Using the word "you" in brand communication can create a powerful connection with your audience.
But it's important to understand both the advantages and potential drawbacks of your choice.
In this blog post we investigate the details of each approach:
- Using "you" creates a personal connection with customers.
- Engaging language makes readers feel valued and understood.
- "You" clarifies product benefits, enhancing message relevance.
- Overusing "you" can feel informal or presumptive.
- Industry context influences use of direct address.
- Consistency in address strengthens brand identity and trust.
- Automate brand guidelines to ensure consistent communication.
Are You Speaking To Me?
One of the most obvious pros of using "you" is that it makes marketing communication feel personal and engaging.
It speaks directly to the reader, making them feel like the brand is talking to them, rather than addressing a faceless crowd.
For example, a skincare brand might say, “You deserve radiant skin,” which makes the customer feel valued and understood.
Speaking of skincare, one of the most notable examples of using “you” effectively is Dove’s famous “Real Beauty” campaign.
Dove has long positioned itself as a brand that champions natural beauty and self-confidence. Their messaging often speaks directly to women, using phrases like, “You are more beautiful than you think” and “You deserve to feel beautiful.”
This personal approach has been central to Dove's ability to foster loyalty and build a positive brand image around self-esteem and empowerment.
By addressing women directly, Dove shifts its focus from merely selling beauty products to building a movement around self-worth.
The direct language empowers the individual, transforming a simple brand message into a statement of personal value for each consumer.
This helps explain why Dove's campaign resonated with millions globally and contributed to the brand's ongoing success.
How Can Direct Address Enhance Clarity?
Another advantage is that using "you" can help to clarify the benefits of a product or service. Instead of speaking in vague terms, a brand can clearly articulate how its offerings impact the customer.
For example, “You’ll save time with our easy-to-use app” is more compelling than a generalized statement like “The app is time-saving.”
By focusing on the direct benefit to the customer, the message becomes more relevant and actionable.
Spotify excels at speaking directly to its users by personalizing its communication.
Take, for example, Spotify’s “Discover Weekly” feature. Each week, Spotify sends users a playlist with the headline, “Your Discover Weekly is here!”
This is much more engaging than if they were to say something like, “Discover new music every week.” By using "your" and "you," Spotify makes each playlist feel customized, emphasizing the personal value their service brings to the user’s listening experience.
This direct engagement not only enhances the experience but also helps Spotify develop a personalized relationship with each of its 500 million-plus users.
It demonstrates how brands can use “you” to turn a simple product feature into a valuable, tailored service, deepening customer loyalty.
When To Avoid “You”?
However, there are cons to using "you" in brand communication as well.
One potential downside is that it can sometimes come off as too informal or presumptive, depending on the tone and context.
The choice of whether to address your customers directly or not, depends primarily on the industry your company is operating in.
Some audiences expect a more formal tone, especially in industries such as finance, legal services, or healthcare, where professionalism and expertise are critical.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is a global law firm that illustrates the importance of maintaining a formal tone.
In their communications. — whether it’s website content, client briefings, or legal updates — they typically avoid direct address like "you" and instead use more formal language.
For instance, rather than saying, “You will benefit from our legal expertise,” they might say, “Clients benefit from our extensive legal expertise in corporate law.”
The decision about the audience-addressing aspect of your brand’s tone of voice also depends on your pricing strategy.
Premium and luxury brands often use formal tone to assert their status.
If a luxury brand says, “You’re going to love this watch,” it may feel too casual or overconfident, undermining the exclusivity the brand wants to convey.
Rolex is a great example of this. As a luxury brand, it walks a fine line when it comes to direct communication.
Rolex projects exclusivity, heritage, and a sense of timeless prestige, so uses more formal language that speaks to the craft, history, and status of its products, often avoiding direct "you" language to maintain an air of sophistication and distance.
By refraining from directly addressing the audience, Rolex emphasizes the notion that its watches are not for everyone — they are symbols of achievement and luxury, acquired by those who have reached a certain status.
This implicit message supports their branding strategy of exclusivity, which might be diluted if they spoke too directly or casually to potential customers.
Add these Writitude rules to your custom tone of voice guide to adjust the sentence structure to your brand’s communication strategy:
- Require direct address to the audience
- Forbid direct address to the audience
Which Approach Is Best For Your Brand?
Ok, so there are both pros and cons to addressing your brand’s audience directly. How should you choose?
When deciding whether to use "you" in your communication, it’s essential to ask:
- Does it align with your brand’s tone and values?
- Will it strengthen the message or make it feel overly familiar?
- Is your audience looking for personal engagement or professional authority?
The decision to use “you” should be a deliberate one, guided by a deep understanding of your brand and its audience.
When used thoughtfully, it can create a meaningful connection that resonates with your customers and strengthens your brand's voice.
But used carelessly, it can backfire, alienating the very people you’re trying to reach.
Make Your Choice And Stick To It
Whatever your choice of address, you need to use it consistently.
Consider how jarring it would be if a brand like Dove, known for its empowering and personal "you" statements, suddenly switched to a more formal, detached tone.
The shift would not only confuse the audience but also dilute the brand’s established identity.
Similarly, if a brand like Rolex, which maintains an air of exclusivity through formal language, started using casual "you" statements, it could undermine the prestige and sophistication they’ve meticulously built.
Inconsistent use of address might come across as indecisive or inauthentic.
Your audience might struggle to grasp your brand’s true personality, which can weaken your overall message and impact.
So, once you’ve decided on the tone and address that best fits your brand and resonates with your audience, stick with it.
Whether you choose the personal touch of "you" or the authoritative distance of a more formal tone, consistency will help cement your brand’s voice in the minds of your audience.
The way to achieve consistency in audience address is to make your preference clear in your brand book.
However, if your brand book is not automated, it still will leave large room for human error as your content producers change.
If you want to make sure the address to the audience, as well as all other aspects of your brand’s tone of voice remain constant, automate your brand book with Writitude!
By giving your brand book more teeth, you will strengthen your brand’s character with every piece of copy.
