WHY WILL USING A BRITISH VOICE FOR YOUR ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ACT AS A DIFFERENIATOR, OFFER APPEAL AND INCREASE REVENUE AND MARKET SHARE?

The first thing that comes to mind when we think about England is authenticity, tradition and royalty,  and although the English were the foundation of what later became the most amazing democratic power house on the planet,  there was a time in history when the British milieu seemed somewhat  out of touch and lacking in modernity.  In today’s global economy, that milieu has transformed into a model of style, European sensibility and has the advantage of a common language with the U.S.  Never since the Prince of  Wales and Wallis Simpson, The Beatles and Carnaby Street has England set the standard for what often becomes a tipping point in modernity, and de rigueur. 

To some, the UK musters thoughts of romance, dignity and prestige, reminiscent of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens novels or the timeless language of Shakespeare.  For others, it is fashion, cosmopolitan ways, trend setting and dry wit.  For any, and perhaps all of the above reasons, companies across Canada and the US are strategically hiring voices from across the pond to represent their corporate images  while companies in Britain are using British voices from the US that have acquired a certain American Madison Avenue sensibility rather than the gritty Britishness of yesteryear. 

Why is that? Let’s take a more in depth look at some of the reasons why British voice over talent has become a more effective way to sell products or services, and in many cases is respected for its perceived intelligence and vocal elegance. 

Once North America was settled and a realization occurred that the country was in its infancy and lacked a certain history and tradition, a love affair started with the British

Founders.  Beginning in the early settlement of the New World and Confederation of both the United States and Canada, the British have played a major role in the development of the land and establishment of policy, rule of law, culture, government and education.

The British amongst other European nations including the French, Spanish and Dutch, gave us a heritage and shared connections with trading partners.  Tens of thousands of brave and pioneering people opted to stay in this new land to nurture, protect, and establish their own communities.  These communities later formed their own distinctive and unique characteristics across an entire continent that spans three thousand miles from east to west.  The USA has as much diversity as you will find anywhere.  From coast to coast, the mountains and rivers in the north, to the desert and the oceans in the south.  

The entertainment industry has no hesitation  in using British actors in movies, television, radio, and reality shows, as a hook to a create a unique viewing or listening experience, and most North Americans, without thinking too hard, when asked to, can immediately name at least 10-15 British actors of whom they are fans .  To illustrate some of our British actors, past and present – James Mason, Lawrence Oliver, Lawrence Harvey, Joan Fontaine, Joan Plowright, Peter O’Toole, Pierce Brosan, Sean Connery, Colin Farrell, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Burton, Angela Lansbury, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Charlie Chaplin, Eddie Izzard, Julie Andrews, Judi Dench, John Cleese, Mick Jagger, Helena Bonham Carter, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Rachael Weisz, Orlando Bloom, Emily Blunt, Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, and the list goes on and on.  These are the names you see and read about in your newspapers, fashion magazines and view on TV shows like Entertainment Tonight, Larry King, Oprah and The View.  Nevertheless, that does not even take into account the anonymous British actors working in Hollywood today plus other smaller TV and radio markets, who are the lifeblood of an industry that is a constant source of inspiration.   It is because of this and because of their special delivery British Voices are found in so many of our commercials, documentary narrations, and  more than ever,  our internet webinars, voice messaging systems and U Tube videos.

The 2000 US census showed there were close to a million US citizens of British birth living in the United States alone, without counting those in Canada, and this figure does not take into account Green Card holders and British citizens living in North America on semi permanent visas.  However, this does not necessarily make good British talent easy to find, although there are many well trained British stage, screen and voice actors thriving in North America today that provide the appeal of distinguished accents,  that are comforting and pleasing to the ear, and not to mention, charming, sophisticated and having old world charm.

So to sum up British voices are appealing both to the ear and are an attention grabber in advertising campaigns of all kinds because they attract the listener’s attention immediately.  They have a universal style and the ability to elevate and connect with people on a visceral, intellectual and eloquent level.  A British voice gives perceived refinement to a product or service and acts as a tool to differentiate from standard North American branding.  A British voice inspires confidence while acting as a subtly effective and persuasive marketing tool without using hard sell tactics.  And finally a British voice is able to engage your client or prospect by reaching their “hot spots” and appealing to their inner decision making process.

A trained British voice actor is able to be elegant, heroic, strong, graceful, sophisticated, posh, quaint, and most importantly, influential.  In that regard he or she will add punch to your advertising and marketing campaigns with the added ability to increase your revenue and eliminate much of your competition. As Henry Higgins illustrated so well in the movie My Fair Lady, the amount of British dialects are too numerous to count, with each nook and cranny of the United Kingdom having their own twist on the Queen’s English.  Even the Royal Princes William and Harry have developed their own unique and modern style of speaking as did their late mother Princes Diana.  While it is true that other languages embody some of these qualities, because in N. America we share a common language with England, albeit divided by an Ocean, it is somehow obvious that we would embrace the

universal style of speaking of our founders.  Because a British voice adds an extra flavor, is a special selling tool to market our brilliantly conceived goods and services,  and in addition to the above rhetoric in this report, a British Voice “stands-out” in the cacophony of constant media assault, and cannot fail to get your marketing message heard, acted upon and  significantly increase your future bottom line.