In social media, marketers attempt to influence consumers by using directive language, that is, expressions designed to get consumers to take action. While the literature has shown that directive messages in advertising have mixed results for recipients, we know little about the effects of directive brand language on consumers who see brands interacting with other consumers in social media conversations. On the basis of a field study and three online experiments, this study shows that directive language in brand conversation has a detrimental downstream effect on engagement of consumers who observe such exchanges. Specifically, in line with Goffman's facework theory, because a brand that encourages consumers to react could be perceived as face-threatening, consumers who see a brand interacting with others in a directive way may feel vicarious embarrassment and engage less (compared with a conversation without directive language). In addition, we find that when the conversation is nonproduct-centered (vs. product-centered), consumers expect more freedom, as in mundane conversations, even for others; therefore, directive language has a stronger negative effect. However, in this context, the strength of the brand relationship mitigates this effect. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on directive language and brand-consumer interactions by highlighting the importance of context in interactive communication, with direct relevance for social media and brand management.

Using NLG, computer vision and AI for branding enables your business to establish, maintain and continuously improve your brand communication and identity over the long term. There are certain taglines you never forget--I'm Lovin' It, Vorsprung Durch Technik, Think Different, The Best A Man Can Get. Each of these has been engineered specifically to play in your head like the irresistible hook of a chart-topping tune. Taglines are key components of an organization's identity--which is essentially how their audience views them as a brand. Your organization's identity is heavily shaped by the choice, tone and timing of the words used in your interactions with your audience.

Phrasee, the world leader in AI-Powered Copywriting technology, released the findings of a survey targeting enterprise marketers. The research, powered by Dynata – the world's largest first-party data and insights platform – exposes the increasing importance of brand language, while highlighting difficulties in being able to generate high-quality content and an increased focus on artificial intelligence (AI) to alleviate these challenges. The survey polled more than 300 senior marketers at large organizations in industries including ecommerce / retail, travel and hospitality, restaurants, communications / telecom utilities, banking / finance, and insurance. Marketers feel brand language has never been more important. Overall, marketers struggle to achieve a high level of copywriting quality.