For Cascadia Liquor, our voice is human. It’s familiar, friendly, and straightforward. Our priority is selling our products through lifestyle branding and experiential marketing. It's connecting the in-store experience to their online experience. We want to educate people without patronizing or confusing them.

Tone

Cascadia's tone is usually informal, but it’s always more important to be clear than entertaining. When you’re writing, consider the reader’s state of mind. Are they relieved to be finished with a campaign? Are they confused and seeking our help on Twitter? Are they curious about a post on our blog? Once you have an idea of their emotional state, you can adjust your tone accordingly.

MailChimp has a sense of humour, so feel free to be funny when it’s appropriate and when it comes naturally to you. But don’t go out of your way to make a joke—forced humor can be worse than none at all. If you’re unsure, keep a straight face.

One way to think of our voice is to compare what it is to what it isn’t.

Cascadia’s voice is:

Fun not foolish
Confident not cocky
Smart not stodgy
Informal not sloppy
Helpful not overbearing
Expert not pretentious
Funny not inappropriate
Mellinial-friendly not indignant

Style tips

Here are a few key elements of writing MailChimp’s voice. For more, see the Grammar and mechanics section.

Active voice Use active voice. Avoid passive voice.
Avoid slang and jargon Write in plain English.
Write positively Use positive language rather than negative language.

A note about Freddie

Freddie is MailChimp's mascot. He’s been around in various forms since the company's beginning, and he captures the spirit of our brand’s personality. He smiles, winks, and sometimes high-fives, but he does not talk. Don't write in his voice. For more on how to use Freddie, see our Brand Assets.