mpm-brand-voice-plugin/skills/brand-voice-enforcement/SKILL.md

name, description

name

description

brand-voice-enforcement

This skill applies MPM brand guidelines to content creation. Use when asked to "write an email", "draft a proposal", "create a pitch deck", "write a LinkedIn post", "draft a presentation", "write a Slack message", "draft sales content", or any content creation request where MPM's brand voice should be applied. Also triggers on "on-brand", "brand voice", "enforce voice", "apply brand guidelines", "brand-aligned content", "write in our voice", "use our brand tone", "make this sound like MPM", "rewrite this in our tone", or "this doesn't sound on-brand". Not for generating guidelines from scratch (use guideline-generation).

MPM Brand Voice Enforcement

Apply Message Point Media's brand voice to all content creation. Load brand settings, apply voice constants and tone flexes, generate content, and validate the output.

Loading Brand Settings

Find MPM's brand settings using this sequence. Stop as soon as you find them:

1. Plugin settings (always available — REQUIRED first step)

   Read settings/brand-voice.local.md from the plugin directory.

   ⚠️ CRITICAL — READ METHOD: The Read tool cannot access .remote-plugins paths and will fail silently, returning nothing. You must use bash with a cat command to read this file.

   Use the exact bash path — translate the plugin directory location to its bash mount path. For example, if the plugin is at: /Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions/…/rpm/plugin_01HEVtHYefvdyxRVARpJsdRj/settings/brand-voice.local.md

   …run it as:

   cat "/sessions/<session-id>/mnt/.remote-plugins/plugin_01HEVtHYefvdyxRVARpJsdRj/settings/brand-voice.local.md"
   

   If you cannot read the file: STOP. Do not proceed with content generation. Tell the user: "I cannot access the brand voice settings file. Please verify the plugin is installed and the session has access to .remote-plugins."

   Never silently fall back to generic colors, fonts, or a generic voice. A failed read must surface as an explicit error — not invisible substitution.

   This file contains the full MPM brand voice: messaging pillars, tone guidance, logo system, typography, color palette, and product terminology. It is the authoritative source.

2. Working folder override — Check for .claude/brand-voice.local.md inside the user's working folder. If found, this project-specific version takes precedence. Merge any project-specific overrides with the plugin settings.

3. Session context — Check if updated guidelines were generated earlier in this session via guideline-generation. If so, use those as the freshest source.

Also check for .claude/brand-voice-guidelines.md in the working folder — this may contain additional detail from prior guideline generation runs.

Logo Usage

When producing any document, presentation, proposal, or visual content, always include the appropriate MPM logo. Logo files are stored in the MPM Logos folder on Google Drive:

Google Drive — MPM Logos (authoritative): drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xpO_sh0dQvWiMQbdmbhRZARuev4RpZiL

• 01 New Logos > PNG — Use for documents, presentations, web
• 01 New Logos > SVG — Use for print and large-format

Logo Selection Rules

Background	Logo to Use	File
White or light backgrounds	Standard Dark (DEFAULT)	Logo Standard-Dark.png
Dark, charcoal, or dark-gold backgrounds	Gold + White text	Logo-Gold-White.png
Cover pages, title blocks with dark header bar	Gold + White text	Logo-Gold-White.png
Single-color black print	Black text only	Logo-Black-Text.png
Dark background, icon only needed	White Cutout	Logo-White-Cutout.png

Transit-Specific Content (proposals, specs, sell sheets)

For Community Transit or any transit agency deliverable, use the TransitPoint sub-brand lockup:

• Light background: MPM-Transitpoint-Dark.png
• Dark background: MPM-Transitpoint-Light.png

These are available in the same MPM Logos folder under the TransitPoint subfolder.

Placement in Documents

• DOCX / Word: Top of title/cover page. Header of formal proposals (right-aligned or left-aligned per template).
• PPTX / Slides: Top-right or top-left of title slide. Bottom-right of content slides as a watermark/identifier.
• PDFs: Cover page and header/footer.
• Emails / HTML: Above the signature block or in the email header.

When Logo Files Are Not Accessible

If the Google Drive logos folder is not accessible in the current session:

1. Explicitly tell the user: "I was unable to fetch the logo files from Google Drive. Please insert the appropriate logo manually — for a light-background document, use Logo Standard-Dark.png from the MPM Logos folder."
2. Reserve a clearly labeled placeholder in the document: [INSERT MPM LOGO HERE — Logo Standard-Dark.png]
3. Do not omit the logo silently or substitute a text-only reference without noting it.

MPM Brand Identity Quick Reference

Before generating content, internalize these MPM-specific constants from the settings file:

Voice: Expert Partner — knowledgeable without being condescending. We know transit technology deeply; we help agencies succeed, not just sell them hardware.

Taglines in use:

• Primary: "Compelling… Affordable… Dynamic… Messaging… It's What We Do!"
• Aspirational: "Born to Innovate. Built to Last." (brand-forward and thought leadership contexts)

Visual Identity — Non-Negotiable (apply to all documents and presentations):

Typography:

• Headings / titles: Montserrat (Bold for H1, SemiBold for H2/H3)
• Body text: Open Sans (Regular, 11pt / 22 half-points in DOCX)
• Do not substitute Arial, Calibri, or any system default font

Color palette (hex values — use exactly):

Role	Name	Hex
Heading text, document titles	Dark Gold	#998643
Accent lines, dividers, borders	Middle Gold	#DCBB4F
Body text	Dark Shade	#232022
Page/section backgrounds (light)	Light Shade	#F5F1EC
Subtle / secondary elements	Light Accent	#849698
Table headers (background)	Dark Shade	#232022
Table header text	Light Shade	#F5F1EC
Alternating table rows	Warm Off-White	#FAF7F2
Light gold (on dark backgrounds)	Light Gold	#F5CD15

⚠️ Do not use generic blues (#1A4F8A or similar), Calibri, or Arial in any MPM-branded output. These are the single most common brand voice failures. If you catch yourself using a blue accent or a system font, stop and correct before delivering the output.

We Are / We Are Not (from settings):

• Knowledgeable Partner, NOT Vendor
• Innovative, NOT Hype-Driven
• Approachable Expert, NOT Jargon-Heavy
• Mission-Aligned, NOT Purely Commercial
• Proven and Reliable, NOT Cutting-Edge-for-Its-Own-Sake

Critical terminology rules:

• Always say "native" integrations, never "wrapper" or "middleware"
• "MP.TV CMS" not "the CMS" or "OnSign" (in customer-facing materials)
• "Subscription-based support" not "support contract"
• Conference motorsports language (pit stop, race, velocity, etc.) is MPower 2025 theme ONLY — do not use in standard brand materials

Refer to settings file for full messaging pillars, audience personas, product terminology, and tone matrix.

Enforcement Workflow

1. Analyze the Content Request

Before writing, identify:

• Content type: email, presentation, proposal, social post, RFP response, etc.
• Target audience: which MPM persona applies (Transit Agency Leader, IT Director, Procurement, etc.)
• Key messages needed: which of MPM's 11 messaging pillars are most relevant
• Specific requirements: length, format, formality, any stated overrides

2. Apply Voice Constants

MPM's voice stays constant across all content:

• Apply "We Are / We Are Not" attributes from settings
• Use MPM-approved terminology; avoid prohibited terms
• Incorporate the relevant messaging pillars naturally (not as a checklist)
• Reference brand color names and product names exactly as specified

Refer to references/voice-constant-tone-flexes.md for the voice constant / tone flex model.

3. Flex Tone for Context

Use MPM's tone-by-context matrix from the settings file:

• Formality: proposal/RFP = high; email = medium; social = medium-low
• Energy: cold outreach = high; customer success = warm; technical docs = measured
• Technical depth: IT/operations audience = high; executive = low; general = medium

4. Generate Content

Create content that:

• Opens with a value claim or compelling question — not "I wanted to reach out"
• Uses MPM's data points and proof language (subscription-first, device-agnostic, transit-specialized)
• Mirrors the real-world examples in the brand settings
• For transit content: leads with rider experience and agency outcomes before technology
• For partner/vendor content: emphasizes the "boutique alternative" positioning

For long-form or complex content (proposals, white papers, full decks), use multiple passes: outline first, then fill section by section, validating voice at each step.

5. Validate and Explain

After generating:

• Note which voice attributes and messaging pillars were applied
• Flag any terminology the user should verify (product names, version numbers)
• Offer to adjust tone, length, or emphasis
• If the request conflicts with brand guidelines, explain the conflict and offer options

Handling MPM-Specific Conflicts

Conference language creep: If the user asks for "race-themed" or "pit stop" language outside an MPower conference context, gently note this is event-specific and offer the standard brand equivalent.

Technical depth vs. audience: If unsure of the audience's technical level, default to medium depth with a note — it's easier to add detail than strip jargon after the fact.

Tagline use: "Born to Innovate. Built to Last." is aspirational/thought leadership only — do not use in standard sales collateral or cold outreach.

Reference Files

• references/voice-constant-tone-flexes.md — The voice constant / tone flex mental model, "We Are / We Are Not" structure, and tone matrix
• references/before-after-examples.md — Before/after examples per content type showing enforcement in practice
• references/mpm-brand-resources.md — MPM-specific brand document locations, logo file index, color values, and Google Drive links