Humanising of the brand voice on social media: The case of government agencies and semi-state bodies

Abstract

With the growth of social media, many government agencies and semi-state bodies have started conversing with the public in a much more humanised voice than the bureaucratic tone that would traditionally have been expected. This humanised voice is much more colloquial in its language and conveys a personality behind the brand. This article examines how the tone of voice used by Irish government agencies and semi-state bodies impacts upon their relationship with the public. The research proposes that government agencies, which typically experience a more polarising brand loyalty, are enjoying higher levels of trust, satisfaction, commitment and control mutuality among the public who follow them on social media since their adoption of a humanised brand voice. This in turn has a more positive impact on attitudes towards the government agencies responsible for those organisations. The results build upon the limited literature related to the use of a humanised brand voice by government agencies and semi-state bodies on their social media accounts, and presents practical recommendations to help such organisations benefit fully from social media.