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Scaling Brand Expression

Without Losing the Human Voice

Say it like a person, at any size.

Consistency shouldn’t sound like a template. When output explodes across teams, channels, and languages, many brands trade warmth for speed. That’s how you end up with copy that sounds like it was written by a committee, accurate, compliant, lifeless.

You don’t need more approvals. You need a few human rules, a couple of light rituals, and a handful of guardrails that keep every post, page, reply, and announcement speaking to one person, clearly, kindly, and in Arabic and English.

Why Voices Go Robotic (and how to avoid it)

Speed outruns listening.

Teams publish faster than they gather real phrases customers use.

Too many hands.

Edits layer hedges (“may,” “could,” “should”) until nothing feels direct.

Bilingual literalism.

Arabic becomes a pasted translation instead of a native voice.

Compliance creep.

Safety language takes over the message instead of supporting it.

AI flatness.

Drafts are faster, but the tone is generic unless a human finishes the job.

Spark Insight:

Treat human as a requirement, not a style. If it wouldn’t pass face-to-face, it shouldn’t pass publish.

Where the Human Voice Lives (and how to keep it)

Launch & announcements

Lead with the benefit in one line; keep the “why it matters to you” sentence.

EN: “Book same-day delivery, no calls, no forms.”

AR: «احجز توصيل اليوم نفسه، بدون اتصالات ولا نماذج.»

Product & microcopy

Avoid blame; explain the path.

EN: “We couldn’t read that ID. Try a brighter photo, here’s how.”

AR: «ما قدرنا نقرأ الهوية. جرّب صورة أوضح، إليك الطريقة.»

Social replies & DMs

Acknowledge → clarify → commit → close the loop publicly.

EN: “You’re right, that page was slow this morning. It’s fixed. If it stutters again, DM me and I’ll escalate.”

AR: «معك حق، الصفحة كانت بطيئة صباحًا. تم الإصلاح. لو تكرّر، راسلني خاص وأنا أتابع فورًا.»

Service & ops updates

Empathy first, specifics second, path to resolution third.

EN: “We’re running 30 minutes late. Your driver is 6 km away, map is live.”

AR: «التأخير ٣٠ دقيقة. السائق يبعد ٦ كم، الخريطة مباشرة.»

Leadership notes

One promise, one deadline. Cut flourishes.

EN: “We’ll publish our new service levels by 15 October, and stick to them.”

AR: «سننشر مستويات الخدمة الجديدة قبل ١٥ أكتوبر، ونلتزم بها.»

Red Flag:

If a message needs three qualifiers (“may,” “could,” “anticipated”), you’re protecting the brand at the cost of trust. Say what you know; give a time for the rest.

Rituals that Protect the Human Voice (light, not bureaucratic)

Weekly Voice Listen (30 min).

Read 10 comments, 5 ticket snippets, 3 sales objection notes. Harvest phrases you can reuse.

Read-aloud pass (2 minutes).

If you wouldn’t say it to a person, rewrite it.

Last-mile humanization (3 minutes).

Remove hedges, add next step + time, add a thank-you or apology if effort was required.

Voice stewards (3–5 people).

Quick gut checks, include at least one Arabic-native editor.

Guardrails (without killing the vibe)

Banned words list:

leverage, synergies, ecosystem, navigate, kindly be advised, pursuant to…

H-5 humanity check:

Does it (1) address one person, (2) name the action, (3) give timing, (4) acknowledge effort/feeling if relevant, (5) sound like speech?

AI with boundaries:

Machine for draft/summarize; human for tone, empathy, and decisions. No auto-publish.

Your 10-Day Humanization Sprint

Day 1

Publish the six human rules company-wide.

Day 2–3

Gather 25 real customer phrases (EN/AR). Pin them in your writing hub.

Day 4

Create a tiny microcopy bank: 10 CTAs, 5 confirmations, 5 apologies (EN/AR).

Day 5

Run a read-aloud clinic for two high-impact flows/posts.

Day 6

Add names/initials to support replies where appropriate.

Day 7

Ship two recurring social series with a warm opener line.

Day 8

Set the H-5 check in the workflow (checkbox or bot reminder).

Day 9

Trim your banned words list into the editor as autocomplete warnings.

Day 10

Review: first-draft acceptance rate, AR/EN engagement gap, and 10 verbatims from users.

Target signal:

AR/EN engagement gap under 10% on matched posts; first-draft acceptance up; fewer “can you review?” pings.

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What “good” looks like after 60 days

Copy sounds like a person, even when written by different teams.

Arabic and English feel equally native.

Fewer escalations because updates answer the “what next/when” question.

Series earn completion and replies that quote your lines back to you.

Internally, drafts move faster with less editing theater.

Human beats hurry,

every time.

FAQs

Doesn’t consistency make us sound templated?

Not if you’re consistent about principles, not scripts. Keep the six rules and banned words steady, but let phrasing and examples breathe. The result feels recognizably “you,” not copy-pasted.

We’re heavily regulated, how do we stay human without risking compliance?

Divide the message into two layers: human first line (what’s happening, what you’ll do, when) and the required legal line underneath. Keep both short. Compliance supports the promise; it doesn’t replace it.

How do we keep Arabic human without going slangy?

Use clear MSA with natural rhythm. Decide when colloquial is acceptable in social replies, but keep product and policy in MSA. Pair Arabic/English examples in your microcopy bank so tone matches across both.

Where does AI fit without losing the voice?

Use it to summarize research, produce first drafts, or translate intent. A human does the last mile: read-aloud, add empathy, set timing, remove hedges. No auto-publish; no exceptions.

What should we measure to know it’s working?

First-draft acceptance rate, AR/EN engagement gap, time-to-publish on key surfaces, and 10 monthly verbatims that mention tone (“clear,” “helpful,” “kind”). If those move in the right direction, your brand sounds human, at scale.

Let’s design systems that speak, reflect,

and treat AI as a creative partner worth mentoring.

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