Renovation Underwriting
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The Dog Digest | Walkies for better ideas: why stepping away helps
There are some things dogs just do better.
Greeting people with genuine enthusiasm. Napping without guilt. Finding joy in the same walk you did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that.
Sydney, in particular, has been reminding us here at Keystone of the value of a good wander.
Through the flowers, into the long grass, nose down, ears up and fully committed to the moment. No inbox. No notifications. No “just one more thing before lunch”.
Lovely work, Syd.
Of course, most of us can’t spend our working day bounding through the undergrowth, however appealing that might sound. But there is something important in the idea of stepping away.
Not as a treat when everything is finished. Not as something you have to earn. Just as a way to give your brain a bit of room.
Because we’re all guilty of sitting at our desks for too long. After a while, everything can start to feel a bit cramped: our thinking, our patience and even our perspective.
So, if an idea won’t quite land, or you’re still staring at the same email after reading it 14 times, sometimes the best thing you can do is leave it alone for a bit.
Go for a walk around the block. Spend ten minutes in the garden. Step outside. Move. Look at something that is not a screen.
And if you are eating sandwiches at your desk again, getting crumbs in the keyboard, that is probably your sign.
A change of scenery can do more than we give it credit for. It gives your mind something different to work with. It can help loosen a conversation, shift a mood or make space for the thought that would not come when you were trying to force it.
The same applies at work. Not every useful conversation has to happen in a meeting room. Not every good idea arrives because someone has booked 30 minutes in the diary and added an agenda.
Better thinking often comes when there is a bit more space around it. Better conversations happen when people feel human, not hurried. And better work comes from people who have had a chance to breathe.
There are plenty of things we can learn from dogs. They can help with your marketing too, but that is a conversation we had last time.
For now, if your brain feels stuck, take a leaf out of Sydney’s book.
You don’t have to disappear into a field of flowers, although frankly we wouldn’t blame you.
Just step away for a moment.
Your inbox will still be there when you get back.
Annoyingly.
“Just like you” A concept that subtly appeals to the ego
Prepare for an uncomfortable reality: Humans are self-obsessed.
If you feel offended, don’t be! It’s not your fault. It’s hard-wired. Not a choice or a personality flaw. Ultimately, it’s what kept your ancestors alive.
While the risk of being chased by a sabre-toothed tiger is (thankfully) fairly slim these days, old habits die hard. Our subconscious is working round the clock, scanning for threats and opportunities that help us live to see another sunrise.
This innate programming, to notice the things that appeal to our self-interest, is not a challenge. It is a really powerful marketing tool.
When something looks and feels like it was made for us, our attention locks in. It is why the first question we always ask, when creating any form of marketing or communication, is: who is your audience?
Attention is only the beginning
Capturing attention – and let’s not downplay how difficult this is – is the first challenge. The next is what you do with it. And how long do we have to do this? In many cases, probably only a matter of seconds.
Time for another uncomfortable reality: you might think you’re in charge of making rational, considered decisions. You’re not. Your brain is making over 35,000 subconscious decisions for you, every single day. Imagine how exhausting life would be without this subconscious processing, especially if you already find it hard to decide what to have for dinner each night!
A useful shortcut from attention to engagement is emotion, because emotion is part of your fast brain and your ingrained need for self-preservation.
Getting “spidery” fear signals? Be wary, stay alert.
Did something make you smile? You’re safe, you can relax.
Feeling seen? Now you’re listening.
What does this look like in practice?
A brilliant example is our recent project with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. We had a clear brief: create a prospectus for UKREiiF, the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, where investors, developers, local authorities and senior decision-makers come together to explore opportunities, build partnerships and accelerate investment.
Understanding the audience was a big focus of the discovery workshop. We needed to get beyond “investors” as a broad label and think about what this audience is really looking for.
Investors and developers don’t just want information. They look for signals. Momentum. Confidence. Credibility. Opportunity. The sense that something is happening and, importantly, that they have spotted it at the right time.
They are bold. Curious. Astute.
Just like the region.
We had a match!
Just like you
“Just like you” became the strategic and creative thread for the prospectus.
The opening proposition, “Global investment opportunities for the bold, the curious and the astute”, immediately reframed the document around the audience, not just the place. It then mirrored those qualities back to the reader: “We’re bold, just like you”, “We’re curious, just like you” and “We’re astute, just like you.”
This was not flattery for the sake of flattery. It was relevance.
“Just like you” worked because it positioned Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as a place with the same qualities the audience values in themselves: ambition, intelligence, pace, judgement and appetite for growth.
We weren’t just asking investors to look at the opportunity. We were inviting them to recognise themselves in it.
More than words
The bold approach did not end with the copy.
We wanted the design treatment to embody the same confidence. The result: striking typography, image-led storytelling, bold section openers, interleaved with tactile, transparent pages, and a more editorial rhythm. The prospectus demonstrated greater pace and more presence than any of the other regional prospectuses we’d looked at during our competitor analysis.
Ultimately, it made investors feel that Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was the kind of place they would naturally be drawn to. A place of momentum, intelligence and ambition. A place for people just like them.
The takeaway
That is the power of audience-first communication.
When people see themselves in your message, they are more likely to give it their attention. When they see their ambitions reflected back with credibility and confidence, they are more likely to believe the opportunity is worth pursuing.
Appealing to the ego might sound uncomfortable. But done well, it offers the most direct route to recognition and engagement.
Why tone of voice is every organisation’s business
When most people think about “tone of voice”, they imagine glossy brand bibles and large marketing teams. But tone isn’t just for the giants. It’s the most human part of your brand and it matters just as much when your team is only ten people strong and juggling a hundred jobs!
That’s what makes defining your tone of voice such a powerful act. It’s not a vanity project, it’s about consistency, connection and culture. Done well, it can unlock clarity and confidence across your whole organisation, build trust and, crucially, save time! That’s what we saw firsthand when we partnered with Cambridgeshire ACRE.
“At Cambridgeshire ACRE, we’re a small team with big ambitions. With 18 staff all communicating in slightly different ways, I knew we needed a consistent tone of voice. Something that could reflect our newly developed organisational values and help us speak with one voice while still sounding human and approachable.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
Helping Cambridgeshire ACRE define a voice everyone can use
Cambridgeshire ACRE is a respected charity that’s been serving rural communities for over a century. They’ve grown steadily, and with that came a familiar challenge: more people writing on behalf of the organisation, across social media, in reports, as part of funding bids and in blog posts, but without a shared language or reference point.
Our work together started with a simple need: to help everyone write in the same voice, regardless of their role. But it quickly became something bigger. We surfaced the personality that already existed – approachable, passionate, grounded – and shaped it into something practical, human and, above all, useable.
“What came back was a set of values and a tone of voice that sound exactly like us: clear, warm and rooted in what we believe in.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
The process: giving Cambridgeshire ACRE a shared language
We created a framework that:
- Defined four tonal scales, (e.g. formal vs casual, serious vs funny), each with a clear rating that reflects where Cambridgeshire ACRE naturally sits.
- Translated those tonal scales into practical do’s and don’ts, with example phrases and before-and-after rewrites to show the tone in action.
- Developed tone personas to help staff visualise how the voice should sound and feel.
- Clarified “We are…” and “We are not…” statements, giving every writer a simple, values-led reference point.
- Delivered training and tools that empowered the team to write with confidence and consistency, whoever the audience.
“Chantal and Hayley completely got it. From the first conversation, they understood what I was trying to achieve and why.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
Embedding the tone with AI: the custom prompt
When we began working with Cambs ACRE, the brief did not include AI. But as we got under the skin of their challenge, with multiple people writing from different perspectives and all needing to sound consistent, we saw a gap. Our recommendation was to create a reusable AI prompt that would act as a writing support tool, stitching their new tone of voice into everyday content creation.
Part of our work included tailoring that prompt to Cambridgeshire ACRE’s voice. It helps staff generate first drafts in ChatGPT that hit the right level of formality, warmth and credibility right from the off. No more blank pages and no more guesswork.
“After sharing the final documents with the team, it became obvious that we needed a simpler way to embed them into everyday writing. Chantal responded brilliantly, creating an AI prompt that we now use as a tool to sense-check and strengthen everything from blogs to news stories.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
The prompt was built on the tone of voice guidance we had co-created with Cambs ACRE, so that when someone uses it to draft a blog or social post, they can focus on telling the story of their project, the part they know best, with peace of mind that the wording will also hit the right tonal notes. In practice, it means even non-communications staff can produce copy that feels on-brand. It is already saving time, reducing stress and, crucially, it protects the brand personality at every touchpoint.
This was never about ticking a box. It was about thinking bigger, offering a solution they did not know existed until we raised it as their trusted partner. By proactively identifying the need, we gave the team a tool that makes their guidelines instantly usable, every single day.
“The AI prompt has been a real game-changer for us. It’s taken the pressure off staff who don’t write often, and given us confidence that our voice will come through every time.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
The impact of all that work?
A unified voice across all written outputs means communications are now clearer, warmer and more efficient to produce. Everyone, from volunteers to trustees, knows how Cambridgeshire ACRE should sound. And just as importantly, how it shouldn’t. It matters because every interaction is an opportunity to inspire confidence, build trust and foster genuine connections.
“The difference has been immediate. Staff feel more confident in their writing, knowing they have a tool that helps them communicate clearly and consistently. One colleague, who had never written for an external audience before, used the prompt to draft a blog, submitted it and was genuinely moved by the positive response.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
What happens if you don’t define your tone?
Without a clear, shared tone of voice, organisations face a number of emerging risks:
- Mixed messages: Audiences hear one thing from a newsletter and another from a policy paper. Confusion sets in.
- Reduced trust: Inconsistency creates a sense of unreliability, especially for funders and partners.
- Internal friction: Colleagues second-guess each other’s writing. Rewrites and approvals become bottlenecks.
- Lost identity: Over time, the personality of an organisation dilutes until it’s just… words.
None of these are show-stoppers in isolation. But together, they chip away at confidence, internally and externally. A clear tone doesn’t just solve this; it prevents it altogether.
Why this work matters now
Tone of voice isn’t just about sounding good. It’s about sounding like you. As organisations grow, adding team members, broadening audiences, communicating more often, it becomes harder to sound consistent. And yet that’s when consistency matters most.
For organisations like Cambridgeshire ACRE, who balance professionalism with community connection, tone becomes the thread that ties everything together. It’s not a luxury. It’s infrastructure.
Our advice to growing organisations
If you’ve never thought about your tone before, now might be the time if:
- Multiple people are writing on behalf of your organisation
- You’re working across different platforms or channels
- You’re applying for funding or building partnerships
- You want to save time and write with more confidence
- You’re integrating new people into the business
You don’t need a 50-page tone of voice document. But you do need clarity, a shared understanding and a way to put it into action.
And if you’re ready for help…
Keystone can guide you through it. We work closely with teams to surface their authentic voice, define what good looks like and embed it across everything you write. The result? Communications that feel more human, more consistent, and more you.
If that sounds like what you need, let’s chat.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend working with Chantal. She was responsive, positive and supportive throughout and the end result has made a real difference to how we communicate with the world.” – Cambridgeshire ACRE
Cambridgeshire Libraries
A three-year campaign for a vibrant and inclusive arts programme.
Merton Council
Brand identity visuals and messaging built with co-design principles at the core.
Renovation Underwriting
From a masterpiece to a masterstroke – a creative campaign twist like no other.
Katherine Hesketh
Right message, right place, right time – that’s my mantra
Chantal Palmer
I’m the one waving my hands around and getting excited!
Why earning independent accreditations matters when values are more than words
When Keystone began over 12 years ago, I set out to help ambitious businesses and community-focused organisations connect with people in meaningful ways. Engagement wasn’t just a service offered, it was – and remains – the heart of Keystone’s mission.
But I’ve always believed that meaningful engagement shouldn’t stop with our clients. It should run through everything you do as a business, shaping how you work with everyone – be it colleagues, partners, stakeholders and communities. Because engagement is about people.
As Keystone has grown, it has changed from ‘I’ to ‘we’, and with that brings responsibility. We want our values to be seen in action and not just be words on a page.
That brings us to recognition and its importance. Clients want their work recognised with their audiences, our team want to be recognised for what they deliver, and now we feel that Keystone should be recognised for our practices too. Over recent months, we’ve worked towards a series of accreditations that don’t just validate what we say but instead demonstrate – through independent assessment – that we’re putting our values into practice. And that’s something we’re proud to share.
So, as we continue to engage, grow, be responsible and gain recognition, we’re proud to have secured three accreditations that we feel fit perfectly with our mission, vision and values. We have taken a pledge with The Ethical Move, become accredited to the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage Employer, and are now Disability Confident Committed.
The Ethical Move: we market with integrity
Forget the smoke and mirrors – for us, marketing is fuel. Strategy-led, people-first, and designed to spark real change. But that isn’t us. To stay true to that philosophy, we have pledged with The Ethical Move, stating we:
- Put people before the sale
- Communicate inclusively, truthfully and clearly
- Take responsibility for our part in changing the marketplace
For our clients, that means no confusion, no hidden small print, and a conscious effort to make marketing more transparent and responsible. It reassures clients and their audiences that they are reached with respect, honesty and inclusivity. For us, we want to play our part in shaping our industry in the most positive light, and one we are proud to be part of.
The Living Wage Foundation: we offer fair pay for all
Good business starts with fair pay, whether that’s for our colleagues or our clients, and for this we are delighted to be recognised by the Living Wage Foundation as a Living Wage employer.
The impact of paying the Living Wage is clear: 94% of accredited businesses reported benefits, with 87% saying it improves their reputation, and nearly two-thirds finding it helps attract and retain talent. Workers feel the difference too, with three-quarters of employees saying they’d switch to an employer paying the real Living Wage.
For us, this is about more than numbers. It’s about supporting our people so they thrive – because when they do, Keystone does, and so do our clients.
Disability Confident Committed: We are committed to creating opportunities
Over 18,000 UK employers are Disability Confident, creating thousands of opportunities for disabled people to thrive, and we have taken our first steps to ensure that nobody should be prevented from working with us because of a disability.
As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we’ve pledged to make recruitment inclusive and accessible, provide reasonable adjustments where needed, and support colleagues who develop long-term conditions. This is because it’s the fair and responsible thing to do.
We’ve also committed to create real opportunities through work experience, apprenticeships, internships and more. Like anything we work on, it’s about opening doors (to creativity, methods, communications) but in this case, it’s ensuring talent isn’t missed because of unnecessary barriers.
And as for our clients, they know that they are working with an inclusive partner who respects everyone, no matter the circumstances.
Why it matters
Accreditations aren’t just a vanity project – badges for our website or things to shout about in on social media or in reports. They are meaningful standards for us to live by and a public statement of intent of how we conduct ourselves. Our accreditations provide the social proof that we are embedding ethics, fairness and inclusivity into how we work every day. And we will continue this as we grow.
Ready to spark something brilliant, together? As we look ahead, we’re looking to partner with organisations who share our belief in purposeful, people-first engagement. If that feels like you, let’s start a conversation.