What a voice really does for your brand: what the research says

A voice-over brief often starts with a voice that is already playing in someone's head. Warm. Male. A little low. That is understandable. But choosing a voice on sound alone skips the most important question: which voice carries this brand? That is why, after sonic branding, we have also rounded up the research on voices in commercials. The outcome confirms what we hear in the studio every week: how something is said weighs at least as heavily as who says it.

Delivery is not a finishing touch

The strongest evidence is about delivery. In a study of sixteen radio commercials, listeners remembered more when the pitch moved than with a flat delivery. Emphasis had an optimum too: moderate worked better than none or exaggerated emphasis.

In our recording rooms in the Houthavens we hear that every week. A voice that tries to sell every word ends up selling nothing. The listener no longer knows where to listen. A monotone voice loses them in another way. The sentence slides past like murmuring in a waiting room. Between the two lies the work of direction. One word that gets just a little more weight. A breath in the right place.

The same goes for pace. Of three speaking rates tested, 180 words per minute scored best. That study was done in English and Spanish, so it is not a standard for Dutch spots. It is a reminder of a question that often comes too late: does the message land or does the script merely fit the time? Also read how fast a voice-over should speak.

What the rules of thumb oversimplify

Male voices are more convincing. A low voice always works. Music makes every spot stronger. You hear them in briefings and around meeting tables. The research supports none of the three without reservation.

There is no general advantage for male voices. In Spanish experiments, some ratings actually came out more favorably for female voices. Studies on pitch found effects in opposite directions. And in an experiment with 987 radio listeners, music did improve recall, while willingness to donate was higher without music. Also read whether male voices are more convincing in advertising.

That last finding is not a plea to drop music. Voice and music are not separate parts that you each pick at their most beautiful. Together they form one soundscape. That is why we start with the voice. Only then do we add music and sound design. That way you hear what each layer adds and what it takes away.

Culture plays a part too. French students preferred a calm sales style, New Zealand students did not. So an international brand voice takes more than the same tone in another language.

Recognized is not yet linked

The most fascinating part of the research is about recognition. Listeners who recognized a familiar voice themselves, without the name being mentioned, rated the ad and the brand more positively. The effect lay in that small moment of recognition. In the feeling: I know that one.

But a voice can sound pleasant and familiar without anyone hearing the right brand in it. Recognizing the speaker is something else than the link to the brand. And that link is something else again than the meaning the voice conveys. How much recognition a permanent brand voice delivers over time has also barely been measured.

I see no reason in that to doubt a brand voice. I do see a reason to build one carefully. Lidl's permanent voice shows how that works: you hear the brand before the name is mentioned. That does not happen in one campaign. It grows through consistency, campaign after campaign.

What this asks of casting and direction

We cast on brand personality, not on a voice type. A brief like "an authoritative male voice" rules out good voices in advance. Expert, close or energetic: that is what we listen for. Then we have several voices read the same script. That way you choose on the profile you are looking for and not on one chance recording.

We direct on delivery and pace. And we test a brand voice in the strictest way there is: do people recognize your brand even without a brand name, slogan or music?

The same applies to AI voices. Anyone who wants to compare synthetic and real voices fairly keeps the script, direction and finishing the same. Only then do you hear the difference in the voice itself. Listen for yourself to our AI voices and real voices.

Everything at a glance

On our new page about what a voice does for your brand, you will find the thirteen studies, the familiar rules about voices and what is actually true about them. You can also read how we apply the insights to your brand. On sonic logos and audio identity, I wrote earlier about what sound really does for your brand.

Research does not deliver a formula for the perfect voice. The studies answer different sub-questions, with small samples, other languages and mostly radio spots. That is exactly what makes them valuable. They take the false certainty out of rules of thumb and put the responsibility back where it belongs: with casting, direction and mix.

I believe a voice is the most direct brand asset there is. It speaks to you before you have seen anything. The best voice is therefore not the most beautiful voice. It is the voice that makes people recognize, understand and feel the right brand.

Looking for the voice that suits your brand? See our approach to voice-overs, casting and recording or visit the studio.