What’s Trending in Branding?

In two-word short – it’s personalised communication.

In branding, personalised communication goes far beyond addressing customers by name – it’s all about crafting a distinct brand language that speaks directly to the emotional and intellectual nuances of your audience. It means creating messages that resonate on a deeper level, balancing authenticity with emotional intelligence to grow trust and loyalty. This strategy isn’t just a trend; it’s becoming a necessity, with 86% of consumers saying authenticity is a key factor when choosing which brands they support (Stackla, 2021). Even more so, since customers are getting tired of most brands sounding like one another.

Does your brand also sound (written and spoken) like every other brand? If you’re serious about this all business game you’re in, you should find a way to SOUND just and only LIKE YOUR BRAND.

A well-developed brand language is foundational for effective personalised communication. It’s not about what a brand says, but HOW it says it. Words must be chosen not only for their literal meaning but for the emotional resonance they carry. For instance, how a luxury brand like Chanel uses restrained, elegant language to evoke exclusivity is vastly different from how a brand like Airbnb employs a friendly, approachable tone to foster community. Crafting this verbal identity requires sensitivity to cultural context, emotional tone and customer sentiment – a skill set rooted in emotional intelligence (EI).

EI plays a critical role in shaping a brand’s verbal communication. It’s about the ability to “read the room” and adapt the tone and style of messaging in real-time. Brands that communicate with high EI show empathy, understanding and the ability to sense unspoken emotions. According to a study by TalentSmart, 90% of top performers in business demonstrate high emotional intelligence, and this principle applies to branding too. A brand that can capture customer’s sentiment and respond with emotional acuity – be it through customer service interactions, social media responses or marketing campaigns – creates a stronger emotional bond with its audience.

The science of neuromarketing further illustrates the power of verbal cues in branding. Research shows that the right words can trigger emotional responses in the brain, influencing decision-making. For example, using words associated with warmth, trust and comfort can activate the brain’s reward centres, fostering a positive association with the brand. A study by Harvard Business Review found that emotionally connected customers have a 52% higher lifetime value than those who are merely satisfied, underscoring the financial impact of emotionally intelligent verbal communication.

Verbal expression also extends to sensing the subtle nuances of timing, tone and cultural sensitivity in brand messaging. A misstep in brand language, even if minor, can cause significant reputational damage in today’s hyper-connected world. In 2020, 83% of millennials reported that they want brands to align with their values, including how they speak on social issues (5WPR 2020 Consumer Culture Report). This requires an acute understanding of not just what to say, but how to say it in a way that resonates authentically with specific audiences.

Personalising verbal communication can take many forms. From micro-segmentation of audiences, where different tones and linguistic styles are used for various subgroups, to conversational marketing strategies that rely on natural language processing tools. Such tools are technologies that enable computers to understand, interpret and generate human language in a way that is both meaningful and useful. They allow brands to automate real-time, human-like conversations through chatbots while still maintaining the nuance of tone, context and empathy. Data shows that 80% of companies already use or plan to adopt some form of chatbot by 2025 (Salesforce), making this a crucial frontier for personalising verbal brand language.

Brands that excel in personalised verbal communication use a combination of data analytics and emotional insight to refine their messaging continually. Through real-time feedback loops, sentiment analysis and social listening tools, brands can adjust their language to better connect with their audience. For example, Nike’s “Dream Crazier” campaign used inclusive, empowering language that resonated deeply with female athletes, further cementing its emotional connection with a core demographic.

Lastly, measuring the impact of personalised verbal communication goes beyond click-through rates or sales metrics. It involves analysing customer sentiment, brand perception and emotional engagement. The most effective brands continually refine their verbal identity to ensure it remains aligned.

How would get personalised verbal communication for your brand?
STEP ONE – auditing your brand’s communication to know where it stands.
STEP TWO – knowing what kind of people you want for your audience.
STEP THREE – creating a proper brand personality for that.
STEP FOUR – detailing out the principles of verbal communication for your brand to put that personality into action – making it alive.

You can do all of that yourself HERE or get help with it HERE.

#communication #business #brandlanguage #branding