Brand Voice All-Star: Warby Parker

Warby Parker has been making waves since it splashed on the scene in 2010 with a refreshing business model: bring glasses design in-house and sell directly to consumers, and in doing so, slash costs. Add a philanthropic program that pays for a pair of glasses for non-profit VisionSpring for each pair of Warby Parker frames, and you’ve got a home-run. It’s met the market with resounding success: With critical acclaim from fashion experts and designers (GQ called Warby Parker the “Netflix of eyewear”), tons of investment funds and popularity with consumers, everything appears to be full steam ahead. As you can see in the video above, Warby Parker also enjoys a strong brand identity and tone of voice.

A vintage feel pervades everything Warby Parker produces. Its very name is a nod to literary characters from the oeuvre of Jack Keroac, the frames it sells mimic rounded frames of the 1960s to the thick, square style of the 1970s, and even how Warby Parker talks about itself has a vintage flair. This philosophy of Warby Parker’s glasses extends to its brand tone of voice, a voice which we find delicious: that of restrained irreverence.

Photo credit: WarbyParker.com/Culture

Warby Parker’s tone is clear and straightforward, with a twist. This allows for easy consumption and the consumer reaction marketers would kill for: delight.

Photo credit: WarbyParker.com/History

This tone of voice nails the holy trifecta: it informs, intrigues and delights its audiences. Well done, Warby Parker. We’re excited to see what you come up with in the future, old chap.