Enter the words you chose to describe your brand tone of voice. They are the three words you entered into the Venn diagram on page 36 of Workbook 1, as well as any others you might have chosen.

Using your brand voice, briefly describe what you do. For example:

Aesop: “We offer skin, hair and body care formulations created with meticulous attention to detail, and with efficacy and sensory pleasure in mind.”

Scratch: “Mike and Doug are two little guys taking on the big guys. Mike is ex-fashun and decided he wanted to do something to better the world. Doug is ex-big pet food, but knew he wanted to change it. So far, not a lot in common. But they both love dogs.”

Even answering questions can have a tone of voice. Are you wanting to appear authoritative and intellectual? Conversational, even collaborative?

With your voice in mind, think about how you might answer a common question you hear.

For example, here’s how both Aesop and Scratch answer a question about sustainable packaging:

Aesop: “Our packaging ethos has always been utilitarian: vessels must be functional, humble and have minimal environmental impact. Guided by these uncompromising principles, we also ensure formulation compatibility, adherence to global compliance regulations and functional simplicity for our customers.“

Scratch: “We’d love to avoid plastic all together, but if moisture was to get into the box it could create mould and be a horrible health risk for your dog. We’re looking at how we can invest in creating a non-plastic bag, but for now, all of our packaging is recyclable.”

Complaints are tricky and none of us ever wants to receive them. But they do come, and when they do, it is helpful if we are ready to respond with the same honesty, courtesy and brand voice that you apply to the rest of your communications.

This ensures that the response or apology (depending on whether you believe the complaint is warranted or not) is seen to come from the same brand or person as all your other communications: people can see that you haven’t outsourced the tricky stuff to a company that doesn’t care the same way you do, or to a bot.

Here’s Aesop’s response to a complaint (on Instagram) that they had not pulled business operations out of Russia after the invasion of Ukraine:

Aesop: “Thank you for your message. Aesop does not operate any owned subsidiaries (or equity interests) in Russia. We have two wholesale partners in Russia. Aesop has suspended shipment of products and paused all new commercial activity in Russia.”

And here’s Scratch’s response to a complaint (on Instagram) that their website is down:

Scratch: “Ah bummer, that’s no good. All seems to be working fine for us - could you take another quick look this morning and see what’s happening? If you’re still having problems, send us a DM with your email so I can help with checking out your account.”

In your workbook, imagine a simple complaint, and have a practice answering it, while maintaining your brand voice in an appropriate way.

Social media is often where audience-members and customers go in order to learn from, be inspired by, and connect with the brands they follow and use.

This means that the threads, captions and to-camera videos we share on social media should continue to maintain our brand voice.

Choose something you have already shared and, in your workbook, rewrite it to properly encompass your brand voice, now that you have one.

Here are some examples from our two brands:

Scratch: “Time to #scratchthesurface with our co-founder @mrmikehalligan 🎤🎥. Come for the Scratch facts. Stay for the surprise questions for Mike at the end 😂”

Aesop: “Balanced Brutalism at Aesop Luitpoldblock. This generously proportioned, high-ceilinged Munich store experiments with striking contrasts of materiality and texture. The space features brutalist concrete elements that chime with the locale, alongside delicate tactile accents. A Carrara marble countertop softens the atmosphere, as do the aged brass of a vertical trapeze and the rosy hue of velvet panels that line the space.”

How will your brand voice influence the way you educate the members of your audience? Try explaining how something works: just something basic about what you do, and choose language for that explanation that supports your brand voice. For example:

Scratch: “Not all grains are created equal. ‘Grain’ can mean a whole lotta different things, from highly processed and refined wheats and corns, to healthier alternatives of ancient grains and pseudo-cereals like spelt, freekeh, bulgur, farro, oats, brown rice, chia and pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and chia. Best to check labels carefully...”

Aesop: “Our skin is composed of more than 70 per cent water—a figure that suggests ample hydration. However, the body continually loses moisture via transepidermal water loss, or TEWL, which describes the evaporation of water from the skin’s surface…”

Finally, revisit the values manifesto statements you created on page 9 of Workbook 1.

In the final answer-box on page 12 of Workbook 2, pull these statements together into a brand-values statement that is written in your brand voice, and reflects your language principles.