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Tone of Voice is a big part of brand identity and we recently discussed why it was important. 

Getting it right is key, especially with the majority of business being online and competition increasing daily. We’ve all seen the big guys like Nike and Coca-Cola nail their tone of voice, and why wouldn’t they, they’ve been in the game for decades.

In the world of eCommerce however, which is much newer but just as, if not more, competitive, several brands are smashing their tone of voice across the digital landscape. Below, we’ve taken a look at four getting it spot on. 

Bark box

You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love dogs. Social media is filled with images of owners and their pooches. With dog owners thinking of their pets like babies, it makes sense that a company like Bark Box would emerge.

Sending a monthly box out to your dog filled with treats, toys, and goodies, it’s surprising the market isn’t saturated. It may be for all we know, but because of the way Bark Box has executed their tone of voice, they stand apart from the pack – if there is one that is. 

One of the keys to their success is addressing the dog from the get-go – after all, they’re a pet company.

Making everything about the dog, their tone of voice is fun, cute, quirky, and pun-loving. Everything you’d expect from a brand centred on dogs. It’s a dog’s personality as a brand.

Featuring personalised communications, which includes emails, newsletters, phone-calls and chatbots, they do this by asking for your pet’s name from the start.

Further to this, they aren’t shy about sharing their beloved customers online. Something dog owners love to do; it’s this extra level of engagement that creates that personal fun-loving touch customers enjoy.

Frida Baby

From fur babies to real babies, Frida Baby is very different from other baby brands. Separating itself through an honest, direct, and darkly humorous tone of voice.

Opting to stray away for the often-sentimental tone other baby brands prefer, Firdababy speaks directly to parents about the bits that don’t quite make it to Instagram.

Focusing on practical solutions for sticky situations, their products are given unusual names such as ‘the gasspasser’, while their mission statement is ‘we’ve got you covered from whatever baby throws your way’.

This can be found throughout their website and social media, where the reality of parenting is brought to the forefront in relaxed and relatable product descriptions, captions, and imagery.

Even CEO and president Chelsea Hirschhorn has described Frida Baby as the “non-Instagram-worthy part of parenthood”.

Dollar Shave Club

We’ve all seen the adverts, women with silky smooth legs and chisel-jawed sportsmen showing off their close shave. However, this isn’t the reality for the majority of us.

Facts are facts: shaving isn’t sexy. In fact, it’s a chore, and many of us are left with small cuts and bits of blood-stained tissue stuck to our faces.

It’s this reality that Dollar Shave Club has captured in its tone of voice.

Staying away from the luxury feel you get with most shaving brands, they’re honest about how much of a task it can be. 

Therefore, they offer a way to make shaving convenient and comfortable and say they’re blunt – unlike their blades.

It’s this honesty with a splash of humour that helps them focus as a brand to draw customers in. 

However, this isn’t the focal point. Beyond the humour and bluntness, the brand positions itself as an expert. They repeatedly describe what makes each of their products, from razors to lotions, unique, which can be seen in their guides and product pages. Meanwhile, they often dish out a combination of polls, facts, and even fundraisers they’re involved with on Twitter.

You get the feeling they know what they’re talking about. After all, they’re centred on the real-life issue of shaving as a chore and they’re offering to make it easier, instead of selling you an unattainable image.

Missguided

Fast fashion is big, and it continues to get bigger and bigger as more and more brands enter the game.

One brand that has been on the lips of most people at some point is Missguided.

Manchester-based, this eCommerce retailer started small but has soon become one of the bigger names in the industry.  

This rise isn’t purely down to product cost and aggressive marketing strategies. One of Missguided’s biggest successes is it’s consistent and instantly recognisable brand image, which is born from the tone of voice it adopted from the beginning.

Cheeky and rebellious, the brand centres itself as the rebel that sat at the back of the class or skipped it to go and sit in a field somewhere. The brand is all about having fun, and this comes through in everything they do.

From their models, typography, and cheeky, colloquial online copy to conversational and honest product descriptions and imagery, alongside playful newsletters and catchy hashtags – they’re consistent throughout. 

It’s easy to see too, you can recognise a Missguided TV or print ad in an instant, despite the slew of eCommerce retailers springing up to try and take its crown.

Branding is important and it all begins with a consistent tone of voice that’s evident in everything you do. If you’re looking to work on your tone of voice or wondering how you can compete with the big guns of eCommerce, get in touch with team Relative today.

Lewis Shepherd profile picture

About the author

Made in Wales, Lewis worked for the only Pot Noodle factory in the world as a teenager! He then moved up north to study Journalism and media studies at University. Lewis has a self-confessed love of musical theatre and Madonna, which borders on the obsessive, and regularly spends all of his money on books, which he adds to his ever-growing pile at home. As a copywriter, his role at Relative requires him to write words in many forms for all our clients.

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