Brand Personality & Language

Yesterday a friend that does social media professionally posed a question on Facebook about a recent conversation with a company’s support and a debate ensued in the comments about whether it was proper or not.

This is how her chat with Abercrombie started:

The comments varied from liking it, hating it, and others said it is unprofessional. My social media professional friend said it was surprising as the “Mom” since she isn’t the target audience. As a brand marketer, I said it was “On brand” for their target audience (teenagers) and that I would encourage it.

This reminded me of how Woot writes their job descriptions (www.woot.com/jobs). The description is fun and if you like it, you’d probably like working at Woot. If you hate their job descriptions, you wouldn’t like working there. This is part of your brand where you prequalify people to buy from you and to work for you based on your brand personality and language.

I don’t think Abercrombie should say, “Hello, Sir or Madam. How many I assist you on this fine day?” Clients want to engage with your company and have a relationship. They don’t want a cold shoulder full of corporate speak and manners unless that is your market.

How do you talk to your clients? What does your brand call for – a more casual, personal style or a more formal style?