# Brand Voice Builder

> Facilitates a Brand Tone of Voice workshop exercise and produces two outputs: a visual Likert scale slide and a structured reference artifact. Use this skill whenever someone wants to define, document, or align on brand voice, tone, or personality. Trigger on phrases like "brand voice", "tone of voice", "brand personality", "how should we sound", "voice and tone", "brand dimensions", or any request to define how a brand communicates. Also trigger when a team needs to align on messaging style, or when a copywriter or AI tool needs brand guidance. This skill owns the facilitation flow, the visual output, and the reference artifact — use it for the full exercise, not just the scoring.

- Skill: `chadjardine/brand-voice-builder` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add chadjardine/brand-voice-builder`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/chadjardine/brand-voice-builder/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Docs & Writing
- Author: chadjardine (https://skillmd.com/u/chadjardine)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/chadjardine/brand-voice-builder

---


# Brand Voice Builder

Facilitates a five-dimension Tone of Voice alignment exercise. The goal is team alignment
— not individual scoring. The discussion is the work. The artifact documents the decision
the room arrived at.

**Tone:** Facilitative, clear, neutral. Let the room do the work.
**Rule:** Present one dimension at a time. Do not rush to scoring.

---

## Context to Share With the Room

Before starting, frame the exercise:

> "We're going to plot your brand on five dimensions. Each one is a spectrum between two
> poles — neither pole is better than the other. The goal isn't to find the 'right' answer;
> it's to get everyone in the room pointing the same direction. Disagreement is useful here
> — that's where the real conversation is."

---

## The Five Dimensions

Present each dimension in sequence. For each one:

1. Describe both poles in plain language
2. Give a real-world brand example at each end if helpful
3. Ask the room to discuss where they fall — surface tension, let it resolve
4. Collect one consensus score: **1 = fully left pole, 5 = fully right pole, 3 = balanced**

---

### Dimension 1 — Elite vs. Mass Appeal

**Elite (1):** The brand speaks to a specific, sophisticated audience. It assumes knowledge,
uses precise language, and signals membership. Not everyone is meant to feel included.
*Examples: McKinsey, Porsche, The Economist.*

**Mass Appeal (5):** The brand is accessible to the broadest possible audience. Plain
language, universal references, no assumed expertise. Everyone should feel welcome.
*Examples: Walmart, Southwest Airlines, BuzzFeed.*

**Facilitation prompt:**
> "Who should feel like this brand was made for them — a specialist who knows the field
> deeply, or anyone who has the problem you solve?"

Score range: 1 (Elite) → 5 (Mass Appeal)

---

### Dimension 2 — Serious vs. Playful

**Serious (1):** The brand communicates with weight and purpose. Humor is rare or absent.
The subject matter, audience, or stakes call for a composed, professional register.
*Examples: Mayo Clinic, Goldman Sachs, IBM.*

**Playful (5):** The brand uses humor, wit, or levity as a primary communication tool.
Personality comes through wordplay or an irreverent tone. The brand doesn't take itself
too seriously. *Examples: Wendy's, Old Spice, Cards Against Humanity.*

**Facilitation prompt:**
> "Think about your best piece of content — an email, a homepage, an ad. Does it make
> people trust you, or does it make them smile? Where does the brand live?"

Score range: 1 (Serious) → 5 (Playful)

---

### Dimension 3 — Trusted/Conventional vs. Rebel/Maverick

**Trusted/Conventional (1):** The brand operates within accepted norms. It earns confidence
by being steady, reliable, and aligned with what the audience already believes.
*Examples: Johnson & Johnson, State Farm, Berkshire Hathaway.*

**Rebel/Maverick (5):** The brand is willing to challenge conventions, push back on the
status quo, or take positions that might ruffle feathers. It earns attention by being
unexpected. *Examples: Patagonia, Liquid Death, Harley-Davidson.*

**Facilitation prompt:**
> "Would your brand call out a competitor? Take a polarizing stance? Push back on industry
> assumptions? Or does it stay above the fray and let the work speak?"

Score range: 1 (Trusted/Conventional) → 5 (Rebel/Maverick)

---

### Dimension 4 — Friend vs. Authority

**Friend (1):** The brand feels like a peer — warm, approachable, on the same level as
the audience. It's in the trenches with them, not above them.
*Examples: Mailchimp, Slack, Glossier.*

**Authority (5):** The brand speaks from a position of expertise and leadership. The
audience comes to it for guidance. It earns trust through demonstrated knowledge and
confidence. *Examples: Harvard Business Review, Mayo Clinic, Gartner.*

**Facilitation prompt:**
> "Does your brand sit across the table from the customer as a peer, or does it stand at
> the front of the room as the expert? Which does your buyer actually want?"

Score range: 1 (Friend) → 5 (Authority)

---

### Dimension 5 — Mature/Classic vs. Young/Innovative

**Mature/Classic (1):** The brand draws on heritage, longevity, and proven track record.
Stability and experience are features, not liabilities.
*Examples: Brooks Brothers, Rolex, The Wall Street Journal.*

**Young/Innovative (5):** The brand signals forward motion — new thinking, emerging
technology, a willingness to reinvent. It attracts audiences who want to be ahead of the
curve. *Examples: Tesla, Figma, Notion.*

**Facilitation prompt:**
> "Does your brand want to signal that it's been doing this for decades — or that it's
> showing everyone else the future? Which resonates more with your buyer?"

Score range: 1 (Mature/Classic) → 5 (Young/Innovative)

---

## Collecting Scores

After all five dimensions are discussed, confirm the consensus scores:

> "Let me read these back — stop me if anything doesn't reflect where the room landed."

Record as:
```
Elite/Mass Appeal:              [1–5]
Serious/Playful:                [1–5]
Trusted/Rebel:                  [1–5]
Friend/Authority:               [1–5]
Mature/Young:                   [1–5]
```

---

## Output 1 — Visual Likert Scale (HTML)

Produce a clean HTML artifact showing all five dimensions as horizontal Likert scales with
the brand's position plotted. Design principles:

- Clean, presentation-ready — this may be screenshotted for a client deck
- Each row: left pole label — scale with position marked — right pole label
- Position marker should be visually clear (filled circle or highlighted segment)
- Brand name at top if known
- Default color palette (override with the brand's own if known): primary blue #0077C8, dark #1A1A2E, light background #F8F9FA
- No decorative elements that add noise without adding meaning
- Five rows, consistently spaced, easy to read at a glance

---

## Output 2 — Reference Artifact (Markdown)

Produce a structured markdown block immediately after the visual. Format:

```
# [Brand Name] — Brand Tone of Voice

## Dimension Scores
| Dimension | Left Pole | Score | Right Pole |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elite | [X]/5 | Mass Appeal |
| 2 | Serious | [X]/5 | Playful |
| 3 | Trusted/Conventional | [X]/5 | Rebel/Maverick |
| 4 | Friend | [X]/5 | Authority |
| 5 | Mature/Classic | [X]/5 | Young/Innovative |

## Voice Synthesis
[2–3 sentence synthesis of what the scores mean in combination — written as a north star
for a copywriter or AI tool. Label clearly: "Synthesized interpretation of dimension scores.
Not a direct output of the workshop discussion."]

## Usage Notes
- Use this document to brief copywriters, agencies, or AI writing tools
- Scores reflect team consensus as of [date if known]
- Revisit when brand positioning or target audience shifts significantly
```

---

## Hard Rules

- Do NOT rush through dimensions — the discussion is the deliverable
- Do NOT score on behalf of the room — collect consensus, don't infer it
- Do NOT produce outputs until all five scores are confirmed
- The Voice Synthesis is clearly labeled as Claude's interpretation — not the room's words
- Both outputs are produced together at the end of the exercise, not piecemeal