English accents and their impact within marketing campaigns

Since advertising began, those in the marketing industry have been striving to forge deeper connections with their audience. One way that this has been done is with the use of the human voice in company marketing campaigns.

There is nothing more powerful than using a human voice as a marketing tool. Impactful narrations, warm voiceovers, mirrored voices that sound like your desired target audience – these are all proven effective, and exciting marketing techniques.

Accents, with their subtle nuances, can drastically influence a project’s outcome. Despite our desire to disassociate a voice’s sound from its effect on us, it remains a subconscious factor. Accents have the power to impact our own emotions. They can make us feel afraid, anxious, reassured, calm – the list is endless. Not only this, they can also hold major preconceptions that can impact our opinion or feelings towards a product. These perceptions are not inherently judgmental; as usually they merely reflect the influences embedded in our upbringing.

We’ve had a look into how to use accented dialogue to your advantage in advertising, and what we here at Matinée can do to help.

The difference between accents and dialect

For marketing purposes, it is essential to differentiate between accents and dialects. Accents refer to the way words are pronounced and the sound of the speech. Whereas dialect refers to the vocabulary, slang, and terms used.

When subtitling, besides indicating the accent to the viewer, the subtitles will not be affected by the accent. It is important to bear in mind that dialect, however, can have an impact on dubbing, subtitles, and essentially anything where language is used.

The impact of accents

It’s crucial to comprehend the potential effect of utilising English accent voiceovers in your advertising on your brand message. It may seem like choosing the same accent as the area you’re advertising to is a safe choice, but that’s not always true.

A study conducted by the Central Office of Information (COI) found that some regions actually dislike their accents. It’s possible that this doesn’t apply to all regions, but it appears that the level of national pride in the UK hasn’t experienced a noteworthy upswing, indicating that the research likely remains accurate.

Linguistic research has revealed that certain accents are still viewed negatively by some people. Particularly, Brummie and Mancunian accents are perceived as “lower competence” by the general public. However, the same research indicates that there is a stronger response to the name of the accent, rather than the sound of the accent itself. So, when used in a voiceover, the sound of the region may not be as problematic, but it is still considered risky.

Choosing the right English accent for your project

It’s so important to do your research when it comes to choosing the right English accent for your marketing campaign.

Certain English accents are perceived to be associated with prestige and privilege. The RP or the ‘Queen’s English’ accent, in particular, is still linked with the subconscious perception of good character and intelligence. RP might seem like a secure option in this case, however, it is possible that utilising this accent might detract from your brand’s message.

If your aim is to connect with the working-class population in the UK, an accent linked with privilege may not be the most suitable approach. There are instances where regional accents have been used nationally and have been highly effective!

A great example is the Boddingtons advertisement featuring the northern Melanie Sykes. Her accent is appealing, grounded, and playful, which perfectly aligned with the brand impression Boddingtons sought to create in their 90’s campaign:

For the best possible results, you can gain some great insight by having a chat with our expert project management team, who have vast experience in regionality within advertising campaigns and can help ensure that the dialect you use within the script is correct for the area that your advert will be seen and/or heard.

In need of a voiceover for your marketing content? We’re here to help.

If you are looking to invest in the professional production of your eLearning or Explainer project, the next step is finding the right voice over agency to take your content from just OK to impactful, memorable and valuable.

Matinée Multilingual has 40+ years of experience, recording studios with BBC quality acoustics, expert sound technicians, and a bank of voice actors for you to choose from. We provide you with transparent costing for the entire project so you know exactly how the investment will work with your budget.

Call us for advice on +44 (0) 118 958 4934

Or email project@matinee.co.uk

Or why not listen to some of our featured voice actors to hear the depth and breadth of expert narration we can offer?