Dyson
Define Dyson’s global tone of voice and implement it across all regions and channels
The Dyson brand is built on engineering prowess, pioneering game-changing new inventions with a twist of British quirkiness.
The tone of voice needed to follow this lead, spotlighting innovative technology and conveying it to the audience in a way that was both accessible and credible.
Taking the lead from the design process, and working closely with the Image and Identity team, we defined it as the voice of the engineer, explaining this groundbreaking tech in an exciting way – similar to a conversation in a pub.
Work
Tone of voice definition
Guideline writing
Workshops
Forums and ongoing global QA
I set about defining six principles that would be the bedrock of all Dyson copy. All work would be approachable, concise and definite. Then we could flex the curious, obsessive and unexpected principles based on the medium – lots in ads, none in responses to customer issues.
Stripped back, with nothing extraneous, it gave us an effective tool for talking to audiences across all channels, from advertising to technical guidelines.
I then implemented it to our writing and marketing teams worldwide, through a series of regular workshops and forums. I also kept it up to date, to make it relevant wherever it appeared, and able to flex for different cultures, categories and channels, particularly social media.
The result is a distinctive tone, immediately recognisable and often imitated by competitors. It works as hard for selling the benefits of vacuum cleaners as it does for beauty and audio products, helping to drive Dyson’s brand awareness.
