Part of the discipline of strong and active brand projection is the development of a suite of brand messages – from the macro and global through to the micro and local – that retain their punch and give coherence to the firm’s various stands of marketing communications.

Left and right brain

Developing a set of brand messages requires a mix of art and science. The science is about ensuring the messages are hitting the right notes and relate clearly to the client needs that your brand is addressing; the art is about making it compelling, memorable and keeping it concise.

Tone of voice also comes into the picture as the language chosen to convey the firm’s messages immediately begins to indicate the firm’s culture and attitude towards its clients. There’s no ‘right’ tone of voice, as every firm’s culture is different, but it’s important to ensure that the language reflects how you are and how you want to be seen by those you’re aiming to influence.

Cutting through complexity

As with all forms of communication, it’s always very easy to overcomplicate the story in the name of rigour or completeness. Balance that with the reality that people are involved on both sides of the brand communications equation and it’s easy to see that to cut through and motivate messages to have to be memorable – even if unconsciously – and less is always better than more.

Activities and deliverables

• • Key audience mapping – internal and external
  • Messaging framework – macro to micro
  • Language and tone of voice definition
  • Leadership engagement sessions
  • Brand messaging handbook