Why aren’t more brands waking up to the fact that communication isn’t all about words?
Planners are trained to strip things down, to chase simplicity and neatly bottle it. But here's the problem: this obsessive quest for verbal clarity can sanitise a brand, scraping away the interesting rough edges that make it special. Untangld co-founder, James Needham, explores.
I’ve just wrapped up a few months with clients, helping them craft their global brand and communications strategies. What hit me hard during this process is the stark limitation of words when it comes to defining a brand.
As planners, we’re trained to strip things down, to chase simplicity and neatly bottle it.
But here’s the problem: this obsessive quest for verbal clarity can sanitise a brand, scraping away the interesting rough edges that make it special.
The chief marketing officer gets their nice, tidy slide of 20 words or less – but at what cost?
Words are a crucial currency, but their value only increases when you invest in visual and narrative-inspired ways to tell your brand’s story. At Untangld, we call it strategic journalism.
Design culture is a global democracy on the march
The number of graphic designers has exploded – 10x what it was 30 years ago.
Design culture has bled into the mainstream – from Apple’s all-conquering ecosystem to Instagram’s seamless storytelling to Tesla, Peleton, Nike and beyond – we don’t just think about design – we feel it in every waking day.
What once was the domain of elite museums and high-brow publications is now gut-level instinct. “I like it” carries more weight than “I understand it”. Design is now shaping culture, and not in a quiet way.
Today, everyone’s a graphic designer, whether curating an Instagram feed, creating a Canva flyer, or crafting your personal brand through visuals. Chat GPT’s Sora raises the bar for generative AI video creativity far beyond that old world of video production and stock footage archives.
We dream in worlds, not words
So why aren’t more brands waking up to the fact that communication isn’t all about words?
It is commonly cited that at least 60% of communication is non-verbal, depending on the context. This comes from studies that suggest the majority of our communication is conveyed through body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other non-verbal cues rather than the actual words we use.
Words make clients and agencies feel safe. The non-verbal is messy. It’s ambiguous. It can’t be boiled down to bullet points in a slide.
Here’s the crux: non-verbal communication is analogic, not digital. It doesn’t fit neatly into a box, and that freaks people out. And it’s damn hard to translate the visceral, instinctive response we have to images, music, or typography into words. Ask ten people why they love a certain brand or ad, and you’ll get ten different answers. None of them encapsulate the magic of the whole.
Take the wonderfully visual world of Liquid Death – from can to communications it’s a sheer delight to engage with. And despite not selling a particularly innovative product, the business is valued at more than a billion dollars.
“Murder your thirst” is a genius line – but try putting the brand into words. You can’t. The magic lies in the gut-level reaction that transcends language.
That’s exactly why non-verbal communication is so powerful. It connects with people viscerally, instinctively, in a way words rarely do. And that’s also why it makes businesses so nervous.
Let’s get uncomfortable
So how can we, as planners, lean into this uncomfortable but powerful world of the non-verbal? Here’s some fresh perspective:
Ditch the slideware
Yes, it’s terrifying at first, but the freedom it offers is liberating. Learn how to use tools like Final Cut, iMovie, or Adobe Creative Suite. You’ll find your ideas start flowing in ways that words alone just can’t match.
Reimagine your presentations
Create briefs that feel like a book, magazine, or film. Look at what W&K London did with the Honda Book of Dreams – it’s a masterpiece of brand storytelling that goes far beyond words.
Think in prototypes, not just prose
Get creatives involved early. And I don’t just mean art directors and copywriters. Bring in designers too. They think differently, and they can help push your brand beyond the limits of language into something richer and deeper.
Invite clients into the process earlier
And in more unconventional ways. Use non-verbal stimuli to unlock fresh answers to familiar questions.
A final side note for marketers…
Sweat your DBA’s
By now we all know that distinctive brand assets are one of the most important drivers of brand salience and effectiveness. Ritson tells us every brand has three or four distinctive brand codes. Whether audio, visual or verbal – find them, invest in them and find meaningful ways to bring them to life everywhere your brand is.
So here I am, 700-odd words later, trying to explain why non-verbal matters.
Let’s be real – it probably would’ve made a much more compelling short film.
James Needham is co-founder at Untangld
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Love this and have been enjoying the help of AI in painting a picture of the world a brand wants to create. It moves conversations along so fast.
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