Archetypal Characters Build B2B Marketing Content Trust
Archetypal characters are the subject of the book The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson. Find out why the book provides an excellent template for establishing your B2B brand identity.
At one of the B2B brands where I worked, I remember a meeting in which our top salesman assured us that, “We have a great story to tell.” It seemed like an odd thing to say at the time, because I was less aware of the role of B2B storytelling in those days than I am now.
Over the years, I’ve learned that storytelling is central to human culture. People have used everything from ancient tales to today’s Netflix series to make sense of the world and our place in it.
In my working life, I’ve also come to realize how essential storytelling is to positioning B2B brands. Knowing how to craft engrossing stories is vital for engaging and persuading potential clients.
Next Three Editions Focus on Storytelling
That’s why the next three editions of B2B Billboard will focus on storytelling. Stories are a blend of characters and plot lines. This edition will focus on the character development aspect of crafting effective narratives.
According to pioneer psychoanalyst Carl Jung, characters are the result of archetypes. As Jung famously wrote, “The myths and fairy tales of world literature contain definite motifs that crop up everywhere.”
One place I’d been noticing these motifs was in content aimed at marketers. A standard set of twelve archetypes seemed to be making the rounds in articles, webinars and everywhere else marketers talked about storytelling.
The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson
Marketing writers would attribute them to Jung, but I could never track down the specific source. I finally completed my quest when I discovered those archetypes originated in a book called The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson.
The authors explain Jung’s concept of archetypes and its role in both psychology and storytelling. Then, they introduce the 12 brand archetypes I’d been stumbling across in the literature.
Mark and Pearson have synthesized the archetypal characters brands use to generate compelling and resonant brand stories. Although they’re usually not fully aware of this archetypal system, marketers’ compliance with it is striking.
Archetypal Characters Brands Use to Generate Stories
The archetypes the authors identify include:
These character types appeal to universal human experiences and feelings, according to Mark and Pearson. As marketers, we can use them to create powerful connections with our target audience.
Archetypes Define Brand’s Character and Values
Marketers can apply these archetypes to define their brand’s character and values. You can then draw on your selected character type to design messaging, graphics and related branding elements.
The challenge in all this is to select your archetype accurately. This involves understanding your internal culture but, more importantly, how customers perceive your brand.
To accomplish this, Mark and Pearson call for you to consider your brand’s essence, substance, competition and target customers. Discovering the essence of a brand involves asking questions like who created the brand and why.
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Business You’re In and the Needs Your Brand Fulfils
Determining the brand’s substance involves understanding the business you’re in, and the commercial needs your brand fulfils for your clients. In analyzing the competition, your goal is to determine what it is about your brand’s essence and substance that differentiates you from the pack.
Finally, you need to understand how customers have related to your brand through the years. More importantly, you need to have a firm grasp of how potential customers view your brand today.
Too often, B2B marketers take the view that emotional connections and engaging stories only work in the consumer world. That’s one reason why studies consistently show that B2B marketing content is ineffective.
Trust Plays Vital Role in B2B Buying Process
The truth is that businesses only exist on paper, and they don’t make decisions. People make decisions on behalf of organizations, and trust plays a vital role in the B2B buying process.
In fact, since B2B sales cycles are longer and more complex, establishing enduring relationships with your target audience is essential in the B2B marketing space. Positioning your brand as an archetypal character is a powerful technique for establishing buyer confidence.
Of course, some of these archetypes are more relevant than others to the B2B setting. You’re unlikely to choose to position your brand as the lover or the jester when marketing to another company.
Narratives Outlining Expertise, Leadership and Competitive Advantage
However, positioning yourself as the wise sage who can advise senior executives, the skillful magician inventing new tools, or the caregiver with the services organizations need lets you build rapport. You can then incorporate narratives outlining your brand’s expertise, thought leadership and competitive advantages.
I do have one concern about Mark and Pearson’s use of archetypes. Jung himself explained that “archetypes are determined as regards to their content, but only in regards to their form and then only to a limited degree.”?
In other words, Jung’s original concept of archetypes is less specific and more complex than the 12 stereotypes on the authors’ list. Critics have suggested that these character types don’t accommodate the nuances and individual qualities we encounter when doing business in the real world.
Template for Establishing a Brand Identity
Even so, The Hero and the Outlaw is an excellent template for establishing a brand identity that lends itself to today’s B2B content marketing. In an era where potential clients typically absorb ten content items about your brand before engaging your sales force, writing effective stories has become essential.
The Hero and the Outlaw is certainly on my bookshelf. If it’s not on yours, I’d suggest it should be.
Next Edition: The Seven Basic Plots
Our next edition will consider another book offering a storytelling template. The Seven Basic Plots by Christopher Booker explains how to marry characters like these to one of the seven archetypal plot lines Booker has identified.
Applying Jung’s concept of the archetype to both characters and story lines ensures the stories marketers share are familiar and relevant. This generates trust on the part of potential customers, ensuring your brand’s success.
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