Have you ever thought of your brand’s personality? It is certain that your customers have unique personalities that influence their buying decisions and reviews of your products, but what kind of a personality does your brand have?
The concept of brand archetype dates back to the era of Carl Jung and his work on the human psyche. He had identified 12 archetypes, each with a distinct set of traits, values, and behaviors. Learning about your customer’s spending habits and buying preferences is not enough. Unless you know what kind of personality your brand has, it will be impossible for you to approach your target audience correctly. Learning more about your brand’s archetype will help you leverage your unique selling propositions (USPs) during marketing.
The archetype of a brand defines its relationship with the market and customers. Here are some common archetypes that can help you understand your position in the market and improve your relationship with your target groups.
The Hero
Brands like Nike, Duracell, and BMW belong to the Hero archetype. They have a dominant personality that exhibits courage, strength, confidence, inspiration, and honor. Although these brands often risk presenting themselves as reclusive and arrogant, their ulterior motive is helping the world. They try to make a positive impact by addressing persistent problems and urging others to do the same.
The Outlaw
The Outlaw is the maverick that breaks laws and fights authority. Harley Davidson is the flag bearer of all Outlaw brand archetypes. They are iconoclasts, wild and rebellious. They are pioneers in every way, and they are certainly not conformists. Their bad boy charm attracts the common man to their products, since every law-abiding citizen nurtures an outlaw deep inside. These brands appeal to the rebel (without a cause) within each responsible, tax-paying adult.
The Regular Joe (Everyman)
The brand next door. This personality type exhibits solid virtues, faith, reliability, support, and a sense of belonging. On the other hand, it can eliminate a distinctive identity. Sever successful brands with the regular guy/gal image exist including Target, Home Depot, and eBay. They help the common people connect by creating a real, grounded image. They brave the risk of blending in and losing their identity in the process, but their down-to-earth attitude helps secure customer loyalty.
The Innocent
We have all come across a brand with this image at least once. Although they risk becoming too predictable and boring, the innocent archetype pivots on honesty, reliance, nostalgia, goodwill, trust, and simplicity to remain at the forefront. Brands like Coca-Cola, Dove, and Ben&Jerry’s are the most successful Innocent archetypes in the wild today.
The Explorer
A brand that exudes restlessness, ambition, curiosity, independence, and leadership qualities is an Explorer. Jeep, Red Bull, and Indiana Jones are few of the best-known Explorer archetype brands, since they have always been risk-taking, exciting, and true to their individualistic self.
The Creator
This archetype looks forward to uphold meaning and true value. These brands uphold their imaginative, inventive, and artistic personalities. They might be the marketing visionaries like Crayola and Lego. Their nonconformist nature helps them set up enduring value to their brand.
The Ruler
The Ruler always creates order from chaos. The Ruler is a market leader who has authority and control. They are responsible, authoritative, and organized like Barclays, Microsoft, and Mercedes-Benz. Their marketing efforts help in creating stability and security.
The Lover
These brands know everything there is to know about passion and intimacy. They foster romance, warmth, commitment, and compassion. Brands like Marie Claire and Godiva are the leaders of this niche. Although they risk becoming too selfless or sensual, they encourage customer appreciation and connection like no other. In a world where true relationships are rare, these brands promise to understand and care like none other.
The Sage
The motto of the Sage archetype is to help people to understand the world and provide wisdom. Brands like PBS, Phillips, and BBC are the perfect Sage personalities since they exude intelligence, wisdom, thoughtfulness, and actionable advice. Whenever a person is in need of some relevant information, they can turn to these brands for help. They have become synonymous with help and advice for the more than a decade. Although they risk becoming too opinionated at times, they can make up for that by providing timely practical knowledge.
The Magician
The Magician has the power to make all dreams come true. They are charismatic, imaginative, idealistic, and visionary. Apple and Disney are the true magicians of the marketing world. They have helped millions realize their dreams through their products and services. They have inspired change and expanded consciousness for decades now. They inspire their customers to dream and give them more than one way to realize those dreams too.
The Jester
As the name suggests, these brands know how to woo the customers with a generous dose of humor. These brands have a great sense of humor and mischief. Although in several instances these brands have come across to the target audience as disrespectful and frivolous, they provide enough reason for people to love them and connect with them. IKEA and Motley Fool are the most popular Jester archetypes of the day.
The Caregiver
Campbell’s Soup, Heinz, and Johnson & Johnson are names that glow bright when we mention the Caregiver archetype. These brands have the traits of being selfless, maternal, caring, compassionate, and generous. These are a few names that come to our mind when we think of the flu, stomach upsets, or challenging physical situations that demand a comforting touch.
You may be skeptic about the archetypes, since these come from the early work of Jung back in the 20th century. However, since the personalities of the customers have remained confined to these twelve archetypes, it is easy to see why these brand archetypes are relevant even today. The world has evolved from horse-drawn carriages to V8 engines, but the basic psychology of buying-and-selling has remained the same over the last few centuries. These brand personalities can provide you with the key to understanding the way your target customers perceive your business right now.
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