As someone famously said \u2018The pen is mightier than the sword\u2019, and when it comes to branding, this isn\u2019t just an old cliche that\u2019s well past its expiry date. Because although we tend to think of the logo as the most obvious expression of a brand, the brand name and how the brand speaks to its various audiences is equally essential for its success. In fact these are two sides of the same coin. The true power of your brand identity can only be realised when the visual and verbal aspects of the identity are equally strong, and totally integrated. Why do they need to be equal, you may ask? Because if you\u2019ve got a great logo with a weak name, or a great name with a weak logo, both scenarios are as bad as each other, and will cause your brand to fail. If you want to build a powerful brand that will give you strong market differentiation and cut-through, you need both the visual and the verbal identity to work equally well, and reinforce each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As with visual identity, the verbal identity should reflect the brand’s underlying narrative. For example, Google. It\u2019s a made-up name that is totally unique, but it\u2019s derived from the word \u2018googol\u2019, which in mathematics refers to a very large number (10 to the 100th power). Which is why it was chosen by Google\u2019s founders Larry Page and Seth Brin, because it evoked just how much information the search engine would uncover. This is a bit of a nerdy root, but the name is catchy and has strong associative power, which perhaps is one reason why \u2018google\u2019 has become the generic word for \u2018search the internet\u2019, overtaking rivals like Bing and Yahoo. And bearing in mind that Google\u2019s visual identity is constantly fluid (again suggesting the vastness and diversity of their reach), it\u2019s their verbal identity that\u2019s the most fixed and stable part of their brand signature. Although even the name is allowed to \u2018streeeetch\u2019 now and then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Google and Amazon are both examples of how important verbal identity is, particularly when the name is firmly rooted in the brand narrative, and the visual aspect of the identity reinforces the verbal.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s Amazon. Jeff Bezos chose the name because it refers literally to the largest river in the world, which again, associatively suggests the vastness of their product range and content. It also helped that Amazon begins with an \u2018A\u2019, and had a \u2018Z\u2019 in it. Which is why their logo device dynamically interacts with the name, by linking the \u201cA-to-Z\u201d in the word with an arched arrow. Again, it links the name with the underlying brand narrative, suggesting that Amazon offers everything, from A-Z. And their logo design literally underscores this. As Bezos himself said, alot of the success of Amazon \u201ccomes down to the brand name. Brand names are more important online than they are in the physical world.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n So just by looking at the above two marketplace examples, we can see how important verbal identity is, especially when it is rooted in the brand narrative. That said, how should we define verbal identity, and what are its core elements?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If a visual identity consists of the logo, trademark, fonts, colours, supergraphics, photographic style, and the visual language that you employ \u2014 verbal identity refers to the linguistic aspects of a brand’s identity \u2014 how it communicates through words and language. As such it covers the verbal expressions of your brand used in all forms of communication, including the branded environment, packaging, marketing and investor materials, website content, and social media \u2014 and across all key stakeholder interactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the digital age where content is king, verbal identity plays a critical role in shaping how your target audience engages with your brand. From social media posts to customer service interactions, the voice of your brand shapes how your brand is perceived and remembered in the minds of your key stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your verbal identity is clear and consistent, your brand will communicate more effectively. Each element contributes to the overall brand experience, helping you stand out in a crowded marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So that\u2019s how you define verbal identity. Now let\u2019s take a look at its core elements, and see how can we leverage them for brand success. As we see it, verbal identity has six components, encompassing the brand\u2019s name, nomenclature, tone of voice, messaging, storytelling, language style and vocabulary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll be diving deeper into naming and nomenclature in our next blogpost \u2018The Power of the Word – Part 2\u2019, including how to build them. But for the purposes of inclusivity, here we will cover both these components in summary form. Naming refers to the process of either choosing or inventing a name for a brand, and its various offerings. Whether the name itself becomes the logo (as in a logotype like Samsung) or it is accompanied by a symbol (like Apple), a unique and memorable name captures attention, sets the brand apart from its competitors, and leaves a lasting impression on consumers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So naming is as fundamental to the formation of brand identity as logo design, and as with the visual identity, it therefore needs to be rooted in the essence of the brand and reflect its fundamental DNA, conveying its values, personality, and positioning. Whether it’s the brand name itself, product names, or service offerings, the right naming choices can evoke just the right associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nomenclature or \u2018naming conventions\u2019 are optional ways to describe a system or protocol that governs how a company names its brand portfolio, or services, or subsidiaries, in a way that is logical and supports its business growth. As such it is the visual expression of brand architecture which, as we described in our previous blogpost here<\/span><\/a>, refers to the hierarchical structure that defines the relationship between different brands or companies in a group portfolio. Both with each other, and with the group or master brand that owns them. So nomenclature is about ensuring consistency and clarity in the way businesses are named, and support the overall strategic direction of the group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, nomenclature also needs to be future proofed – in other words it should be scalable enough to accommodate future growth and expansion. As brands evolve and diversify their offerings, a well-thought-out naming system allows for each new entity to be named in a way that ensures consistency and coherence across the brand portfolio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tone of voice represents the personality and attitude of the brand. It sets the overall mood and vibe of the brand’s communication, guiding how it interacts with its audience. Whether playful and irreverent, warm and friendly, or formal and authoritative, the tone of voice should be a natural expression of the brand’s values, and resonate with its target audience. Simply put, it\u2019s the way a brand should come across, in spoken and written formats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if you are a \u201cfriendly\u201d brand, then you must \u2018talk with a smile\u2019, and be more personable and approachable. Which means that you\u2019ll always talk in the first person (never in the third person), and in terms of your writing style, you\u2019ll be more direct, using active language, and never talk down to your audience. You\u2019ll also avoid overly technical jargon, and employ shorter sentences and paragraphs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The other thing is to use your defined attributes as a starting point. Often when we are developing brand strategy for our clients, and take them through our Brand DNA\u00ae process, we will arrive at three attributes that represent our client\u2019s brand personality. The first of these attributes is rational; the second is emotional; and the last is relational. All of the attributes are intended to be behavioural, in other words, they should be translated into how our client\u2019s brand walks and talks. For example, if we define our client\u2019s brand attributes as \u2018reliable, driven, and collaborative\u2019, then the tone of voice of the brand in written or spoken communications should reflect these attributes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you think about your visual identity as providing a visual \u201cshortcut\u201d to your brand story, then your verbal identity should be what reflects that story in written form. Every brand has a story behind it – a narrative about why and how it came into being, what its purpose is, what it stands for, and how that story unfolded over the years. People have always liked to know where a brand came from, but the fact is, millennials in particular love stories, because they value authenticity. Becks Vogels, Forbes contributor and storytelling expert, says, \u201cStories are the new millennial currency,\u201d which is to say that nowadays brands need to give their audience a strong reason to believe in them, as well as a context in which to better understand their values, and their point of view. The brand story gives it that authentic context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We sometimes refer to brand story as a brand\u2019s \u201cpromise\u201d, or its \u201ccompelling truth\u201d \u2014 meaning that the story needs to be both relevant (ie, compelling to your target audience in that it meets their needs) and true (ie, authentic to who the brand is, and what it delivers ). In terms of their story, many brands are compelling but not true, or true but not compelling. Both are bad. For those that are compelling but not true, under the harsh scrutiny of today\u2019s social media environment, this is never going to work. For those that are true but not compelling \u2014 it\u2019s an invitation for a competitor to steal your thunder. So for today\u2019s brands, having an authentic story to tell, and relating it really well, is vitally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brand messaging encompasses the core ideas, propositions and promises that a brand communicates to its various audiences. It includes taglines, slogans, and key messaging points that encapsulate everything that a brand wants to say. Effective brand messaging should be clear and consistent across all channels, reinforcing the brand’s positioning and differentiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with tone of voice and brand story, a brand\u2019s messaging needs to support and reflect a brand\u2019s essence. It also needs to consider the competitive environment \u2014 so that you don\u2019t just sound like a \u201cme-too\u201d brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think in terms of putting together a \u201cfamily\u201d of messages that support your overall brand narrative. You cannot say everything in one sentence, and certain messages may be relevant for a particular target group, or specific stage of the selling process. For example, what you say to gain attention may be different from what you say to build loyalty. They need to be sequenced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We always recommend our clients to categorise their key messages in terms of \u201caction-based\u201d messages and \u201ckey-pillar\u201d messages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the \u2018action based\u2019 messages we developed for our client, Prolink, taken from the \u2018Brand Toolkit\u2019 we created for them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Action-based messaging: <\/em>One of the simplest ways to create business-to-consumer (B2C) messaging that doesn\u2019t sound like everyone else, is to consider your brand promise as a starting point for developing a series of action-based messages. In other words, messages that are designed to illicit a response in your target audience, which is to say that they are sequenced to help them think, feel, or do something. For example, our client Prolink, who specialise in providing data connection products, mainly for the home. The brand promise we devised for them was to \u201cConnect your life\u201d. So following this, we crafted a series of key messages that fit elegantly together with their brand promise \u2026 \u2018Connect your world\u2019 (a \u2018rational\u2019 message), \u2018Connect your vibe\u2019 (an \u2018emotional\u2019 message), \u2018Connect your family\u2019 (a \u2018relational\u2019 message). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Key-pillar messaging: <\/em>Key-pillar messaging is about communicating a brand\u2019s \u201cunique selling propositions\u201d or USPs. This works especially well for B2B brands, where messaging may require more rational substance and maybe a little less emotion. By substance, we mean that the key messages will need to be supported by \u201creasons to believe\u201d that are anchored in solid facts about your brand. Sometimes this is referred to as a \u201cmessaging house\u201d and is shown in a form that resembles a house with the roof being the brand promise, while the key messages, like pillars, support the roof. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We call it a \u2018Messaging Matrix\u2019, one example being the messaging matrix we developed for Sime Darby Property Industrial, a business focused on industrial products. The brand promise we created was \u201cThe Go-To Experts\u201d, and the key messages included: The Go-To Experts For Regional Expansion \u2026 The Go-To Experts For Integrated Solutions \u2026 The Go-To Experts For Synergistic Partnerships \u2026 The Go-To Experts For Business Growth \u2014 each message is supported by a key pillar (or area of differentiation), reasons to believe, and a USP for each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we spoke of the \u2018tone of voice\u2019 of brand, which reflects its personality. Closely related to this is the vocabulary or language style a brand uses when it speaks, which will reflect not so much the personality of the brand as the industry it is in, and the audience it is talking to. Brands may adopt a more technical language in industries such as finance or healthcare, while opting for a more conversational, relatable tone in consumer-facing industries like fashion or food. Speaking the right language establishes credibility, and doing it consistently can help reinforce brand identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, while this is important to establish credibility, it doesn\u2019t always help with cut through. Because if every brand in the same category is speaking with exactly the same language, there is no differentiation between them. Which is why, when we are working with our clients on their language style, we start by building an understanding of the keywords used by their competitors. The more frequently they are used, the more likely we recommend our clients to avoid them, and find a different way to talk about the same thing. A way that is unique to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, working in the transport industry where the emphasis is on safety, reliability, and efficiency, the tendency is to use a vocabulary that is very technical and formal. It\u2019s far too easy to copy and paste the same words. So we try be more imaginative and stretch the vocabulary, perhaps into more emotive territory. The aim is to get the balance right – between establishing credibility and creating differentiation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In summary, how you speak as a brand is vitally important, with enormous potential for building your brand identity in a way that is impactful and differentiating. Harnessing the \u201cPower of the Word\u201d for your brand will mean carefully considering all the components we have discussed above – your naming, nomenclature, tone of voice, storytelling, messaging, and your choice of language style and vocabulary. In the second post, we will zero in on naming and nomenclature, and describe a process that you can use to create or refresh your brand name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Build your brand identity with us:<\/strong> We know how to create a compelling brand identity and design the iterations of it in a consistent way, at every customer touchpoint. With our unrivalled expertise in brand strategy, naming and identity design, and having worked with brand owners across Singapore, SE Asia and the world, we are able to craft inspiring brands and a holistic brand experience, in any market. If anything we have written above in the blogpost strikes a chord, and you need our assistance, do get in touch with us<\/em> here<\/a><\/u>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Differentiating yourself through verbal identity While the visual side of brand identity such as the logo usually hogs the limelight,..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[20,19,24,22,42],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eq-brand.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blogpost_icons_3-scaled.jpg","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.equus-design.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Untitled.001-1024x375.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n Defining Verbal Identity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Naming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Nomenclature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.equus-design.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blogpost_icons_3-1024x732.jpg\"){kind=icon}
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Tone of voice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Storytelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Messaging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.equus-design.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Equus_Blog_May15_-02-1024x575.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. Vocabulary and language style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Harnessing the \u2018Power of the Word\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n