In this week’s article, we are discussing how to infuse your brand with soul with Brand Archetypes. You know when you buy something that makes you feel good? The feeling of finding the right pair of shoes or the perfect craft beer or the right pair of glasses can make all the difference in your day. Beyond the product itself, you enjoy the experience, and connect with the brand. We have a transactional relationship with most brands: they give us something in exchange for our money. For some brands, we feel connection, loyalty and love.

The most loved brands connect with their audience on a deeper level than other brands, and those with an authentic brand purpose often capture hearts. Almost all brands that you feel a bond with are built in alignment to an archetype.

 

So What Exactly Is an Archetype?

Archetypes have their roots in Greek Mythology. They have been theorized by Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Archetypes are universal stories that resonate at a deep level with people across cultures. They’re based on our shared human experience and help us understand ourselves and each other better. Brand Archetypes are the building blocks of all brands. They represent a series of human characteristics that are linked to specific emotions and values that we relate to. These archetypes can be applied as a lens when developing your brand’s personality, messaging and positioning.  Brand Archetypes are a powerful way to communicate more effectively with your audience.

According to Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of our purchasing decisions are made in the subconscious mind. This means that brands with a strong archetypal personality that connects on an emotional level with their audience, have an important  advantage over their competition.1

In today’s world where consumers are bombarded by thousands of messages every day, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. This is why brands should adopt an archetype or brand personality that resonates with their target audience and helps them build relationships with customers over time.

But what if you don’t know what kind of brand archetype you want? Or how can you use this knowledge to make better business decisions?

The gist

Your brand archetype is a critical part of your brand’s DNA. It will help you design your messaging, positioning and voice in a way that matches with what you plan to offer to your customers. Archetypes provide a great way for brands to connect meaningfully with their customers.

 

How Do We Do That?

There are 12 archetypes. Each one is based on basic human desires. By carefully crafting your brand’s personality through the brand archetypes framework, you can infuse your brand with soul and connect with your audience on a subconscious level. Here are the 12 different archetypes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As an example, let’s take a look at the “Outlaw” archetype:

This archetype represents freedom from oppression or restriction. It is about breaking out of old patterns and habits and doing things differently. These brands are often about revolution or rebellion against the mainstream way of doing things; they challenge convention and seek out new ways of seeing things so they can create a better world for themselves and others.

The gist

If you’re looking to build your brand, it’s essential that you understand the type of brand personality you want to cultivate. In the end, a brand’s personality is what makes it memorable. By understanding the 12 archetypes of personality and customizing your marketing messages in order to align with one of these archetypes, marketers can position their brands as relatable and trustworthy.

The Brand Archetype Framework

The Brand Archetype framework is not just about selecting characteristics. It’s about creating a unique brand personality that resonates with your audience in a way that creates emotional connection and makes them feel something, whether it be joy, excitement, pride or belonging. In order to achieve that, you have to actually craft your brand around an archetype with a clear personality, through visual brand identity, messaging and a unique brand voice.

You don’t want to be like every other company that competes based on the features they offer. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed that the most popular brands and the market leaders never compete with one another in terms of price or quality. Due to the emphasis placed on the story being told, some commercials may not even feature the advertised product until the very end. They do this because they understand that the majority of consumer decisions are motivated by emotions, and that the best way to evoke these feelings is through stories that create strong and lasting bonds with the consumer.

The gist

Your brand archetype can be a great tool to help you in your marketing efforts. Now that you’ve identified the core characteristics of your brand, you may have a better idea of the type of messaging that appeals to you, and how your audience may respond. It’s up to you now to put these ideas into action!

If you would like to learn more about the importance of brand archetypes, check out our Market It! Podcast below. We also recommend you check out the book called “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes.” In this book, the authors state that; “Archetypes are the heartbeat of a brand because they convey a meaning that makes customers relate to a product as if it actually were alive in some way, they have a relationship with it and care about it.”

 

To see how we crafted a brand personality, using the archetypes framework, check out this case study. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by and reading our blog! If you want to continue learning about how to build an authentic brand and learn more about how to market your business, check out Market It! the podcast that inspires and guides authentic entrepreneurs to build the soulful brand of their dreams and lead a purpose-driven business.

 

 

 

At AHBC Group, we are passionate about helping entrepreneurs launch and grow a brand that is authentic to them, their purpose, and their audience. We enjoy working with entrepreneurs who have a strong purpose, a clear vision and who are animated by ethical, eco-conscious, and inclusive values, who like to challenge the status quo, and are not afraid to build a truly unique brand. If that sounds like you and you would like to discuss your project with us, apply here!

 

References

1 Houraghan, Stephen. “Brand Archetypes: The Definitive Guide [36 Examples].” Iconic Fox, Iconic Fox Brand Agency, 28 Oct. 2021, https://iconicfox.com.au/brand-archetypes/. Accessed 8 Aug. 2022.