Making Room for Meaning:
The Power of Simpler Language
Somewhere along the way, brand language got a bit... tangled. Words became tools of precision, often at the expense of personality. Messaging got padded, overqualified and focus-grouped into oblivion. Even well-meaning brands started talking in ways no real person ever would, unless that person was auditioning to be a chatbot.
But in our work with clients, from energy to food to healthcare, we’ve seen a recurring truth:
the most powerful words are often the simplest.
Clear ≠ Basic
Simple language isn’t simplistic. It’s not about dumbing down. It’s about making space for what matters.
It’s the difference between saying "We empower future-ready energy solutions" and just saying, "We help you waste less energy." One makes you think. The other makes sense.
Look at The Economist ads by Paul Belford. Sharp. Minimal. Not a word wasted. One of the best opens with “I never read The Economist” followed by “Management trainee. Aged 42.” It assumes intelligence, respects your time, and lands a punch with two short lines.
Or take Innocent. Their writing has always sounded like someone you’d actually want to sit beside on a flight. Smart. Warm. Never trying too hard. Even the underside of their bottle caps has charm. That’s not an accident. That’s tone of voice, working its socks off.
Then there’s Macmillan. Their tone doesn’t shout. It listens. It reassures. Their writing is calm and clear, because when you're talking to people in the middle of a cancer diagnosis, every word matters. No fluff. No faff. Just the right words, said the right way. That’s real craft.
And then there’s Christopher Doyle’s work for Spotify. Equal parts design and deadpan wit, it proves that brand writing doesn’t have to be earnest to be effective. Whether it’s a poster reminding you “You’re not going to run a marathon. Stop lying to yourself.” or a headline like “Dance like no one is watching. Because no one is. You’re 42,” it lands because it knows its audience. It’s playful, self-aware, and strategic — the tone of a brand that knows exactly who it is and isn’t afraid to have fun with it.
Why simpler wins
People are bombarded. With choice. With offers. With messages. With more messages about the offers. In that noise, the brands that win are the ones that sound like people. The ones that make it easy for us to understand, trust, and care.
Simple writing helps:
-
Build trust when trust is hard to earn
-
Get to the point without losing the plot
-
Make complicated things feel do-able
-
Create space for emotional connection
It’s not about being casual. It’s about being clear and human, which, let’s be honest, is a rare combo.
Five signs you might
be overcomplicating things
-
You’ve written “in order to” instead of just “to”
-
You’re using three nouns in a row (“consumer experience framework”)
-
Your tone of voice guidelines are 67 pages and no one has ever opened them
-
Your copy sounds like it was written for a boardroom, not a browser
-
There’s not a single contraction in sight. You are not helping yourself.
Making space for meaning
At Alkamee, we help brands sound more like themselves. Not by bolting on "tone" at the end, but by starting with clarity, cutting the clutter and keeping the heart. When you remove the filler, the message breathes. When the message breathes, people feel it.That’s not fluff. That’s the real work.
Have a vision you'd like to bring to life? Or would simply like to discuss a brand, communication, design or engagement project? Just email us hello@alkamee.ie