There are several elements that play a key role in driving the media and advertising industry. One of those elements happens to be “voice” Voice allows audiences to make a connection with what they hear and see. Other than that, a voice is human, which allows advertisers to persuade the audience.
But, simply adding voice isn’t enough. How the vice is selected and how it is utilized also impacts the final outcome. For instance, a particular voice might work because it reflects the psyche of the average consumer. By now, you’re probably wondering what kind of voice might work for your particular brand. Well, we really can’t say for sure, but, a recent report on voice trends from Voices.com gives us a few ideas.
Take a look.
The Voice of the Peer
The authoritative voices that once dominated video narration are out. Today, consumers want to hear someone who sounds like a peer. According to the report, a majority of the respondents stated that they preferred hiring voices that could relate to the audience. For instance, around 73% of the respondents went for voices that would match the age group of the demographic they were catering to. In other words, people want to hear an expert, but, one that is approachable.
Personas
The report found conversational, executive and announcer to be the top three personas preferred by advertisers. Of the three, conversational was the most popular followed by announcer and executive, in that order. Conversational personas here typically includes the mother, the storyteller, the narrator, and every other man.
Qualities
As for the qualities in a voice that are most appealing, the report found that advertisers loved the following, in order of most to least appealing.
- Friendly
- Professional
- Genuine
- Warm
- Informative
- Upbeat
- Confident
- Knowledgeable
- Engaging
- Inspirational
So, if we were to connect the dots here, it doesn’t take much to realize that the advertising industry wants what can be only defined as “expert who is approachable”. People want to hear someone who is warm, friendly, and knowledgeable in his/her field. They want someone who can speak to them, not just as a friend, but, as a friend who can also guide them and help them make the right decision.
What’s Not Hot
As for the things that we may stop seeing, celebrity voices rank right at the top. There was a time when brands wanted familiar and popular voices to sell their products. However, today, it is all about the “everyday” voice. 2017’s voice isn’t going to be perfect. Rather, it’s going to sound like your friend’s, your son’s, your daughter’s your mother’s, your father’s, or your neighbor’s etc.
ABOUT ROBERTA –
Roberta is a Professional AND award Winning International Voiceover Actor, as well as an accomplished on-camera actress and spokesperson. She lives in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area and is the owner of Roberta Kennedy Voice Talent and RK Productions, Inc.
She voices for companies around the world using her state of the art, broadcast quality studio. She’s hired for commercials, web demos and explainer videos, product infomercials, documentaries, promo/imaging, political ads, e-learning videos, podcasts, guided real estate tours, telephony/IVR projects, high profile corporate presentations, video games and character animation.
Her voice is described as: playful, contemporary, compelling, commanding, inviting, sultry and smooth. A hip edge with sophistication, bold, warm, interesting and engaging are also commonly used adjectives to describe her voice.
Her home studio is equipped with ipDTL, ISDN and phone patch capability with lightning fast turnaround times! A voiceover talent with over 20 years of voiceover acting experience, she offers a full range of voiceover services at highly competitive rates & will work with your budget to help you promote your business to new levels of excellence!
To request a personal quote or audition and/or to review more of her credits & demos, feel free to visit her website: www.robertakennedy.com– or mail her at roberta@robertakennedy.com. You can even give her a call on (408) 313-7202.