Introducing Brand Archetypes

What is it that makes us connect with some brands more than others?

It's almost as though we're drawn to them without even knowing why.

Why are some brands more attractive, engendering loyalty and influencing our purchasing behaviour?

The answer is rooted in the concept of Brand Archetypes.

I consider myself an expert in Brand Archetypes.

As a seasoned marketer, I've been using Brand Archetypes for strategy and planning for almost 20 years.

I've used archetype methodology numerous times now for different businesses, and this technique always delivers focus, clarity and direction needed by the whole company.

I've written this article to introduce you to Brand Archetypes, explain how they're useful and how you can use them to your advantage to create lasting connections with your target audience.

Arche-what?

The concept of archetypes is not new. In fact, they are rooted in Greek Mythology and by the 20th century, a psychologist called Carl Jung was using them in his work. Jung described archetypes as 'universal collective patterns of the unconscious'. Regardless of culture, or language, he believed everyone shares and understands archetypes because they are an undercurrent of all humanity.

Carl Jung was an expert in archetypes — Carl Gustav Jung - 20th Century Psychologist

Because they are based on well understood characters, we can always connect to archetypal stories.

That's why we seemingly never tire of them, no matter how many times they are repackaged or retold. They speak to something deep within us.

For examples of archetypes, look no further than the latest blockbuster or bestseller. From movies, to mythology, to religion and stories, the personalities and characters they contain surround us all our lives. Hero, caregiver, girl next door - seem familiar?

How is this relevant to brand strategy?

How people connect to your brand and what meaning they assign to it, is due to its personality. Just like a person, your company's brand has a unique personality and this can have a huge impact on whether people want to do business with you.

Put simply, brand personalities are essentially brand archetypes.

There are 12 master archetypes that sit within 4 human motivations, as shown in the infographic below:

And each archetype matches instinctive and primitive human desires, as you can see below:

Hero = Mastery

Magician = Power

Outlaw = Liberation

Explorer = Freedom

Sage = Understanding

Innocent = Safety

Lover = Intimacy

Jester = Enjoyment

Everyman = Belonging

Caregiver = Service

Ruler = Control

Creator = Innovation

As we are all different, our desires are different. My powerful desire might be Safety, while yours might be Control or Belonging.

When we consider that certain behaviours or personalities increase certain desires, we can understand why some personalities appeal to us more than others.

That's why brandarchetypes are useful for more than just labelling. They are also a great way for companies to 'manage meaning' in a more structured way.

Almost all brands that you feel emotionally connected to are built with a solid alignment to an archetype.

Examples of brands with strong brand archetypes

Coca Cola = Inncoent

Rolex = Ruler

Harvard University = Sage

Virgin = Outlaw

Chanel = Lover

Apple = Creator

Disney = Magician

The North Face = Explorer

Nike = Hero

Fairy = Caregiver

Ikea = Everyman

Tango = Jester

Just like relationships between people, if your brand isn't clear about what it stands for, no one is going to be able to properly connect with you. It's critical you understand your brand properly in order to create a powerful relationship with your customers.

Why Archetypes Matter

There are two important things to consider about aligning your brand with an archetype:

The power of emotion: Most businesses get lost competing on features, benefits and price. If you want to become more than a simple commodity, you need to make a deeper connection.

The importance of being unique: When it comes to standing out in a crowd, a unique personality gives you endless opportunities to be individual and leave a lasting impression.

Archetypes provide meaning to help people connect with your brand. When a brand is dominant in a particular archetype, it resonates with that part of our psyche.

To be effective, the message your brand conveys must be authentic. You cannot just decide one day to add a certain meaning to your brand. You must actually embody that meaning.

Brand archetype theory shouldn't be viewed as a formulaic 'instant identity' to solve all your branding problems. Instead, it provides structure and acts as a sounding board to help you determine how you can best convey the meaning of your brand to those you are trying to connect with.

More than fifteen years ago a Young & Rubicam study of over 13,000 brands and 120,000 consumers confirmed that the more profitable brands were also the ones that aligned closely with a single archetype, rather than those who had 'confusing' brand archetypes or identified closely with multiple archetypes.

Your company's brand may have a secondary archetype, but how closely it lines up with your primary archetype will impact how your brand is perceived, align with too many archetypes and you run the risk of having a brand afflicted with multiple personality disorder.

But how do brand archetypes really work in practice?

You'll need to do research both internally and externally with customers to determine what your brand archetype is. Then it's essential to find a way to tell your archetypal brand story in an authentic, congruent way.

Once you know whether you're a 'hero', 'sage' or 'magician' brand, or something else, you can use shorthand linked to that archetype to manage all of your activity.

For instance, you may want to re-write the copy on your website through the lens of your archetype, thinking carefully about the language that you use to evoke the right emotions. You may encourage your sales team to use certain words or phrases that embody that archetype.

You'll also find that you have fewer subjective conversations about what is and isn't 'on brand'. Instead of making decisions based on opinion only, you can ask the question - would this be something a hero brand would or should say and do?

A CFO wouldn't make numbers up as they go along they use a well established system.. Similarly, a CMO or the marketing team are in charge of a significant financial asset - your brand - therefore a system to manage this is critical. Marketers can use the theory of archetypes as a sat nav to keep them on track.

When new marketing teams comes on board or new agencies are appointed, there's always the temptation to keep 're-inventing' the brand. But it's important to be cautious or you run the risk of diluting or destroying your biggest asset - your existing brand essence.

For further reading, see 'The Hero & The Outlaw' By Margaret Mark and Carol S Pearson.

Brand Archetypes - A Marketer's Secret Weapon