Jonathan Loucks - Fire TV voice

SITUATION

Fire TV needed to differentiate from its competitors. Namely Roku and Chromecast.

TASK

I led creative strategy as the Global Content Director. Wrote every piece of content. Worked closely with the Head of Brand Marketing and Director of Global Brand to build a unified voice and clear brand guidelines.

Shy should a customer choose Fire TV?

To figure this out, I led 4 workshops with 10 cross-functional partners. From brand, marketing, design, product, and UX. And came up with 1 brand promise, 5 brand filters, and 1 brand book.

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I first developed these 5 brand filters.

FIRE TV IS ALWAYS

• Delightful

Considerate, thoughtful, effortless, enjoyable

• Passionate

Engaging, relevant, insightful, personal

• Approachable

Welcoming, conversational, authentic, helpful

• Intuitive

Perceptive, innovative, inspiring, smart

• Humble

Grounded, authentic, trustworthy, reliable

FIRE TV IS NEVER

Robotic
Arrogant
Snarky
One-size-fits-all

Now let’s take a look at the filters. Personas.

You can write pages of Do’s and Don'ts. But everyone knows who Jimmy Fallon is. It just clicks. They get the comparison.

CELEBRITY PERSONAS

AMY POEHLER
Savvy, socially engaged, smart

KRISTEN BELL
Fun, inspiring, connector, relatable

JIMMY FALLON
Charming, currator, passionate, smart

CAR PERSONAS

MINI COOPER
Delightful, charming, customizable

RIVIAN
Intuitive, smart, innovative

Bringing it to life

Delightful means celebrating the living room. It's not transactional or hard-sell. Instead, you should focus on the real, everyday moments. Say things like: "Hands-free TV means you can make cocktails while you find the perfect movie."

And avoid things like, " You have to buy the newest X,Y, Z...or you're doing it wrong."

Passionate means talking about content like someone who lives and breathes shows, movies, and music. It doesn't mean sounding like a blogger or critic. Don't look down on anyone. No snark. Avoid saying, "I can't believe you haven't watched This Is Us yet..."

Instead, say "We're here to help you watch Star Wars. May the Fourth be with you..."

Approachable means speaking like a friend. Honest and authentic. So no word-salads or academic jargon. Don't say, "Please optimize your service provider."

Instead, say "With Fire TV you can put down the remote. And pick up the popcorn. Just ask."

Intuitive means walking in someone else's shoes. Anticipating what they might need or want. Empathy 101. But be careful of tone. You do not know better than them. So watch saying "Do this or you'll regret..."

Instead, be helpful. "There are only 10 days left until the Emmys. Here are 5 tips to host your own watch party..."

Humble means Fire TV wouldn't be here without you. Remember, creative is not just about the product. It's about our customers. For our customers. So say thank you. Lean into language like, "To celebrate all of you..."

Instead of "We've reached 100,000 reviews. Yay us."

RESULTS: 1 promise. 5 filters. 1 book. 95% adoption rate. 11% increase in page traffic.

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