The Storytellers’ Secret Weapon

Being able to understand the archetype of your brand, and that of your competitors, is a powerful tool in a marketers shed! It can be used to produce content, review branding, or understand competitor dynamics.

You may have heard a reference to archetypes being thrown around in different presentations, discussions or from Contemporary Consumer Behaviour back in semester 1. What a Hero. Typical Jester! That’s out of character! But what is it all about? What are archetypes, and how can marketers use them to better position the brand and communicate to their audience with a consistent approach?

What is an Archetype?

To the story teller or writer, consider Robin Hood as the outlaw, or Bart Simpson as the rebel. An archetype is basically a personality or type of character for the brand.

Archetypes stem from the work of psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. They were applied to marketing in The Hero and the Outlaw, a book by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson. In this book, they translate Jung’s work into 12 archetypes that are at work in branding.

Officially, an Archetype is outlined in the image below…

The 12 Archetypes

There are 12 Brand Archetypes mapped in the matrix below, which were identified by Mark and Pearson, operate in one of four quadrants.

• Discovery/Knowledge: The Innocent, The Explorer, The Sage
• Vision/Structure: The Creator, The Ruler, The Hero
• Belonging/Care: The Lover, The Regular Guy, The Nurturer
• Change/Risk: The Outlaw, The Magician, The Jester.

Let’s take a look at them in detail.

The Innocent

Goal: To be happy

Traits: Strives to be good, is pure, young, optimistic, simple, moral, romantic, loyal

Drawback: Could be naïve or boring

Marketing niche: Companies with strong values, seen as trustworthy, reliable and honest, associated with morality, good virtues, simplicity, can be nostalgic

Example: Dove soap, Coca-Cola, Cottonelle bathroom tissue

The Explorer

Goal: Finds fulfilment through discovery and new experiences

Traits: Restless, adventurous, ambitious, individualistic, independent, pioneering

Drawback: Might not fit into the mainstream

Marketing niche: Exciting, risk-taking, authentic

Example: Indiana Jones, Jeep, Red Bull

The Sage

Goal: To help the world gain wisdom and insight

Traits: Knowledgeable, trusted source of information, wisdom and intelligence, thoughtful, analytical, mentor, guru, advisor

Drawback: Could be overly contemplative or too opinionated

Marketing niche: Help people to better understand the world, provide practical information and analysis

Example: BBC, PBS, Google, Philips

The Creator

Goal: Create something with meaning and enduring value

Traits: Creative, imaginative, artistic, inventive, entrepreneur, non-conformist

Drawback: Could be perfectionistic or impractical

Marketing niche: Visionary, help customers express or create, and foster their imagination

Example: Lego, Crayola

The Ruler

Goal: Control, create order from chaos

Traits: Leader, responsible, organized, role model, administrator

Drawback: Could lack a common connection, or be too authoritative or controlling

Marketing niche: Help people become more organized, restore order, create more stability and security in a chaotic world

Example: Microsoft, Barclays, Mercedes-Benz

The Hero

Goal: Help to improve the world

Traits: Courageous, bold, honourable, strong, confident, inspirational

Drawback: Could be arrogant or aloof

Marketing niche: Make a positive mark on the world, solve major problems or enable/inspire others to do so

Example: Nike, BMW, Duracell

The Lover

Goal: Create intimacy, inspire love

Traits: Passionate, sensual, intimate, romantic, warm, committed, idealistic

Drawback: Could be too selfless or not grounded enough

Marketing niche: Help people feel appreciated, belong, connect, enjoy intimacy, build relationships

Example: Victoria’s Secret, Godiva Chocolate, Marie Claire

The Regular Guy

Goal: To belong, or connect with others

Traits: Down to earth, supportive, faithful, folksy, person next door, connects with others

Drawback: Could lack a distinctive identity and blend in too much

Marketing niche: Common touch, solid virtues, gives a sense of belonging

Example: Home Depot, eBay

The Nurturer

Goal: To care for and protect others

Traits: Caring, maternal, nurturing, selfless, generous, compassionate

Drawback: Being taken advantage of, taken for granted, or exploited

Marketing niche: Help people care for themselves, serve the public through health care, education or aid programs

Example: Mother Theresa, Campbell’s Soup, Johnson & Johnson, Heinz

The Outlaw

Goal: Break the rules and fight authority

Traits: Rebellious, iconoclastic, wild, paving the way for change

Drawback: Could take it too far and be seen in a negative way

Marketing niche: Agent of change, advocate for the disenfranchised, allow people to vent or break with conventions

Example: Harley-Davidson, Virgin (Richard Branson)

The Magician

Goal: Make dreams come true, create something special

Traits: Visionary, charismatic, imaginative, idealistic, spiritual

Drawback: Could take risks that lead to bad outcomes

Marketing niche: Help people transform their world, inspire change, expand consciousness

Example: Disney, Wizard of Oz, Apple

The Jester

Goal: To bring joy to the world

Traits: Fun, sense of humour, light-hearted, mischievous, irreverent

Drawback: Could be seen as frivolous or disrespectful

Marketing niche: Help people have a good time or enjoy what they are doing, allow people to be more impulsive and spontaneous

Example: Motley Fool, Ben & Jerry’s, IKEA

How can Archetypes be used?

A brand archetype should be integrated into all aspects of marketing, and communicated consistently to customers.

Content creation

The way your brand speaks, writes and communicates should align with your archetype. If you are a

If Darth Vader were to make a joke about light-sabres, it would be out of character. This inconsistent approach would undermine his position. The same is true for brands.

Image/branding

Your logo, colours, font and imagery should also consistently communicate your archetype. Darth Vader wearing pink shoes? Yeah…you get the point! How your image comes across can re-affirm your position, or initiate a PR nightmare!

Competitor analysis

What does your category look like? The not-for-profit sector could be seen as an innocent category, but brands operating within that can align differently. Understanding the dynamic within your competitor set can uncover an opportunity, or allow you to exploit a weakness in their archetype.

So as you can see, brand archetypes can be a powerful marketing tool. Brands with a strong, clearly communicated personality are more likely to resonate longer with consumers. Understanding the position of your brand and competitors can produce more effective content and inform branding. 

Further reading

To learn more about building brands, take a look at The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes, by Mark & Pearson (2001). Slideshare looks at archetype groups more in detail in an Archetype Overview From The Hero And The Outlaw.

The research of Faber and Mayer (2009) is the basis for an analysis measuring participant attitudes toward popular brands by matching them with archetypal descriptions and explores possible correlation between product category and archetype. And for a cross-cultural analysis about Points of View & Brand Personality, go no further than Millward Brown.

Mike Joyce

Brand Strategist and Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School