Brand Voice Report
for Pixelswithin
3 Brand Voice Adjectives tell your story.
🌄 🧑🚀 🔬
Your Predominant Brand Archetype
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The Lover
There's a textbook breakup line that goes, "It's not you, it's me."
According to The Mathematics of Love 2.0, then, the inverse invitational equation must be, "It's not me, it's you."
Like either of those two lines — ending or beginning — you can often describe what something is by defining what it isn't; and in the land of brand voices, labouring over this one requires you, Lover, to be all about your listener.
If you can write a love letter — whether it's about your preference for puppies or your passion for the planet; a craving for soul food or your mission for whole food — then you can craft a Brand Voice for the Lover Archetype.
Falling head over heels with this archetype yet? No? Here are some bonus parts to the formula that might help:
- Examine The Everyperson. This seeker of community and defender of independence complements The Lover's desire for union and surrender.
- Study The Innocent. This champion of virtue and oneness contrasts with your Lover values of passion and dedication.
Global Goal 10: Reduced Inequality, is the Sustainable Development Goal that aligns perfectly with the Lover Archetype, "[…] equality and prosperity must be available to everyone - regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs or economic status."
This is the higher order of the Lover Archetype and sounds a lot like the lyrics to Steve Winwood's "Higher Love."
In the September 21, 2021 episode (Season 4, Episode 5) of the Awake at Night podcast, "Keep Going for the Children of Afghanistan," Melissa Fleming speaks to UNICEF’s Chief of Communications in Afghanistan, Sam Mort.
If your quiz experience left you feeling like you were having to choose adjectives to describe your voice that were close, but not quite the proverbial "cigar," I chose four challenging touchstone words to inspire your exploration of this threshold Archetype: cadence, ethnosphere, ubiquity, vestigial
For more touchstone words subscribe to inwords — legendary archetype and brand goodness for Lover and lovable brands (monthly on the 12th).
Hero's Journey Stage: 7. Approach to the Innermost Cave
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About Brand Archetypes
Part Plato, Jung and Joe Campbell — archetypes are powerful lenses we can use to examine and refine brand elements: from tone of voice to typography and graphics; color to culture; personality to purpose; values to visuals. The HTBY Brand Voice Quiz is akin to the Departure stage of Campbell's classic Hero's Journey. Be adventurous!
Your Brand Voice Adjectives
🌄 Upbeat
Cheerful personality; looking to the positive.
optimistic, happy, encouraging
“On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a playful, joyous energy behind what you do.”
—Eckhart Tolle
🧑🚀 Bold
Banksy, courageous, daring, Desmond Tutu, Greta Thunberg, Sergio Marquina
ballsy, brave, gritty, gutsy, unabashed
“Freedom lies in being bold.”
—Robert Frost
🔬 Innovative
Breaking with tradition, original, trailblazing, fearless
exploratory, groundbreaking, unorthodox
“When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills.”
—Chinese Proverb
Brand Voice Report Next Steps
👣 "Never follow anyone else’s path, unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. Then by all means follow that path." — Ellen DeGeneres
- Social Media
- Website
- Culture
- Customer Experience
- Marketing
🤳 Social Channels
Is the tone of voice of your social posts and graphics consistent with the brand adjectives you chose?
Does my page look the part?
Does my page’s color scheme and visual approach fit my brand voice?
Does it instantly resonate?
Would someone visiting my page instantly “get” my brand voice?
Is my story strong?
Are my posts telling a story that supports my brand voice?
How can I engage?
How can I engage more with people with my brand voice in mind through comments, story replies, etc?
Does my overall strategy fit my brand voice?
For example, if my brand voice is adorable but I think every post needs to be in a “professional” voice, I’m working backwards.
What kind of ideas can I work with?
What kind of images, colors, and words can I use to express my brand voice?
💻 Website, App, Blog, SaaS
Do your headings, menus, forms, pages and posts jive with the gist of your brand archetype and adjectives?
Is it easy to "get"?
Does my homepage show my brand’s personality in an instant? If not, how can it?
Can I use brand-specific phrasing anywhere?
For example, if you have a Pinterest content creation service, don’t just call it Pinterest Content Creation Service—weave your voice into it, e.g. for a glamorous brand voice, call it The Pinterest Makeover.
Is there anything unique I can offer?
Are there resources (such as interactive calculators or workbooks) or product features or deals that only I with my unique voice & values, could offer that my competitors couldn’t?
Am I communicating in more than words?
Would a visitor “get” my brand voice if they actually didn’t read a single word on my site? (Through visuals and other elements.)
What am I shooting for?
What would be the most perfect visual approach for my brand voice, without worrying about logistics? Maybe hiring the ideal designer isn’t feasible now, but at least you know what you’re aiming for.
What are other websites doing?
What are websites with a voice similar to you doing that's noteable?
🏛️ Culture & Authenticity
How many of the words you chose would your clients, staff and partners use to describe your brand?
How's my reputation?
Am I approachable in a way that fits with our brand voice?
What are things I do without thinking?
Are there any habits I have that are especially good for or counterproductive to my brand voice?
What internal first impression do I have?
Does the first-day experience for a new employee fit my brand voice?
How can I show my team how to use my voice?
How can I make sure everyone understands what my brand voice, and knows how to express it?
How do I keep growing in an authentic way?
How can I attract employees with values similar to mine?
What's different about me?
How does my voice make my employees' experiences different from competitors' experiences?
🙋 Customer & Prospect Experience
Are your sales collatoral, e-mails, support responses and product copy built with your brand's adjectives?
Is your email signature set up to make a good impression?
It’s like a digital business card.
Do your contact methods reflect your brand voice?
For example, if I’m hard to get ahold of, yet my brand voice is casual, that’s some dissonance to address.
Do I handle snafus in a way appropriate to my brand voice?
Or is my customer left out in the ocean without a lifevest, so to speak?
Did your customer service representatives get the memo about your brand voice?
Although they’re not on the marketing or design team, they are an important part of your customers’ experience.
What is the client offboarding experience?
Do my unsubscribe page and account cancelation process reflect my brand voice? They may be gone but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t refer or even come back one day.
Does the design of my forms and docs scream my brand voice?
Even if I cover up my logo, because my brand is bigger than my logo.
📣 Marketing & Advertising
Steal like Austin Kleon. Be nice (that's an adjective BTW). And relax, nothing's under control.
Where do we get most of our customers from?
Does this channel & strategy reflect my brand values?
Do we empower our customers to spread the word?
Through my visuals, copy (text), and so on, do customers have the vocabulary to accurately recommend me to a friend?
Are my ads appealing to people with similar personalities to mine?
People like people like them, so my light needs to shine bright.
Is my email newsletter voice the same as my brand voice?
Do the customers who have shown they like, know, and/or trust me get as good a message as my potential customers?
Is there a way I can reward loyal customers?
In a way that expresses my brand voice and values.
How’s my blog doing?
Is it helping my audience while showing my brand personality?
Thanks! 🙏
We hope you enjoyed the HTBY Brand Voice Quiz experience.
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Take care,
HTBY