SOMEONE HAS TO SAY IT – THE COPY WAS BETTER BEFORE THE MEETING
Somewhere in the world right now, a perfectly clear sentence is being reviewed by six people. It will not survive.
Insights
Apr 5, 2026
It starts simply.
“Your order will arrive tomorrow.”
Then somebody wants it to sound more premium.
Someone else wants it to feel warmer.
Legal would prefer not to promise tomorrow.
Marketing wants to reinforce the brand proposition.
By the time everybody is happy, the sentence has become:
“Your delivery journey remains on track as we continue working to ensure a seamless experience.”
Nobody talks like that.
But brands do.
And I think a lot of bad brand language begins there: not with bad writers, but with organisations trying to make one sentence satisfy too many internal anxieties at once.
Professional. Safe. Friendly. On-brand. Aspirational. Inclusive. Distinctive. Legally sound. Gen Z, but not too Gen Z.
Eventually the language stops sounding like anyone.
That matters because people do not experience “brand strategy” as a document.
They experience it as words.
A subject line. A notification. A caption. A customer service reply. A line on a billboard. The thing you say when something goes wrong.
Language is where strategy becomes visible.
And yet many brands seem deeply uncomfortable with sounding like themselves.
So they reach for the same vocabulary.
We’re thrilled to announce.
We remain committed to.
At the heart of our journey.
Empowering communities.
Delivering meaningful impact.
None of these phrases is necessarily wrong.
That is almost the problem.
They are so broadly acceptable that they could belong to almost anybody.
If your competitor can take your sentence, replace the logo and publish it unchanged, you probably do not have much of a voice.
The usual correction is “make it more human”.
That can go wrong too.
Suddenly the bank is calling you “bestie”.
The insurance company has discovered “it’s giving”.
Some multinational has inserted “yoh” into a caption and everyone involved is congratulating themselves on localisation.
Human language is not a bag of slang.
Neither is cultural relevance.
A Nigerian brand voice is not a South African one with “abeg” dropped into the second paragraph. A youth brand is not young because it knows what people were saying on TikTok three weeks ago.
Voice is more structural than that.
It is rhythm.
Specificity.
The intersection of creativity and functionality is where design truly thrives. A harmonious balance ensures that the design is not only visually appealing but also practical and accessible. This balance is critical for user satisfaction, brand credibility, and market competitiveness. Designs that achieve this harmony are memorable because they engage users on both an emotional and practical level, making the experience enjoyable and effective.
Brands like Apple and Airbnb have exemplified this approach by combining striking visuals with seamless usability, setting industry standards for both innovation and user-friendliness.
What you choose to explain and what you trust the audience to understand.
How direct you are.
Whether you joke.
What kind of joke.
What you sound like when you are selling something.
What you sound like when you are apologising.
What words you would never use, even if everyone else in the category does.
That is where distinctiveness lives.
And it is also where confidence lives.
A brand with a clear voice does not need to perform personality in every sentence. It can be serious when seriousness is required. Quiet when the moment does not belong to it. Funny without turning every cultural moment into an activation opportunity.
That last part matters.
Because cultural fluency is partly knowing when not to participate.
I have worked in environments where the audience can smell a forced reference immediately.
You can see the thinking behind it.
Someone noticed a joke online.
Someone put it in a deck.
Someone explained why it is relevant.
Someone approved the caption.
By the time it goes live, the joke is dead and the brand is standing over the body asking everyone if they get it.
The problem is not that brands should never use culture.
They should.
But borrowed language is not the same thing as having a voice.
The strongest brand communication I have worked on usually begins with a much less glamorous question:
What are we actually trying to say?
Not what would sound clever.
Not what would survive twelve rounds of approval.
What does the audience need to understand, feel or do?
Once that is clear, the writing gets easier.
Not easy.
Just honest.
Because clarity is not the enemy of personality.
Often it is the thing that finally allows personality through.
There will always be reasons for caution. Brands have reputations to protect. Regulated industries have obligations. Large organisations have stakeholders. Not every company should sound like a comedian with a social media password.
But professionalism should not require language that nobody would naturally use.
The goal is not to make brands sound like people.
It is to make them sound like themselves.
And that usually begins by removing all the words they borrowed from everybody else.
Balancing creativity and functionality is a dynamic and ongoing process that demands both imagination and discipline. The most successful designs are those that blend aesthetic innovation with practical excellence, resulting in experiences that are as delightful as they are effective.
By continually testing, iterating, and listening to user feedback, designers can navigate this intersection and produce work that not only stands out but also stands the test of time.
More to Discover
SOMEONE HAS TO SAY IT – THE COPY WAS BETTER BEFORE THE MEETING
Somewhere in the world right now, a perfectly clear sentence is being reviewed by six people. It will not survive.
Insights
Apr 5, 2026
It starts simply.
“Your order will arrive tomorrow.”
Then somebody wants it to sound more premium.
Someone else wants it to feel warmer.
Legal would prefer not to promise tomorrow.
Marketing wants to reinforce the brand proposition.
By the time everybody is happy, the sentence has become:
“Your delivery journey remains on track as we continue working to ensure a seamless experience.”
Nobody talks like that.
But brands do.
And I think a lot of bad brand language begins there: not with bad writers, but with organisations trying to make one sentence satisfy too many internal anxieties at once.
Professional. Safe. Friendly. On-brand. Aspirational. Inclusive. Distinctive. Legally sound. Gen Z, but not too Gen Z.
Eventually the language stops sounding like anyone.
That matters because people do not experience “brand strategy” as a document.
They experience it as words.
A subject line. A notification. A caption. A customer service reply. A line on a billboard. The thing you say when something goes wrong.
Language is where strategy becomes visible.
And yet many brands seem deeply uncomfortable with sounding like themselves.
So they reach for the same vocabulary.
We’re thrilled to announce.
We remain committed to.
At the heart of our journey.
Empowering communities.
Delivering meaningful impact.
None of these phrases is necessarily wrong.
That is almost the problem.
They are so broadly acceptable that they could belong to almost anybody.
If your competitor can take your sentence, replace the logo and publish it unchanged, you probably do not have much of a voice.
The usual correction is “make it more human”.
That can go wrong too.
Suddenly the bank is calling you “bestie”.
The insurance company has discovered “it’s giving”.
Some multinational has inserted “yoh” into a caption and everyone involved is congratulating themselves on localisation.
Human language is not a bag of slang.
Neither is cultural relevance.
A Nigerian brand voice is not a South African one with “abeg” dropped into the second paragraph. A youth brand is not young because it knows what people were saying on TikTok three weeks ago.
Voice is more structural than that.
It is rhythm.
Specificity.
The intersection of creativity and functionality is where design truly thrives. A harmonious balance ensures that the design is not only visually appealing but also practical and accessible. This balance is critical for user satisfaction, brand credibility, and market competitiveness. Designs that achieve this harmony are memorable because they engage users on both an emotional and practical level, making the experience enjoyable and effective.
Brands like Apple and Airbnb have exemplified this approach by combining striking visuals with seamless usability, setting industry standards for both innovation and user-friendliness.
What you choose to explain and what you trust the audience to understand.
How direct you are.
Whether you joke.
What kind of joke.
What you sound like when you are selling something.
What you sound like when you are apologising.
What words you would never use, even if everyone else in the category does.
That is where distinctiveness lives.
And it is also where confidence lives.
A brand with a clear voice does not need to perform personality in every sentence. It can be serious when seriousness is required. Quiet when the moment does not belong to it. Funny without turning every cultural moment into an activation opportunity.
That last part matters.
Because cultural fluency is partly knowing when not to participate.
I have worked in environments where the audience can smell a forced reference immediately.
You can see the thinking behind it.
Someone noticed a joke online.
Someone put it in a deck.
Someone explained why it is relevant.
Someone approved the caption.
By the time it goes live, the joke is dead and the brand is standing over the body asking everyone if they get it.
The problem is not that brands should never use culture.
They should.
But borrowed language is not the same thing as having a voice.
The strongest brand communication I have worked on usually begins with a much less glamorous question:
What are we actually trying to say?
Not what would sound clever.
Not what would survive twelve rounds of approval.
What does the audience need to understand, feel or do?
Once that is clear, the writing gets easier.
Not easy.
Just honest.
Because clarity is not the enemy of personality.
Often it is the thing that finally allows personality through.
There will always be reasons for caution. Brands have reputations to protect. Regulated industries have obligations. Large organisations have stakeholders. Not every company should sound like a comedian with a social media password.
But professionalism should not require language that nobody would naturally use.
The goal is not to make brands sound like people.
It is to make them sound like themselves.
And that usually begins by removing all the words they borrowed from everybody else.
Balancing creativity and functionality is a dynamic and ongoing process that demands both imagination and discipline. The most successful designs are those that blend aesthetic innovation with practical excellence, resulting in experiences that are as delightful as they are effective.
By continually testing, iterating, and listening to user feedback, designers can navigate this intersection and produce work that not only stands out but also stands the test of time.
More to Discover
SOMEONE HAS TO SAY IT – THE COPY WAS BETTER BEFORE THE MEETING
Somewhere in the world right now, a perfectly clear sentence is being reviewed by six people. It will not survive.
Insights
Apr 5, 2026
It starts simply.
“Your order will arrive tomorrow.”
Then somebody wants it to sound more premium.
Someone else wants it to feel warmer.
Legal would prefer not to promise tomorrow.
Marketing wants to reinforce the brand proposition.
By the time everybody is happy, the sentence has become:
“Your delivery journey remains on track as we continue working to ensure a seamless experience.”
Nobody talks like that.
But brands do.
And I think a lot of bad brand language begins there: not with bad writers, but with organisations trying to make one sentence satisfy too many internal anxieties at once.
Professional. Safe. Friendly. On-brand. Aspirational. Inclusive. Distinctive. Legally sound. Gen Z, but not too Gen Z.
Eventually the language stops sounding like anyone.
That matters because people do not experience “brand strategy” as a document.
They experience it as words.
A subject line. A notification. A caption. A customer service reply. A line on a billboard. The thing you say when something goes wrong.
Language is where strategy becomes visible.
And yet many brands seem deeply uncomfortable with sounding like themselves.
So they reach for the same vocabulary.
We’re thrilled to announce.
We remain committed to.
At the heart of our journey.
Empowering communities.
Delivering meaningful impact.
None of these phrases is necessarily wrong.
That is almost the problem.
They are so broadly acceptable that they could belong to almost anybody.
If your competitor can take your sentence, replace the logo and publish it unchanged, you probably do not have much of a voice.
The usual correction is “make it more human”.
That can go wrong too.
Suddenly the bank is calling you “bestie”.
The insurance company has discovered “it’s giving”.
Some multinational has inserted “yoh” into a caption and everyone involved is congratulating themselves on localisation.
Human language is not a bag of slang.
Neither is cultural relevance.
A Nigerian brand voice is not a South African one with “abeg” dropped into the second paragraph. A youth brand is not young because it knows what people were saying on TikTok three weeks ago.
Voice is more structural than that.
It is rhythm.
Specificity.
The intersection of creativity and functionality is where design truly thrives. A harmonious balance ensures that the design is not only visually appealing but also practical and accessible. This balance is critical for user satisfaction, brand credibility, and market competitiveness. Designs that achieve this harmony are memorable because they engage users on both an emotional and practical level, making the experience enjoyable and effective.
Brands like Apple and Airbnb have exemplified this approach by combining striking visuals with seamless usability, setting industry standards for both innovation and user-friendliness.
What you choose to explain and what you trust the audience to understand.
How direct you are.
Whether you joke.
What kind of joke.
What you sound like when you are selling something.
What you sound like when you are apologising.
What words you would never use, even if everyone else in the category does.
That is where distinctiveness lives.
And it is also where confidence lives.
A brand with a clear voice does not need to perform personality in every sentence. It can be serious when seriousness is required. Quiet when the moment does not belong to it. Funny without turning every cultural moment into an activation opportunity.
That last part matters.
Because cultural fluency is partly knowing when not to participate.
I have worked in environments where the audience can smell a forced reference immediately.
You can see the thinking behind it.
Someone noticed a joke online.
Someone put it in a deck.
Someone explained why it is relevant.
Someone approved the caption.
By the time it goes live, the joke is dead and the brand is standing over the body asking everyone if they get it.
The problem is not that brands should never use culture.
They should.
But borrowed language is not the same thing as having a voice.
The strongest brand communication I have worked on usually begins with a much less glamorous question:
What are we actually trying to say?
Not what would sound clever.
Not what would survive twelve rounds of approval.
What does the audience need to understand, feel or do?
Once that is clear, the writing gets easier.
Not easy.
Just honest.
Because clarity is not the enemy of personality.
Often it is the thing that finally allows personality through.
There will always be reasons for caution. Brands have reputations to protect. Regulated industries have obligations. Large organisations have stakeholders. Not every company should sound like a comedian with a social media password.
But professionalism should not require language that nobody would naturally use.
The goal is not to make brands sound like people.
It is to make them sound like themselves.
And that usually begins by removing all the words they borrowed from everybody else.
Balancing creativity and functionality is a dynamic and ongoing process that demands both imagination and discipline. The most successful designs are those that blend aesthetic innovation with practical excellence, resulting in experiences that are as delightful as they are effective.
By continually testing, iterating, and listening to user feedback, designers can navigate this intersection and produce work that not only stands out but also stands the test of time.