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6 ways to mix your tone of voice into your food and drink brand

October, 2020
Words by Alyce Greer @ Bossy. Copywriting
5 min read
6-ways-to-mix-your-tov-into-your-brand
You mightn’t think you’ve come across a memorable tone of voice in the products you eat and drink, but trust us — you have.

Remember that takeaway coffee you bought once, and there was a quote printed on the cup? Or that bottle of wine that sounded so damn good on the label you just had to have it? Or what about that funny sign in the takeaway shop that made you chuckle while you were waiting for your burger? Yep, believe it or not, tone of voice is everywhere. Even under your burger and fries.

While these touches might be small, they have a mighty effect: they’re what come together to make a bonafide brand, and they’re what people remember — and tell their friends about.

If you have a food or drink business, here are some quick n’ easy tips for working your tone of voice into your brand.

1. Write drool-worthy product descriptions.

There’s two reasons why your product descriptions are crucial: firstly, they give some insight into your brand personality, and most importantly, they make us feel so hungry that we type in our credit card details. If you have an ecomm business, your product descriptions are a perfect opportunity to paint a picture for how your product tastes. Use words like crunchy, spiced, smooth, hot and salty to describe what you’re selling.

2. When in doubt, add a tagline.

We like to think of taglines as slogans. They’re versatile little things, and can be plastered anywhere! No, really — try adding them to your signage, menus, social feeds or packaging. They can be a nice surprise for your customer, while telling them what you ‘do’ or what you ‘stand for’.

3. Stay on top of your socials.

We get it, you don’t have time to eat your lunch let alone spend all day on Instagram. But Instagram is the best place to build a community and make lots of sales. It’s also one of the most important places to execute your tone of voice. We give lots of Instagram caption examples in our Brand ID that you can actually post (and then use as a guide) to ensure your online presence is always aligned with your offline presence.

4. Serving suggestions, because why not?

When promoting your food or drink product, a quick serving suggestion can go a long way. Pretend we do a great craft vodka, and we’re adding a serving suggestion to our label, social post or the card that comes in the box. We could suggest a dirty martini, made with vodka, dry vermouth, olive brine and an olive garnish. It’s strong, sophisticated, sexy. Or, we could suggest a fairy floss martini, made with vodka, cranberry juice, lemon juice and an exaggerated handful of fairy floss (preferably of the pink variety). It’s fun, flirty — and totally opposite to option one. Make sure you choose a serving suggestion that best reflects your brand personality!

5. Use your keywords — everywhere.

Keywords are a collection of words that scream your tone of voice. They also help your brand be consistent, especially when there are multiple versions of the same word. For example, if you make gourmet crackers, maybe you use the word munch instead of eat. See the difference? Keep these keywords close and use them wherever possible to cement your tone of voice.

6. Menus are fun. Have fun with them.

Aside from the moment the food and drinks arrive, the best part of going to a restaurant is flipping over the menu. But menus are good for more than just telling customers what you sell. They’re a chance to express your personality and show them a good time, so pimp out your menus with taglines, keywords, phrases or lyrics. Think of some fun names for your food and drinks, too. People love that stuff.

The Sundae Agency and Bossy. work together to create unique Brand Playbooks which tackle the core of your brand and very importantly, it’s tone of voice. Want one for yourself? Say hi here.