brand voice strategy - BROWNS FASHION

PROJECT OVERVIEW

In 2016, to coincide with Browns Fashion’s first rebrand in 40 years, I rewrote and implemented a new tone of voice (ToV) for the retailer’s website. Working closely with my team and other departments, I identified key elements in need of redevelopment in order to inspire, convert, and retain customers.

Alongside Browns’ heritage and brand values, I studied language references, the target audience, and the differences between the online and offline consumer. I examined both menswear and womenswear and explored how I could convey a playful tone while remaining sensitive to the branding of the labels stocked at Browns.

I carried out extensive research — from current trends and fashion history to iconic film costumes and celebrity quotes — to create a word bank that shaped the new ToV. I also conducted consumer and competitor analyses and worked with the SEO team to improve Browns Fashion’s overall search ranking and visibility.

Over two years, I refined the ToV and created a new set of guidelines for current staff and new starters to ensure consistency across all customer touchpoints. Coinciding with a period of rapid growth in which Browns' sales tripled year-on-year, the tone of voice helped establish Browns as a pioneer of playful, editorial-style online copy within the fashion e-tailer space — described by WWD as "chatty, colloquial" and by Drapers as "engaging, punchy." The new tone of voice received recognition from brands and competitors across the industry and informed Farfetch's own rebrand.

PREVIOUS TONE OF VOICE