/35-brand-voice-global

name: 35-brand-voice-global
description: "Use when the user needs to define, document, or enforce how the brand SOUNDS in writing — three personality traits, a five-dimension tone table, vocabulary to use, avoid, and ban, sentence rules, before and after rewrites, platform adaptation, and a copy approval checklist. Every content skill reads it before writing. Trigger on 'brand voice', 'tone of voice', 'voice guidelines', 'banned words list', 'this copy does not sound like us', 'every writer sounds different'. Also use when the user cannot say why a draft feels wrong. Not for — the visual side of brand, see `46-brand-guideline-global`; positioning and the message, see `58-positioning-global`; approving one specific piece, see `62-marketing-review-global`."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.1
  category: content
license: MIT
triggers:
  - "brand voice"
  - "tone of voice"
  - "brand personality"
  - "voice guidelines"
  - "banned words"
  - "how the brand writes"
  - "style guide for copy"
  - "copy does not sound like us"
output: "File .md — Brand Voice Document: 3 personality traits, 5-dimension tone table, vocabulary (use/avoid/banned), sentence rules, 5 before/after examples, platform adaptation, copy approval checklist"
related:
  - product-marketing-context-global
  - 09-customer-insight-global
  - 36-content-brief-global
  - 37-social-caption-global
  - 04-script-video-global
  - 05-ad-copy-global
  - 14-email-marketing-global

Brand Voice (Global)

The foundation skill of the content cluster. Every other content skill — `36-content-brief-global`, `37-social-caption-global`, `04-script-video-global`, `05-ad-copy-global`, `14-email-marketing-global`, `38-community-seeding-global` — reads this document before writing. Without it, output is technically correct and tonally inconsistent.

Information gathering

Read `.agents/product-marketing-context-global.md` and any existing brand guideline first. If information is missing, ask up to 4 questions:

1. **What does the brand sell, to whom, at what price point — and what should a reader feel after reading its content?** 2. **Which 3 adjectives describe the brand's actual character — and how must the brand never be perceived?** 3. **Is there a brand or writer whose voice is close to the target?** (reference only, never to copy) 4. **What words do customers use when they talk about the brand or category?** Paste real reviews, comments, support tickets, or call notes — this is the single most valuable vocabulary source.

Principles

1. **Voice is a living document.** Review quarterly or whenever the brand pivots. Do not write it once and file it. 2. **It is a compass, not a statute.** Use it to check work, and flex by context. 3. **The core voice is constant across channels.** Only format and length change per platform — never the personality. 4. **Vocabulary comes from real customer language.** Run `09-customer-insight-global` first so word choices are sourced, not invented. 5. **Final test: cover the logo and it still reads as you.** If it could be any competitor in the category, it is not done. 6. **Every claim in the voice must be substantiable.** A confident voice does not license unsupported superiority or results claims — FTC advertising rules apply to organic posts, not just ads.

Workflow

1. Lock brand personality: 3 adjectives

Pick exactly 3 core adjectives, each with one sentence explaining why it reflects the brand truthfully. More than 3 dilutes the voice.

Illustrative example (a DTC skincare brand):

• **Direct**: names the actual problem in the first line, no throat-clearing.
• **Practical**: every claim comes with something the reader can do today.
• **Evidence-led**: cites the ingredient, the study, or the number — never "clinically proven" without the clinic.

Also record 3 things the brand must never be perceived as (for example: not luxury-aloof, not pressure-selling, not vague-wellness).

2. Define tone of voice across 5 dimensions

For each dimension write both columns. The "is not" column matters as much as the first — it is what stops voice drift.

| Dimension | The brand is... | The brand is not... | |-----------|-----------------|---------------------| | Energy | [warm / measured / high-energy] | [...] | | Formality | [casual / semi-professional / formal] | [...] | | Person and address | [we-you / I-you / third person] | [...] | | Use of evidence | [always a number / story first, data second] | [...] | | Handling objections | [acknowledge then explain / rebut with proof] | [...] |

3. Build the vocabulary: use / avoid / banned

• **Use often**: words that carry the personality, plus real customer phrasing pulled from reviews and support (source it from `09-customer-insight-global`).
• **Avoid**: words that contradict the personality or overclaim in the category.
• **Banned words** — hard stop, enforced at copy review. Default global marketing-cliche list, plus the brand's own additions:

"game-changer", "revolutionary", "unlock your potential", "don't miss out", "act now", "hurry — limited time only", "take it to the next level", "elevate your [noun]", "in today's fast-paced world", "we're excited to announce", "best-in-class", "world-class", "seamlessly", "one-stop shop", "must-have", "literally life-changing", "no-brainer", "synergy", "leverage" (as a verb in customer-facing copy).

• **Canonical product names**: one agreed spelling and capitalization per product or plan. Not a new variation per post.

4. Set sentence-level rules

Answer all 5:

1. Average sentence length: short / mixed / long — and why. 2. Rhetorical questions: when they are allowed, when they are not. 3. Bullets vs paragraphs: ratio and the contexts each fits. 4. Standard opening patterns: pain hook / curiosity / data point / story. 5. Standard closing patterns: specific CTA / question / summary.

5. Write 5 before/after examples

Each example needs: an off-voice version, an on-voice version, and one line namin