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b'\\u201cThe CMO for a medium-sized brand is responsible for more words than the editor of a newspaper.\\u201d Words matter. And, to this very point, there are a lot of them in the crowded, digital world we find ourselves in. How can you develop a consistent yet flexible brand lexicon? Just ask strategist Al Hussain of Verbal Identity. And that\\u2019s exactly what I did on this week\\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast.\\nAbout Al Hussain\\nAl is a thought leader in where language meets behavioral science. He\\u2019s helped position great British fashion brands like Fred Perry and Belstaff; Britain\\u2019s most popular car brand, Vauxhall; and he also lead the naming team for one of the world\\u2019s greatest hotels, although it\\u2019s not open yet. He\\u2019s also a guest speaker at various conferences, most recently the Telegraph Festival of Business in London.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nWhere do you start with brand language?\\xa0\\u201cIt has to be working at every level.\\u201d Al took us through the three major categories: 10,000-foot level \\u2014 the brand narrative, 1,000-foot level \\u2014 the different ways of telling a story, and the ground-level \\u2013 the basics of word choice and sentence length. \\u201cLanguage exists everywhere. The strongest brands work at all levels.\\u201d\\nWhat brand\\u2019s language does Al admire?\\xa0\\u201cSlack because it\\u2019s carried all the way through. Even to the language on an app update.\\u201d Words are a simple and cost-effective way to enhance any brand touchpoint \\u2014 even a software update!\\nHow do you operationalize language internally?\\xa0It\\u2019s a lot of work! Al and his team use a mix of workshops, mini-sites, emails, toolkits, and templates to help individuals at organizations understand how to implement the brand language in their day-to-day work.\\nWhat\\u2019s one thing you can do to start thinking about your brand\\u2019s language?\\xa0\\u201cTwo things: First, look at the overarching thought or strategy for your brand. Then ask people to interpret that \\u2014 like the forklift driver. Second, look at externals like your website and your competitors. Ask yourself, is that who we want to be?\\u201d\\nWhat brand has made Al smile recently?\\xa0Why is Al subscribed to an email list for a women\\u2019s clothing brand? Because fashion brand Reformation writes amazing subject lines that consistently make Al smile.\\nTo learn more,\\xa0go to\\xa0verbalidentity.com.\\nAs We Wrap \\u2026\\nBefore we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community \\u2026\\nBill Robinson gave us a shout on Twitter after listening to our\\xa0live show at SXSW. Thanks for listening, Bill!\\nDid you hear something you liked on this episode or another?\\xa0Do you have a question you\\u2019d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.\\nOn Brand is sponsored by my new book\\xa0Brand Now.\\xa0Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world.\\xa0Pre-order now and get special digital extras.\\xa0Learn more.\\n\\n\\nSubscribe to the podcast\\xa0\\u2013 You can subscribe to the show via\\xa0iTunes,\\xa0Stitcher,\\xa0TuneIn, and\\xa0RSS.\\n\\n\\nRate and review the show\\xa0\\u2013 If you like what you\\u2019re hearing, head over to\\xa0iTunes\\xa0and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.\\n\\n\\nOK. How do you rate and review a podcast?\\xa0Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes?\\xa0Check this out.\\n\\nUntil next week, I\\u2019ll see you on the Internet!\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'