Toshiba Brand Guidelines 2012

Published in PDF Brand Identity Guidelines Download Recommends

Toshiba is all about making extraordinary technology available to everyone. Our brand is brimming with the passion to help technology enrich people’s lives. Toshiba’s tone of voice comes from a fundamental point of view. We always see things from the user’s perspective. And how they want technology to better their lives.
Take for example the new tablet. Yes, it’s the world’s thinnest. But that message comes straight from our internal obsession and passion for the best technical engineering. For the user it means he or she can take their tablet easily to more places – to bed, to the garden or pack it for a holiday. It becomes the most handy way ever to access fun, do the shopping, enjoy films and more.

Whenever writing a headline or body copy for Toshiba, keep the four tonal drivers in mind all the time:
• Benefit
• Clarity
• Wit
• Specificity

Be benefit-driven
Do the ‘So what?’ test. Imagine the customer listening to your pitch for the Toshiba product and then eyeballing you and saying, “So what does that do for me and my life?” This will force you to think ‘benefit’. And it will lead you to understand that people want to Facebook, email, surf, watch films, listen to music, play games, and share photos much more than talk about USB ports and a well-engineered
hinge. Yes, consumers want their tech to look good and last long. But technology (the modern word for tool) is all about helping people to do ‘their thing’ better and quicker; communicate with others and
entertain and express themselves.
Write about how Toshiba helps them do this, and we’ll win.

Be clear
There’s no point in a clever headline that no one understands. There’s also no point in one that everyone understands but no one will read because it’s so boring.
By being benefit-driven (see previous paragraph) you will make a good start.
By always checking your headline with a few people, you’ll know if the takeout of the benefit is clear.

Be witty
In addition to placing ourselves firmly in the reader or viewer’s life, we should also look to make them smile with our headline angles and turn-of-phrase in body copy.
So the handiness of the Thrive becomes a headline like, “Pass the web, dear” or “Great in bed” rather than something that is only benefit driven but dry, e.g. “The AT100. Enjoy the internet in more places
than ever before.”

Be specific
The challenge with a ‘fits in your life’ approach is that it requires a specific approach. For example, a line like “Great in bed” for the Thrive could be said to be too specific. After all, the AT100 is great everywhere. But the point here is that ‘Great in bed’ shows an extreme level of portability. Consequently it also heavily implies that it’s great everywhere. Specifics offer an interesting way of representing the general point. They also make headlines that grab attention.

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