Brand Archetypes: Discover Which of the 12 is Yours and Why it Matters
Have you ever heard of a brand archetype or wondered why it matters for your business?
Gary Vaynerchuk says, "The brands that connect with clients in a real way will win." He's right.
Now more than ever, you need to differentiate yourself from your competition, so your target audience sees and feels you are for them.
But how do you as a brand do that? By understanding who you are as a brand.
Determine your core values, personality, strengths, and weaknesses. The best way to do this is to understand your brand archetype. When you know who you are as a brand, you'll be able to make your brand human to your ideal audience. Your brand archetype (or personality) will help the people you want to connect with, resonate and build relationships find you.
In This Article You'll Discover:
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What does a Brand Archetype Mean
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What do the 12 Brand Archetypes Represent
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Why is a Brand Archetype Important
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Discover the 12 Brand Archetypes
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Seven Strong Reasons Why Discovering Your Brand Archetypes Matter
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How to Tap Into Your Brand Archetypes
Let's get started!
Let's Answer A Few Questions About Brand Archetypes
What does a Brand Archetype mean?
A brand archetype is a personification of your brand as a character based on 12 critical human desires and values, such as safety, power, and belonging. In constructing your brand archetype, you want to build a brand narrative and connect with your target audience.
What do the 12 Brand Archetypes represent?
The original concept that inspired the archetype term was found in ancient Greek. Carl Jung, a noted psychologist, believed they were models of people, behaviors, or personalities. He discovered twelve archetypal motives that mirror typical human feelings. Jung identified twelve archetypal, icon-based features that reflect human emotions.
Often used in branding and marketing agencies, the 12 brand archetypes help businesses be easily understood. They are used to be easily understood by customers and companies looking to define their audience.
Why is a brand archetype important?
Brand archetypes help you determine the human character traits that most accurately reflect your brand personality—creating a deeper connection with your audience and customers based on powerful emotional connections.
Discover the 12 Brand Archetypes
Many have asked, "what are the 12 brand Archetypes?" Below is a list of all of the Brand Archetypes, what motivates them, and a peak into their personality.
Brand archetypes fall into four main sections that drive human motivation along two axes. Many people desire to be liked, while others want to be individuals and go their own way, just as many have a deep need for security and safety, while others want to master their own lives and take risks.
Each archetypes us divided into what motivates them.
Legacy Brand Archetypes
Motivated by Achievement/Mastery
Outlaw
The Outlaw Brand Personality is a unique, creative, and risk-taking individual who is always looking for the next challenge. They are daring, adventurous, and have a magnetic personality that draws people in.
Magician
The Magician Archetype makes dreams come true by using knowledge of how the world works. Magician brands are transformative. It's pretty standard for them to display traits that have a spiritual or psychological element. They want to expand our collective consciousness.
Hero
The idea of ambition, strength, and persistence is associated with the hero archetype. The Hero acts to redeem society by overcoming incredible odds in service to completing extraordinary acts of strength, courage, and goodness.
Connection Brand Archetypes
Motivated by Belonging
Lover
Everyone wants to be wanted. These romantics are no different -- they crave affection, closeness, and pleasure from the people they love. Lovers are always looking for ways to make others feel special and to meet their needs.
Jester
The Jester is all about having fun and living life in the moment. They not only love having fun themselves, they see it as their duty to be a ray of sunshine in everyone's life around them.
Everyman
The Everyman Archetype simply wants to belong. They tend to blend into society as 'everybody" and don't like to stand out in the crowd. They’re friendly and easy to talk to without being overly funny, rude, or loud.
Structure Brand Archetypes
Motivated by Stability & Control
Creator
The Creator desires to create something new and exceptional that wasn't previously there and has enduring value. They must express themselves with their talent and strive to bring their vision to life through that expression.
Ruler
The Ruler is an archetype that is all about survival. They desire control above all else and will only trust themselves for that power. They are authoritative in their communication and in their action, and carry a sense of intimidation.
Caregiver
The core of the Caregiver is to shield people from danger. They enjoy doing what's necessary to assist others. A business that takes care of people and strives to supply excellent customer service exemplifies the Caregiver archetype.
Spirituality Brand Archetypes
Motivated by Independence & Learning
Explorer
The Explorer is motivated by a powerful craving for new experiences. Greatly valuing autonomy, the Explorer has a core desire to be free of the establishment, but not necessarily to challenge it. The Explorer is known to push boundaries and delight in unexpected discoveries, embracing a "no limit" philosophy.
Sage
The Sage is a seeker of truth, knowledge, and wisdom. Their drive comes from the desire to understand the world and share that understanding with others. They are lifelong learners and enjoy expressing their knowledge.
The Innocent
The Innocent is pure, virtuous, and faultless. Free from the responsibility of having done anything hurtful or wrong. The eternal optimist, this archetype's glass is always half full.
Seven Strong Reasons Why Discovering Your Brand Archetype Matters
When you understand the power of brand archetypes and how they can aid in building a strong brand and marketing foundation, you'll want to incorporate them into your strategy.
- The number one reason is clarity. When you Understand yourself then you will resonate with your customers better.
- You’ll have words, voice, tone and a personality to create powerful and effective marketing that resonates directly with your target audience.
- Because your ideal clients feel they know, like and trust you, you’ll have more sales and earn the loyalty of your customers.
- Because of your brand, your business will be able to establish long-term relationships.
- Understanding your brand will help you make clear decisions that will drive your business forward with confidence.
- A strong brand presence improves your business and helps to develop a competitive edge.
- Ultimately understanding your brand archetype will guide you to differentiate you from your competitors and take your business to the next level.
How To Tap Into Your Brand Archetype
First, stop wasting time going in different marketing directions. You will confuse your audience. As Meridith Elliott Powell says, "the confused mind never buys."
Consider which of these archetypes is most appropriate for your business.
Ask Yourself:
- What examples of brands do you most identify with?
- Which archetype best represents your brands values, vision and mission?
Take our FREE Brand Archetype quiz to discover your top brand archetype personality.
In less than 10 minutes you will reveal your top brand archetype. These though provoking questions and the answer will help you understand your brand personality so you can connect to your target audience who want to work with you.
"Even the process of going through the quiz was revealing for us."
-Matt. D
If you're a Sage who enjoys learning, read the book The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson.
In Conclusion
Successful marketing is all about connecting with your target audience. Before potential customers connect to your brand, they have to feel you are right for them. For this to happen, you have to define your brand personality.
By knowing which archetype your brand falls into, you can define your brand strengths and values and make your brand feel relatable. Feel free to share this post and book an explore call if you are ready to develop your business's brand archetype, so you connect to your ideal customers.
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