Own Your Words: Brand Language Is Yours to Create
Language should grow from identity, not limits.
Most writers start by following rules. Show, don’t tell. Keep it simple. Avoid adverbs. Use words you know. In branding, these rules feel particularly important, every word, every phrase, every sentence carries weight.
Missteps can cost money, damage credibility, or dilute engagement. Yet strict adherence often produces sameness: predictable phrasing, sterile messaging, and marketing that blends into the background rather than standing out.
Why Rules Matter and Where They Fall Short
Rules exist for a reason. Clarity and concision help readers process information quickly and act decisively. But rules alone don’t define brand voice. They cannot answer the deeper questions that create impact: Who is the audience? What are their values, expectations, and cultural context? What tone matches the product, the market, and the competitive landscape? Ignoring these questions leaves language technically correct but contextually hollow, safe, yet forgettable.
Consider simplicity. “Omit needless words” or “write what you know” has guided generations of writers. In marketing, the advice often extends to trimming flowery language or avoiding jargon.
These principles are useful, they encourage focus, precision, and readability. But if applied blindly, they can strip a brand of personality and make it sound like every other player in the space.
Context Over Convention
Brand language is strategic, not just correct. Small word choices can carry disproportionate weight. “Speed” versus “velocity” might seem trivial, but context changes everything. A sportswear brand addressing a general audience may benefit from the approachable “speed.” A tech-focused or scientific audience might respond better to “velocity,” signaling precision and credibility.
Rules demand simplicity; context demands insight. Great brand writing balances clarity with nuance, using language to reinforce identity rather than blindly obey convention.
Examples of Rule-Breaking Success
Some of the world’s most memorable brands intentionally break rules. Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap layers exuberant, almost poetic language over product benefits, creating a sense of wonder and possibility.
Apple blends simplicity with intelligence, turning technical products into aspirational objects.
Neither brand limited its vocabulary to the words “they knew.” Instead, they created language to shape perception, craft culture, and communicate values.
Alignment, Not Arbitrary Complexity
Brand language isn’t about complexity for its own sake. It’s about alignment. Every word, phrase, and cadence must serve the brand’s identity. Ambitious or unusual language that lacks alignment confuses audiences and dilutes messaging.
When language grows from a clearly defined brand, it can be bold, playful, or ornate, and still remain clear, consistent, and effective.
Writing From Intention
Brand writers don’t just execute style guides; they invent them. Deciding on tone, cadence, and phrasing requires deep understanding of audience, context, and purpose. Creativity isn’t rebellion for its own sake; it’s strategy realized through imaginative decisions.
The challenge is knowing when to honor rules and when to bend or break them to serve the brand’s goals.
Risks of Limiting Language
Limiting vocabulary and ideas to what’s simple or familiar risks predictability. Marketing becomes generic, audiences disengage, and the brand loses personality. The real question isn’t whether language is simple or complex, it’s whether it aligns with the brand.
Bold, intentional language communicates identity, builds loyalty, and distinguishes a brand in a crowded market.
Bottom Line
In brand writing, the mantra isn’t “write what you know.” It’s write what you want to create. Context, purpose, and brand identity should guide choices.
Rules inform, but they don’t constrain.
Every word should grow from intention, not tradition.
In branding, language is a tool to shape perception, build culture, and make your brand unmistakably yours.
