The ‘sound’ of a brand is as important as how it looks, as the importance of regional accents is brought into spotlight.

56 per cent of Brits will listen to a special offer or promotion if they like sound of the voice delivering the message, with the Queen’s English and Scottish accents being the most popular accents. The Cheryl Cole factor means that Geordie was voted the third most favoured accent according to the poll of consumers by Nuance Communications.

Liverpool and Birmingham faired poorly in the research, with scouse and brumie brogues deemed to be the least effective for upselling purposes.

Ian Turner, northern European general manager at Nuance Communications, says it is human nature to react differently to different voice types. “Some of the world’s biggest companies invest millions of pounds each year ensuring that the way their brands ‘look’ and ‘feel’ reflect the values and beliefs of the brand. Yet very few organisations actually think about how their brand ‘speaks’, despite the fact that the vast majority of customer service communication and advertising is based on listening.”