Brand Voice (Tone of Voice).
Brand voice is the consistent way a company speaks and writes: formal or casual, matter-of-fact or enthusiastic, and, in German, with the informal 'du' or the formal 'Sie'. It makes a brand recognisable through its copy, regardless of who wrote it.
Brand Voice (Tone of Voice) — Explained in Detail
Two companies can say the same thing and sound completely different. 'Your enquiry has been received; we will respond within 24 hours' and 'Thanks! We've got your message and will get back to you tomorrow' carry the same information but a different feeling. Brand voice determines which of these sounds belongs to a brand. A common distinction is between voice (the personality that stays the same) and tone (the adjustment to the situation, for example in an apology).
A well-known framework comes from the Nielsen Norman Group (article 'The Four Dimensions of Tone of Voice', 2016). It describes tone along four axes: funny or serious, formal or casual, respectful or irreverent, enthusiastic or matter-of-fact. Every brand finds its place on these axes. In German there is a fifth decision that English lacks: the informal 'du' or the formal 'Sie'. In Switzerland, 'du' is more widespread in many sectors than in Germany, while in fiduciary, legal or healthcare services 'Sie' usually remains the norm.
Brand voice is part of corporate identity, specifically its communication, just as corporate design is its visible part. It derives from the positioning and the target group: addressing finance executives sounds different from reaching leisure athletes. It is most noticeable in short texts, the microcopy on buttons, in error messages and confirmation emails, because often nobody pays conscious attention to tone there.
A defined brand voice becomes important as soon as several people or tools write: employees, an agency, a chatbot, AI tools. Without guidelines every source sounds different, and AI copy without guidance often ends up in interchangeable clichés. A short tone-of-voice guide with examples helps everyone involved and can be passed directly to an AI tool as an instruction.
A tone-of-voice guide in five parts
First, three or four traits that describe the brand, each with a boundary: 'direct but not curt', 'expert but without jargon'. Second, the form of address and where exceptions apply. Third, words the brand uses and words it avoids, such as no superlatives. Fourth, examples: the same sentence in the right and the wrong tone. Fifth, situations with an adjusted tone, such as complaints, rejections and job adverts.
The guide is part of brand work and is developed together with logo, colours and typeface, see corporate design agency. Where content is produced regularly, such as blog articles or newsletters, our content marketing agency in Zurich keeps the tone consistent across all copy. How a story is told in the brand's voice is covered under storytelling.
Example: a physiotherapy practice between formal and informal
A constructed example, not a client case: a physiotherapy practice in Basel treats athletes as well as older people after surgery. On Instagram the team uses the informal 'du', on the website the formal 'Sie', and appointment confirmations mix both. Patients report that the practice feels 'like two different places depending on the channel'.
The practice decides: on the website, in emails and in the waiting room it uses the formal address, warm and free of jargon ('You will usually notice a difference after the first week …' instead of 'Mobilisation is carried out …'). Instagram keeps the informal address because almost only athletes follow it there, but the sound is the same: calm, encouraging, factual about diagnoses. A two-page guide with ten sample sentences sits at reception and also serves as the brief for the AI tools the practice uses to prepare posts.
Related Page
Corporate IdentityFrequently Asked Questions About Brand Voice (Tone of Voice)
Brand voice is the brand's personality in words and stays the same. Tone of voice adapts to the situation: an apology sounds more serious than a greeting, even though both belong to the same voice. In German both are often summarised as 'Tonalität'.
That depends on the target group and the sector. Where customers address each other informally, for example in sport or among younger audiences, 'du' feels approachable. In areas involving trust or expertise, such as fiduciary services, law or healthcare, 'Sie' is more usual. Above all, the choice should be consistent across channels or deliberately separated.
With a short guide: three or four traits with boundaries, the form of address, words you use and avoid, and a few sample sentences in the right and wrong tone. Give this text to the tool as a fixed instruction, and still check the results before publishing.
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