What are brand archetypes?
A brand archetype is the personification of your brand in order to respond to the emotions of your target audience. In other words; a brand archetype makes your brand human. It is a powerful branding tool to position your brand and differentiate your brand personality from your competitors. Actually brand archetypes are based on the 12 personality archetypes devised by Carl Jung.
Where do brand archetypes come from?
Archetypes have been around since 1919 and were created by psychologist Carl Jung. He himself used the archetypes to shape certain experiences, ideas and observations. In his book "Psychology and Religion" he described archetypes as follows: "forms and images of a collective nature occurring practically worldwide as parts of myths and at the same time as individual products of subconscious intercourse". They are behavior patterns that we all understand and, above all, recognize.
Marketers have long understood the utility of these archetypes. But in 2001 Mark and Pearson came up with the book 'the hero and the outlow'. And so the 12 brand archetypes were officially recorded for the first time.
Why are brand archetypes important?
Your brand archetype is the building block to position yourself and differentiate yourself from your competitors. It makes it possible to personify your brand in order to respond to the emotions of your target group. A brand archetype makes your brand human and gives it a unique personality. It is the start of a strong brand that is recognizable and forms the basis for consistent communication.
What is the use of brand archetypes
Your brand archetype has a major influence on your branding, which in turn will have a major impact on you:
- Logo
- Tone of voice
- Internal and external communication
- Website
- The branding of your images
What are the 12 brand archetypes?
The innocent
The Innocent is all about wonder, fun and happiness. They see life through children's glasses and are slightly naive.
Example brand: Zwitsal
The sage
The sage is the smartest of them all and wants to share his knowledge with the outside world in order to make others smarter as well. They are driven by desire for truth and knowledge.
Example brand: Discovery Channel
The explorer
For the explorer, it's all about adventure, freedom and discovery. The explorer has wanderlust and is constantly looking for new challenges.
Make: Range Rover
The magician
The magician has a clear goal: to amaze people. Make their dreams come true and make their problems disappear. That's what drives the magician.
Example brand: Disney
The hero
The hero reflects strength, courage and perseverance. They want to inspire and encourage others to achieve their goals.
Example brand: Nike
The lover
Passion, love and excitement. Making you think back to beautiful moments and stimulating you to see beauty in everything, that's what the lover is all about.
Example brand: Dior
The prankster
The prankster of the family. The prankster motivates you to enjoy the little things and to see the beautiful side of everything. He illuminates difficult situations with a touch of humour.
Example brand: Ben & Jerry's
The common man
Helping and motivating others to do their best. The common man is a real good guy. Solving problems together is what drives him.
Example brands: Ikea
The ruler
A high sense of responsibility and a need for security, that is the ruler. They show others how smart they are and motivates them to opt for quality.
Example brand: Mercedes
The caretaker
You are never alone. That is the message the caregiver wants to convey. They are merciful, nurturing and above all protective.
Example brand: Nivea
The rebel
Rules are there to be broken. That's the rebel's motto. They challenge you to think differently and to walk off the path.
Example brand: Harley Davidson
The creator
Turning new ideas into reality and motivating others to think differently. That is the creator's purpose. They always look for situations where they can challenge themselves and you.
Example brand: Apple
How do you determine your brand archetype?
To capture your brand archetype, you need to think about the identity of your brand in advance.
- Who are you?
- Why do you do what you do?
- How do you want to come across to the outside world?
Because your brand archetype is the basis of your branding, we love leading brand identity workshops where we dig deep into your brand archetype so we catch your essence right from the start.
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Curious which brand archetype best suits your brand? Let's have a look at it together. Book a call here and discover what we can do for each other.