Our tone

Dialling up and down

Our voice speaks to different people, in different places, at different times. That’s why it’s flexible. We can adapt our voice when we need to by putting more emphasis on a chosen pillar. This is important across the board. Our tone must change contextually to meet people where they are.

This is a tone canvas

What’s the scenario?

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

What’s the intent?

Which tone(s) feel right?

Example message

It helps you change your tone

You can use the tone canvas to decide when your copy should feel: More Uplifting | More Reassuring | More Honest | More Informed To strike the right tone, follow these 3 steps: 1. Answer the questions 2. Choose your tone* 3. Write your copy *You can use one key tone or mix several tones together.

Here are 5 examples to show you how it works

Example 1: Uplifting

What’s the scenario?

OOH Campaign

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

Busy and distracted

What’s the intent?

To cut through and inspire

Which tone(s) feel right?

Uplifting - we’re here to free customers from money worries
Reassuring - we’re the arm around the shoulder
Honest - we’ve got nothing to hide
Informed - we help people understand things better

Example message

BE LIKE THE MONEY CALM BULL
He’s got a handle on his bills with MoneySuperMarket.
He knows we’re on his side. And that we’re relentlessly hunting down the best deals for him.

Example 2: Reassuring

What’s the scenario?

DM letter

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

Anxious: it’s time for renewal

What’s the intent?

To reach out and support

Which tone(s) feel right?

Uplifting - we’re here to free customers from money worries
Reassuring - we’re the arm around the shoulder
Honest - we’ve got nothing to hide
Informed - we help people understand things better

Example message

TIME TO SWITCH? WE’LL DO THE HARD BIT FOR YOU.
We work with hundreds of companies to help you get your household finances sorted. Plus, our free monitoring tools will keep an eye on your bills, renewals and credit score, making it easier than ever to stay on top of your finances.

Example 3: Honest

What’s the scenario?

Onboarding for Credit Monitor

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

Unsure: they haven’t used the service before

What’s the intent?

To explain and clarify

Which tone(s) feel right?

Uplifting - we’re here to free customers from money worries
Reassuring - we’re the arm around the shoulder
Honest - we’ve got nothing to hide
Informed - we help people understand things better

Example message

WHAT YOUR CREDIT SCORE MEANS
The higher your score, the more options you’ll have for cards, loans and mortgages.

Example 4: Informed

What’s the scenario?

Website article

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

Curious

What’s the intent?

To educate

Which tone(s) feel right?

Uplifting - we’re here to free customers from money worries
Reassuring - we’re the arm around the shoulder Honest - we’ve got nothing to hide Informed - we help people understand things better

Example message

SMART THERMOSTAT. SMART SAVINGS.
Smart thermostats have many features. The most important is that they learn about your home, like which rooms you use the most and how it takes to heat them.

Example 5: Reassuring & Honest (You can choose more than one tone, when it feels right)

What’s the scenario?

Signing up to MSM

What’s the customer’s state of mind?

Anxious about personal details

What’s the intent?

To explain how we use personal info

Which tone(s) feel right?

Uplifting - we’re here to free customers from money worries
Reassuring - we’re the arm around the shoulder
Honest - we’ve got nothing to hide
Informed - we help people understand things better

Example message

ADD A FEW DETAILS TO GET STARTED
We only use your date of birth to help us find the best car insurance for you.