Guidelines
PERSONALITY
We offer customers a sense of assurance and give them the information they need to act decisively and with confidence. To convey that, we use short sentences, succinct points, clear calls to action and meaningful data points.
We help market participants manage the risks associated with producing and trading real things like food, fuel, steel and more. To convey our commitment to our customers’ real-world success, we make complex and abstract topics simple for end-users to understand, and, in writing, we focus on how our actions support our customers’ best interests.
Our tone is as friendly as it is rational, and as optimistic as it is realistic. We know all kinds of market participants come to us, and we want them all to succeed on their terms. To convey our warmth and empathy, we write the way real people speak, avoid technical jargon wherever possible, and structure our materials so that they’re easy to scan and responsive to the way users want and need to take in information.
Our role is to facilitate every part of the trading process; we don’t take sides or serve an advisory role. To convey that in writing, we focus on providing clear and actionable information rather than opinions or points of view.
The CME Group writing style guide follows Associated Press recommendations, with some changes for web copy to aid readability. This guide should be referenced when composing written content to ensure consistency across all materials. The CME Group writing style guide is available below.
The CME Group brand can be expressed through a number of different communication channels, allowing for flexibility that must also be balanced with brand consistency. As CME Group employees, it is our responsibility to ensure that every touchpoint is an accurate representation of our brand, and that the proper communication channel is being used based on the message and intended target. The best practices below are meant to help guide you through creating CME Group communications, ensuring that what we create is goal-oriented, purposeful and on brand.
Start by asking yourself what your reason is for creating a specific touchpoint or piece of communication:
What is your goal? What do you want to communicate? Who do you want to reach? What are the intended targets?
When creating message-driven communications, we need to be clear, focused, on strategy and on brand.
Capture your message clearly and concisely. Remember, simpler is generally better. List the distinctive points of difference or reasons to believe your message. Think about what type of content might help you share your message and your story.
What marketing channel will be most effective for reaching your target audience and delivering your message?
Consider length of content – some channels require brevity, while others can handle longer narratives. Make sure your choice of channel, desired destination and desired action align with your audience and support your goals.
What assets can I utilize to help support my message?
Depending on your audience and message, consider type-only solutions. Choose imagery that supports the story you're telling. Think about whether a single image or a grid of images will be more successful and/or impactful. Consider iconography to help communicate content that is visually abstract. Create a video or incorporate motion to make your communication more engaging.
Consistency drives recognition and familiarity. Your audience likely doesn't see the CME Group brand as often as you do, so keeping things as consistent as possible will best ensure they recognize our brand and become more familiar with it. This familiarity drives brand preference and satisfaction, boosting brand preference for CME Group and growing our businesses.