Great Brand Voice Examples
Some brands only need a sentence or two before you know exactly who’s talking.
That’s brand voice at work.
What makes a strong brand voice?
A strong brand voice gives a business a recognizable personality beyond its logo, color palette, or products. It influences everything from website copy and advertising to packaging, social media accounts, in-store messaging, and even the words on a button.
The best brand voice examples also prove something important: there isn’t one “right” way to sound. The voice just has to be right for the brand.
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Key Takeaways
- Brand voice is the consistent personality behind a brand’s communication.
- Great brand voices are rooted in strategy, not just clever copy.
- Voice guidelines help teams maintain consistency across channels.
- The strongest voices sound distinctive because they reflect something true about the brand.
3 Big Brands With Distinctive Voices
1. Mailchimp:
Helpful With a Wink
Mailchimp has long been a strong example of a brand that knows exactly how it wants to sound. Its voice combines expertise with a conversational, slightly offbeat personality.
Its public style guide describes the brand as plainspoken and genuine, using subtle, dry humor while prioritizing clarity over entertainment.
Why it works: Mailchimp isn't funny just to be funny. Its personality supports a bigger objective: making complicated marketing technology feel more approachable.
2. Nike:
Confident and Empowering
Nike's voice is built around action. The language is typically concise, direct, and empowering. Instead of over-explaining their products, Nike speaks to ambition, effort, identity, and what its audience believes they can accomplish.
That consistency makes Nike a useful brand voice example because the personality aligns naturally with its larger brand values. Confidence isn't an advertising trick. It's part of the story Nike has spent decades telling.
3. Liquid Death:
Rebellious by Design
Liquid Death took water and gave it a personality that feels closer to a punk or metal brand.
Its rebellious tone, irreverent humor, and intentionally exaggerated language stand apart from the clean, wellness-focused vocabulary common throughout the category.
Would that voice work for every company? Absolutely not. But that's exactly why it works for them.
A distinctive voice should reinforce positioning rather than chase whatever personality happens to be popular.
3 Brand Voice Examples From Propaganda’s Work
1. Velvet Taco:
Unapologetically Different
Velvet Taco needed a brand that could grow without sanding down what people loved about it.
Propaganda's research identified the brand's adventurous, rebellious personality and developed a strategy and identity system that could carry that spirit across new markets, campaigns, packaging, menus, and employee culture.
The voice works because it doesn't simply describe unconventional tacos. It acts like the brand itself: curious, bold, and uninterested in fitting neatly into the category.
2. Rubio's:
Back to Baja
For Rubio's, creating a clearer brand voice meant looking backward before moving forward.
Propaganda researched the brand's heritage, loyal customers, and the elements that had been lost through years of brand drift. The resulting voice brought Rubio's Baja roots and laid-back San Diego personality back to the forefront while giving the brand a platform that could work across restaurants, packaging, digital ordering, partnerships, and activations.
It's a good reminder that developing a voice doesn't always mean inventing a new personality. Sometimes the strongest voice is the one the brand had all along.
3. Philosophy:
Finding the Story Consumers Already Loved
Philosophy demonstrates another side of brand voice: emotional connection.
When Propaganda researched the skincare brand, it found that consumers' connection went beyond product performance. The inspirational language appearing on Philosophy's packaging had become a meaningful part of the brand experience.
That insight helped shape a global identity that balanced emotional storytelling with the scientific credibility of the products.
The lesson? Your audience may already be telling you which parts of your voice matter most.
How do you develop a brand voice?
Start with the heart of your brand. Think back to when you were naming your brand. What did you want to convey to audiences?
You can also audit your current messaging across your website, social media, sales materials, and other touchpoints. From there, define the essentials:
- Personality traits and brand characteristics
- Brand voice statement
- Key messages and messaging pillars
- Vocabulary and terminology
- Rhythm and writing style
- Tone by audience, channel, and situation
- Examples of the voice in action
Turn those decisions into brand voice guidelines or a brand voice chart that gives writers actual direction.
Find the voice that’s already there
As you develop your brand's voice, remember the key goal: finding language that belongs to your brand.
At Propaganda, brand voice is part of a larger strategic system. We help brands understand that research helps uncover what matters, positioning defines the point of view, messaging gives it structure, and creative brings it to life.
If you're ready to dive deeper into developing a strong brand voice, we can help. Check out our brand strategy services or take a look at our past branding work to get a feel for how we help brands succeed. Our goal is to help you develop a brand voice that confidently reflects your goals.
FAQs
Brand voice is the consistent personality and style a brand uses to communicate. It can be shaped by vocabulary, rhythm, messaging, brand values, personality, and the way the brand speaks to its audience.
Mailchimp uses a helpful, conversational voice with subtle humor, while Nike is known for confident, empowering language. Brands like Liquid Death take a more rebellious approach. The best voice depends on the brand's positioning, audience, and personality.
Propaganda approaches brand voice as part of the larger brand strategy. Through research and collaboration, we uncover what makes the brand distinct, then translate that position into messaging, personality, and creative that can show up consistently across touchpoints.
Start by defining your audience, brand personality, core values, messaging, and communication style. Then document personality traits, preferred terminology, vocabulary, tone considerations, and real examples in a brand voice guide or broader style guide.