertising tactics.

Flora Fountain, one of the best logo design companies & leading branding agency in Ahmedabad is here to share some key takeaways for brands that are still mulling over why and how to navigate through this new frontier.

How can brands map into the metaverse?

Brand placement in gaming platforms

87% of Generation Z, 83% of millennials, and 79% of Generation X spend their time on video games on smartphones, gaming consoles. They meet their friends, select avatars and play in that elaborate digital world of games like Roblox, Minecraft and Fortnite. There is no doubt that these habits of a customer base will have a significant impact on brands. Brand placement in games can help the brands reach a very very captive audience.

Some of the world’s most valuable brands like Gucci and Ferrari are actively testing how they can lead in the metaverse and engage with more customers to generate additional revenue. Last year, Gucci joined hands with Roblox, a gaming platform with approximately 202 Million active users, and created a virtual Gucci Garden exhibit on the platform to sell several rare Gucci items for two weeks.

Gucci Garden

Similarly, Ferrari teamed up with Epic Games and added it’s 296 GTB to Fortnite.

Create Virtual Showrooms

Digitally created 360° environments, virtual showrooms give similar look and feel and functions as a physical showroom. It lets a brand share its collections with a click of a button and schedule virtual appointments or set up virtual fitting rooms with retail buyers.

According to McKinsey, around 70%–80% of B2B decision-makers prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service. And with the pandemic, making work from home a reality, more than ever. Brands can use this to expand their reach as buying and selling is happening online. Depending on the software, brands can share 3D product images and product videos and accept purchase orders, all within the same platform. It also allows the customers to avoid spending an entire day running between showroom appointments.

Enable customizers & allow testing

When a person shops for a product. For example a car, he/she decides what model they want and choose their favorite colour, seat style, the style of wheel, along with other specifications. Why? Because 50% of consumers desire personalized products. And studies have shown that customization has proven to be a promising avenue in fields where companies want to attract customers in a competitive market.

Metaverse gives brands a way to create a 3D-exhibition booth space with infinite opportunities to customize. One such example is Mercedes. Which enables its customers to configure their ideal G-Wagon through a live demo and shows them how it will look on their custom vehicle.

Nike Logo in sportswear

Similarly, this customization can be taken to another level, by allowing the customers to test new designs according to their wish. Checkout how Sportswear giant Nike gives its customers a chance to design their ideal shoe.

Indian Tech giants are also mushrooming in this space.

Several mobile app development companies based in India have diversified into providing professional metaverse development services. Other companies like TCS, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Accenture have also started to develop in the field.

If you are wondering how you can do this for your brand? You can hire one of the leading branding agencies in Ahmedabad, India and let them come up with the perfect branding strategy for you to enter the metaverse. It is very important for you to have pilot projects in place. Start building a core team that learns to integrate such dynamic technologies!

We are excited for the future! Are you?

Categories
Branding Services

Brand Voice: The WHAT, WHY & HOW it matters

Branding Company

Imagine entering a family event and meeting your reticent uncle who doesn’t talk much until you ask or tell him something. But then you meet his enthusiastic world-traveller son, and you both just can’t stop talking and exchanging notes on shared interests established during the conversation! Now think about it, do you give the same attention to both of them? Are you equally engaged talking to both of them? The answer, of course, is no. Just like your uncle and cousin have different personalities and voices, on which your level of engagement with them differs, just like that, brands too can have different voices based on their personalities.

But the million-dollar question, does your brand need a voice? And is it ready to have one? But what even is a brand voice?

Read on to find out answers to these and many more questions from the best known branding and digital marketing company in Ahmedabad.

What is a brand voice?

Every brand has a defining persona that leaves a lasting impression on the audience it interacts with and the customers it serves. This happens through the various ways it communicates with them, through advertisements, social media posts, branding activities, promotions, etc. The language it uses, their flow of words, the personality it imbibes on, is what comes together to form a brand voice that makes people remember the brand and talk about it to others, hence ‘spreading the word’ about it.

How it matters…

A brand’s distinctive voice makes it consistent, memorable and recognisable. A brand increases the awareness of its product, services, ideology, mission and vision through its voice. With the digital landscape now massively crowded, it seems like a competition of who is the loudest. But when a brand maintains its consistency in voice through its words, graphics, pictures, it stands out amidst the din and people are able to identify it out of the crowd.

Defining a brand’s voice…

Don’t know what your brand should sound like? Worry not… everyone starts somewhere, even Coca Cola did. The branding and content marketing teams from one of the best branding companies in Ahmedabad has these five tips for you to figure it out and get started.

Identify the brand’s audience

Every brand must ask this question to themselves first, “Who are we serving?” This question unravels many aspects of the ideal customer a brand wants. It further brings out more questions like, what is their age, what language do they speak, where do they live, how much do they earn and spend, who do they hang out with, do they travel and where, etc…

When a brand starts to find answers to all these questions, they come up with the persona of their ideal customer, and that helps them target and speak to the right audience in the language that resonates with them. For instance, a Taj hotel will speak impeccable English in their posts, but a local café like Eleven11 in Ahmedabad would prefer using slang, puns and jokes in their communication. You get the drift…

Be consistent, and document EVERYTHING about it

The success of a well-defined brand voice lies in the consistency of its application. And to maintain this brand voice, it is important to document every important feature and aspect that defined it in the first place.

This brand voice document must mention the company and brand’s mission, vision, the personality traits of its ideal customer, their vocabulary, the brand tagline & the story behind it, some examples of the correct usage of brand language, and mistakes to avoid.

This practice will be helpful for multiple departments, from the strategist racking his brains over the next promotional campaign idea, to the rookie writer who will be writing for the brand’s social media and marketing copies, to not got astray.

Audit & Edit

Don’t know where to start yet? Simple, look at the last 6 months of promotional activity, communication, advertising and all that marketing jazz done by the brand. Study the language and the tone used in all these posts and advertisements. Identify the points where the brand received a positive response from the target audience and the ones where it didn’t create much of a flutter.

A good brand manager will notice the inconsistencies and start editing out and implementing the ideal brand voice elements from the document as mentioned above. Wondering why this happens? Different writers have different styles of writing, and when there is no structure or plan to follow, these inconsistencies in the brand language and voice start to creep in and stick out. So, always audit and edit every time you feel like the brand is losing touch with its audience.

Maintain brand tone of voice

This again brings us back to the second point, where we spoke out of consistency. And to simply put it, brand voice is WHAT a brand wants to say it, and the tone is HOW the brand says it.

It varies between audiences, and the brand voice document again comes in handy here. Since it contains a response and tone for every situation, from a glowing review to a scathing rebuke online.

It also underlines how a brand makes its announcements, from new launches, price-drops, celebrity endorsements, media features and much more. For instance, a brand like Souled Store were “excited” much to announce its tie up with YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani, while Sabyasachi’s tie up with actress Shobita Dhulipala was subdued, but both brands hit the target.

Some great examples of brands perfecting their communication voice

Coca Cola

coca cola

Down-to-earth, friendly and very positive. Ever since we all were kids, we’ve seen Coca Cola as a brand that unites, a brand that brings people together, adds life to the party and solves even the biggest crisis when two people share a Coke. It’s captivating red colours, the pristine white waves flowing through it while forming the brand name in cursive lettering has gone on to become a great symbol of friendship.

Uber

Bold yet considerate, simple and consistent. Uber’s brand voice is in true sense, a no-nonsense voice. Its communication is to the point, and audience-first. The brand knows that the people using it will be mostly young professionals wanting to reach work on time and hence can’t really wait to read a witty copy. Even the colour schemes are bold black, simple grey and clean white.

Uber

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Strong, masculine and confident. Harley-Davidson has always hit the mark when it comes to promoting their bikes. The beauty of their brand voice is that

a.) It addresses its existing audience in their vocabulary, which is rugged and maybe a bit rough on the edges.

b.) It challenges the new viewers to try and be like them and show if they can handle their strong motorcycles.

It resonates very well with the tribe that believes in being rebellious and fiercely independent and believes in freedom and loyalty.

We hope this guide helps you define a distinctive voice for your brands and stand out in the crowd. Or, let the experts at Flora Fountain pick it up for you and hit it out of the park. Drop us a line on hello@flora.ffteam.in