Adapting Your Brand Voice for 2025: How to Speak to a New Generation of Consumers

Gen Z and Millennials have been influencing the marketplace for some time now, shifting consumer expectations and making it more competitive for brands to stay relevant to their audience. Today’s consumer mentality is focused not just on the product, but also on its supplier. They are looking to connect with brands that share the same ideas and principles as them. Therefore, your brand voice is becoming more and more relevant to your marketing strategy.

So, let’s dive into it and see what steps you can take now to strategically position your brand’s voice in 2025.

EVOLVING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS IN 2025: UNDERSTANDING NEW TRENDS AND SHIFTING BEHAVIORS

Brands and customer engagement have shifted dramatically as Gen Z and Millennials have become the principal audience. While Gen Z buyers are split in the middle when it comes to shopping, Millennials are all about connecting with brands on a more fundamental level—principles, values, and honesty.

I’m not saying previous generations didn’t have values or loyalty to brands. My grandfather, for example, only bought Craftsman Tools Ltd tools from Sears . They had a warranty: if the tool broke, you walked in, gave it to them, and walked out with a new one—no questions asked. But that’s not why my grandfather supported them. It was because he believed that anyone with that policy believed in their product and knew it wouldn’t break. He trusted them. He passed away several years ago, and now those Craftsman tools are sitting in my brother’s toolbox at work. His trust was not misplaced, but it was more in the product; he did not know or care about Craftsman’s values or policies. That was not relevant to him.

Today’s generations are crusaders for causes and demand brand authenticity. They expect brand transparency, authenticity, and genuineness. They want to support brands that back causes and address issues like sustainability and social responsibility.

Technology has given future buyers unlimited resources to vet brands before making a purchase, allowing them to weigh whether they want to support the brand. If you are going to grow your brand in 2025, you must be transparent with your customers.

PURPOSE-DRIVEN BRANDS ARE ON THE RISE

The next generation of consumers is becoming more socially aware, looking out for brands that share core values like sustainability, inclusivity, and ethical practices. They are not just looking for brands to share their values; they are expecting them to.

Back in 2018, I joined the Dupont Holiday pop-up. At that time, I was doing shows all the time, selling my art. I shared the basement gallery of the National League of American Pen Women with two other vendors. One of the vendors sold DC merchandise and was selling these bags. They looked really cool, but what intrigued me more was the "Fair Trade" label. I had never heard it before, but I remember thinking, "That’s going to be the future." Now, I see it everywhere. Causes like this are transforming how brands generate sales, and I’m not just talking about product-based companies.

I recently created a strategy for a service-based brand to become purpose-driven, helping them better position themselves.

SHIFTING TO CONVERSATIONAL: The Sound of a Brand Voice in 2025

Consumers are not interested in corporate lingo or formalities; they want something they can connect with. This demands that brands today build a conversational tone. In 2025, a brand’s voice must be even more relatable. It must be approachable, display empathy, and show friendliness to consumers. By creating this interaction, a brand’s voice will begin to mimic human conversation, which backs what I’ve always said: “A brand should be treated like a living entity. It is alive and grows in an organic way, and its voice should support this growth.”

A relatable brand voice creates a deeper emotional connection with consumers. Brands should focus on inclusive language, implementing personal stories rather than impersonal, formal statements. Whether you are aware of this or not, I connect with you in each of my articles. I share a part of my journey, insight into my life, or experiences I’ve learned from. I do this because I want to have a deeper connection with my audience. I want to know them, and for them to know me.

KEY PILLARS: AUTHENTICITY & TRANSPARENCY

Being authentic is not a trend; it’s a necessity. Today, consumers not only expect honesty, but they also demand it. Brand transparency does not just end at shared values; they want it with products as well. They want to know that what they are buying contributes to ethical sourcing and sustainable efforts.

In 2025, consumers will most likely continue to demand more honesty from brands, expecting them to display real efforts to change the world. Brands will have to continue connecting with their audience and share real stories that demonstrate their contributions to society and building a better world.

ADAPTING YOUR BRAND VOICE & ALIGNING IT WITH EMERGING CONSUMER DEMANDS

ALIGNING WITH VALUES: PURPOSE-DRIVEN MESSAGING

I wrote a whole article on it, and it honestly did not perform well, but I’ll say it again: CONSISTENCY. Brands must have a clear and defined purpose that maintains consistency across all its platforms.

Remember when your mother told you, “Think before you speak”? There is no exception here. Do not say your clothes are fair trade products when they’re not, or that your brand supports disadvantaged youth if it does not.

Consumers are tired of just seeing their money make CEOs richer; they want to know that the money they use to support your brand is making a difference. For most of today’s consumers, particularly, that means backing social causes. In other words, do not just say it—do it, and show us that you did it.

TONE & MESSAGING: Purpose-Driven Marketing in 2025

A human-centered approach is essential for positioning your brand in 2025. Consumers are increasingly seeking brands they can relate to, not just those that tout how great they are. They want to know if your brand shares their values and supports causes that matter to them. This shift towards purpose-driven marketing is reshaping the buying process, with consumers prioritizing purpose over profit. Brands that focus solely on financial gain may find themselves losing out on brand loyalty, especially from future shoppers who demand more meaningful connections.

BRAND ADVOCACY: BUILD IT THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

These future customers, who are all about transparency and relatability, want to have a relationship with your brand, and that is good for your brand because it creates consumer loyalty. I’ve touched on building a community in previous articles, as it becomes more relevant to brand success every year. Apple has done an excellent job with this; they are like the pioneers of community building. But they are not the only ones— Wix , Canva , and countless others have been forging this bond of community. In 2025, I think the stakes are going to be even higher. Inclusive language is on the rise, and there is a community-first message being transmitted out there that will continue to drive how people interact with brands.

Consumers want to feel like they belong to a brand’s mission, so it’s essential for companies to engage with their audience through real-time conversations and interactive content. Engaging with your consumers builds a community around your brand, developing deeper loyalty and creating brand advocates.

TAKEAWAY

A brand’s voice will be essential in 2025. It is imperative that brands connect with their consumers through shared values, trust, and authenticity. Building a community is the cornerstone to building those relationships and positioning your brand in the coming year.

It’s not just about what you say—future buyers want to know they are purchasing more than just a product. They want to feel like they are financing change. They want to be a part of a solution addressing things like fair trade, sustainable practices, and social issues.

While each new year brings uncharted territory in the world of marketing, we have some wonderful examples that show real results from a brand voice built around transparency and honesty. Just look at Apple .

If you are trying to transition your brand voice into 2025 but do not know where to start, I am giving away my 5-step resource guide, "Future-Proof Your Brand: 5 Key Steps to Evolve Your Voice for 2025," to anyone who likes or comments on this post.

If you are still having a hard time transitioning your brand’s voice, MLOF Strategies offers brand voice audits to help identify areas of improvement and implement more authentic and relatable messaging. Consider working with a brand strategist to refine your messaging for 2025.