You may not realize it, but you may be a practicing voice over artist yourself at home or in the workplace.

How? Recent research has discovered that 40% of people have admitted to using a ‘special phone voice’ because it makes them sound smarter.

They especially adopt a more ‘commercial voice over’ tone when discussing their finances over the phone, and when they have to talk to people in a professional capacity such as suppliers, contractors and even their bosses.

Want to learn more about how professional voice over talent can help you communicate effectively with your audience? Read our blog, 4 good reasons to source from a professional voice over agency.

The study was conducted by insurance firm Privilege, who have also discovered that almost half of the respondents who used a ‘different voice’ on the phone were women. Just over a third of men admitted to doing the same.

It’s a fun survey, but dig a little deeper and the research could have wider implications for the commercial voice over you decide to use in-house at your business, as part of your marketing materials and more.

The psychological aspects of adopting a voice over

Why do people do this? First impressions count. One school of thought is that it’s a class issue, and that the people who change their voice on the phone do so out of fear of being judged.

Security is another issue according to Psychotherapist Dr Becky Spelman who says of the report’s statistics: “Many of us still make snap judgements about people on the basis of factors such as accent, social class, and race.

Many of these judgements are not made on a conscious level at all, but result from a lifetime of exposure to the small and major biases that we encounter in our daily lives.

The survey also seems to suggest that some people adopt a new phone voice to lose their regional accent with 60% of Glasgow natives doing so compared against 45% of people in Brighton, Belfast and other regions.

All of a sudden, the survey takes on another tone. First impressions are still hugely important to people. If people really feel it is necessary to neutralize their natural voice to feel comfortable in certain situations, then it could have certain emotional ramifications for the tone of voice your company decides to use in marketing materials.

Reaching out to your market with the right voice over artist

Using a neutral, commercial voice over campaign with a strong male or female voice actor could be a crucial way to advertise yourself, attract new markets and make the right first impression with your audience. There is data out there, though, that suggests that regional accents can be endearing in a marketing campaign to certain markets.

So how do you know which voice is the right one to use? What kind of voice over will best engage naturally with your target market in commercial situations? Research is crucial. Taking the time to engage with your audience and find out their likes and dislikes is important before commissioning a campaign. Alternatively, work with a voice over agency who are specialist in these kinds of decisions.

Working with an agency with access to over 1,500 multilingual, creative, passionate and energetic voice talents gives marketers the chance to work with people who know how to produce high-quality commercial voice campaigns. They know what kind of voice will make your audience feel comfortable and connect with your brand on an emotional level. First impressions count, don’t forget…

Voice Talent Online is also able to localize creative voice campaigns for new international markets as well as provide perfect isolated recording spaces for our artists to complement our excellent post-production work. Contact us today to find out more.

Want to learn more about how professional voice over talent can help you communicate effectively with your audience? Read our blog, 4 good reasons to source from a professional voice over agency.