Setting the Tone: How Tone Impacts Messaging, Influence, and More… (pt 2)
We as people are slowly getting more immune to the ads we see daily. Not for the reason you may think – brands being cliche or running out of ideas. Instead, we just see so many dang ads nowadays. An Editor at The Drum did a bit of digging on this after he googled ‘how many ads the average person sees in a day’ and got a bunch of answers all “clustered around three figures: 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000.”
Despite the real answer… that’s a ton of ads.
That’s why we all have gotten better at ‘turning off’ their brains, in a way, to focus less on each and every ad we see.
Either way, we are still seeing them. Even when unphased by them, our brains still observe them without a second thought.
So then, what makes one ad better than the other?
…The question that drives marketers mad. Knowing the answer would give them the advantage when it comes to influence and profitability. But, when you think about tone, any ol’ average joe can relate.
Any person who comes across other people in their life – in the office, on zoom, commuting to work, or with a cashier checking out groceries – knows what tone does for us. We are always hearing someone’s tone and using it to read a room, make our next move, and respond.
Okay, try to picture it:
Your roommate cops an attitude with you as you put the dishes in the already full sink. → You’re likely to pick up on this social cue, causing you to start doing those dishes right then, not later.
Your boss tells you about a promotion that’s up for grabs. To your colleague, she was very dry. To you, she was using a cheery tone and sounded like she was talking through a smile. → Considering her change in expression, you assume you have a leg up.
So if people’s tone has that significant of an impact, and brands are always fighting for our attention using their unique brand voice, tone must be essential to our experiences, thoughts, habits, and (as we all know) the way we buy.
Whether or not we notice, tone resonates with us. That’s why well-known brands are so good at this, because they know it matters.
Apple is known for its simple and confident tone. The brand’s ads pack a punch with very few words or emotions shown.
Kroger is uplifting and energetic. The Krojis (Kroger + Emoji) they use give them a reputation of being playful, upbeat, and positive.
Coca-Cola is inclusive, light-hearted, and optimistic. Their commercials are always centered around community, coming together, and the ‘more important’ things in life.
Maybe you’ve never seen those tones explained, but likely, you’re nodding in agreement right now, knowing these brands have nailed the way they get their message across.
Well, there’s a reason! Apple, Kroger, and Coke make us all feel a similar way because they focus so much on maintaining a unique and impactful tone in everything they do.
The way they send a message impacts the way we hear it.
That’s why it’s a big deal that every business finds their own voice, and uses it! It’s not too late. Here’s how you can:
Hire a copywriter
Figure out what you stand for as a business. What does that sound like?
Crank out copy and content that makes sense for your brand. Keep the tone the same throughout, training your customers to hear your message in the way you need them to.
I can’t emphasize it enough; the way they send a message impacts the way we hear it.
Even this blog post is intentionally written in a specific tone. It’s chummy, casual, and conversational. It should sound kind of like you’re talking to a friend.
Sound right? Do those words – chummy, casual, conversational – match how you heard this blog in your head as you read it?
Plain English with short, informal words and phrases like okay so, maybe, kind of, so then, totally, and drives them mad give the blog this specific tone. Additionally, the use of ellipsis and longer, flowing sentence structure contribute to the conversational feel.
Check out the next blog, to hear the same message in a totally different way.
1. Sam Anderson, How many ads do we really see in a day? Spoiler: it’s not 10,000, (The Drum, 2023)