07 — Captivating Audiences: The Archetypal Route to a Beloved Brand
How do you create a brand that people love? It’s a big question, but there are some tried and true methods that have been around for as long as storytelling itself.
Stories have identifiable characters, like the hero and the villain. In the same way, brands have characters and archetypes that we instinctively recognize. By finding the brand archetype that fits your brand, you can evoke familiar narratives and emotional responses.
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Understanding Brand Archetypes
You can think of brand archetypes as characters that embody human traits, desires, and personalities. When your audience recognizes your archetype, they feel a connection with your brand’s energetic foundation. As a business owner, your archetype helps shape your communication, identity design, and brand experience.
Disney is a perfect example as an embodiment of the Magician archetype. Bringing dreams to life and creating the impossible is a part of every interaction that audiences take, from the Magic Kingdom to the logo with a fairytale castle as a backdrop.
the Twelve Archetypes
There are twelve brand archetypes, each representing a personality type that possesses unique characteristics, associations, and narratives. By studying their traits, you can assess which archetype aligns with your business.
1. The Innocent
Represents purity, simplicity, and sincerity. Innocent brands evoke a sense of nostalgia, wholesomeness, and childlike wonder. They aim to be a safe and comforting space.
2. The Explorer
Embodies freedom, adventure, and self-discovery. Explorer brands encourage their customers to break free from routine, seek new experiences, and embrace their independence.
3. The Sage
Represents wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge. Sage brands position themselves as authorities, offering guidance, expertise, and insights.
4. The Hero
Symbolizes courage, strength, and resilience. Hero brands aim to empower and inspire customers to overcome challenges, and are often associated with values like bravery, determination, and perseverance.
5. The Outlaw
Represents rebellion, individuality, and nonconformity. Outlaw brands encourage their customers to embrace their unique identities and often have a counterculture appeal, promoting values like freedom and self-expression.
6. The Magician
Represents transformation, innovation, and creativity. Magician brands offer the promise of extraordinary experiences and often evoke a sense of wonder and mystique.
7. The Regular Guy/Girl
Represents authenticity, honesty, and simplicity. Regular Guy/Girl brands connect with their customers in a relatable, down-to-earth way. They position themselves as trustworthy, unpretentious, and focused on meeting the practical needs of their audience.
8. The Lover
Represents passion, intimacy, and sensuality. Lover brands aim to evoke desire, indulgence, and pleasure. They often associate themselves with luxury, beauty, and romantic experiences.
9. The Jester
Represents humor, playfulness, and spontaneity. Jester brands aim to bring joy, laughter, and lightheartedness to their customers' lives. They often use wit, sarcasm, and irreverence to create a fun and entertaining brand experience.
10. The Caregiver
Represents compassion, empathy, and nurturing. Caregiver brands offer comfort, support, and a sense of security. They position themselves as trustworthy, reliable, and focused on meeting the emotional needs of their audience.
11. The Creator
Represents imagination, innovation, and artistic expression. Creator brands aim to inspire their customers through their creativity, originality, and attention to design and aesthetics. They often associate themselves with values such as self-expression, individuality, and artistic vision.
12. The Ruler
Represents power, authority, and control. Ruler brands position themselves as leader, offering their customers a sense of prestige, exclusivity, and status. They often associate themselves with success and achievement.
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Discovering Your Archetype
Reflect on these prompts below. This introspective exercise will help you find your archetype.
What is your brand purpose?
If your purpose is to empower and uplift, your archetype might be the Hero or the Rebel. If you’re not sure what your purpose is, visit this post on finding brand purpose.What are your brand's core values?
If your core values center on care and nurturing, you might align with the Caregiver archetype. Or, if you value wisdom and guidance, the Sage archetype could be a good fit. If you haven’t put your values to paper, you can learn how to find them in this blog post.What are your brand’s unique characteristics or selling points?
If you bring disruptive ideas and new technology to the table, your brand might fall into the Explorer or Creator archetype. If you haven’t found the quality that makes you unique, you can learn more about unique selling points in our blog post.Who is your target audience?
To answer this question, we recommend creating an ideal client avatar. If your target audience seeks adventure and self-discovery, the Explorer archetype might resonate, or if they value luxury and indulgence, the Lover archetype might suit you best.What emotions do you want my brand to evoke in your target audience?
If you evoke feelings of trust, stability, and reliability, the Caregiver or Sage archetype might align well with your brand.
Choosing a Secondary Archetype
You might be wondering if you have to choose just one archetype. The answer is no — you can have a primary archetype as well as a secondary one.
A secondary archetype is useful when you can’t fit your brand personality into one archetype. For example, your primary archetype could be the Sage (associated with wisdom and guidance), but you may also want to incorporate elements of the Jester (fun and playfulness) to make your brand more relatable.
As you grow, you might naturally find that your brand no longer fits into one archetype. A disruptive start-up with a Rebel archetype could adopt the Creator as a secondary archetype as it matures and focuses more on innovation and artistry.
Your Archetype in Action
Consistency reinforces your brand identity. Here are a few ways you can put your brand archetype into action:
1. Choose keywords
Develop a brand voice and a collection of keywords that align with your archetype's personality and values. The Explorer archetype could use words like adventure, journey, and discover to evoke a sense of curiosity.
2. Develop YOUR BRAND IDENTITY
Use your brand identity to visually represent your archetype. The Caregiver archetype brand could use soft, warm colors like peach and sage green with nurturing imagery to create a soothing, compassionate feel.
3. Message Consistently
If you embody the Magician archetype, your brand messaging could focus on themes of transformation, unleashing potential, and working ‘magic.’
4. Craft Your Brand Story
Every brand has a story, and your archetype should be a part of the narrative. A Creator archetype might share the story of its founder's artistic journey and creative process behind their services.
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By tapping into universal human traits and narratives, you can establish immediate recognition and evoke emotional connection.
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