Archetypes - Power for Brands

In this 21-lockdown scenario (most probably it will extend further) – I had challenge myself that I will become 21 days hero and I will utilise this time for encashing on enhancing my existing knowledge on marketing. With this quest I completed a very interesting course on Brand Archetypes on one of the leading online education platforms and target to complete another 3 courses in Branding & Marketing.

Brand Archetypes

Archetypes aren't new! They're not the latest marketing hack either. They’re based on scientific research spanning thousands of years in 350 B.C. The Greek philosopher Plato was working on the idea that as people we all have this innate understanding of each other of our characteristics and our behaviors.

Back then he wasn't referring to them as archetypes but forms of intuition which he said were templates of intuitive understanding. Then in the nineteen hundred a psychiatrist by the name of Callejon who went to university with Sigmund Freud and became very good friends with him took the ideas of forms of intuition a little bit further. He came up with the idea that we all have a collective unconscious that channelled our experiences and emotions resulting in typical patterns of behaviour. To put it in another way we're all born with the same instincts an innate understanding of behavioural patterns which we recognize when we see the end of 2001 a book called the hero and the outlaw by Margaret (must read book for all marketers)

Archetypes are the heartbeat of a brand because they convey a meaning that makes customers relate to a product as if it were actually alive and some kind of way that they have a relationship with it and they care about it. Makes the Brand more Human.

And that's exactly what we're trying to achieve with our personality. We want our audience to feel something for our brand as if it were alive in some kind of way. We want to build that relationship and we want them to care about archetypes also have a long history in storytelling on film.

We see the same characters pop up in our favourite books and our favourite movies. Time and again Yoda as the sage in Star Wars Indiana Jones as the Explorer Maximus as the hero in the gladiator, Maverick as the outlaw, professor Charles as magician and marlon Brando as the ruler in the Godfather for years storytellers and filmmakers have understood the power of using archetypes in order to get their audience to feel something for their characters to have a connection to their character is so that they're drawn into the story.

Archetypes were born from human desires. So, this is how brand archetypes looks like:

Now given that we all have different desires we're all attracted to different characteristics and therefore we're attracted to different archetypes certain characteristics attract certain desires while specific groups of characteristics make up specific personalities different personalities therefore attract different types of people.

It's even better knowing that most of our buying decisions are made in our subconscious and It really brings into focus the importance of each experience that we have with the brand. when we experience a brand, we subconsciously store that experience which in the end helps us to make those buying decisions that really is powerful. When you think about it each time your brand creates a positive experience with your audience their brain stores accredit in their subconscious.If you rack up enough credit - Your brain will be in the mix when it comes to that subconscious buying decision. So as you build your brand and your personality you need to consider each and every touchpoint big or small as an opportunity to bank a credit by creating some kind of positive experience and the best way to do that is through a personality that’s been specifically designed to align to who your audience is.

A common question around brand archetypes is in relation to who the archetype is.Is it the brand or is it the customer? The answer is both archetypes make up the foundation of all personalities. Therefore, it's both your brand and your customer.You need to identify the archetype that matches your audience and develop the right archetype to appeal to them. When you identify the desire, your audience has that you want to appeal to often your archetype selection will be straightforward.

But that's not always the case. Your audience may have a desire for power which is best evoked by the ruler archetype but that doesn't mean that you'll automatically choose the ruler archetype as your core personality. You need to know the role that your brand is going to play in the life of your audience though your audience might have a desire for power and are attracted to the characteristics of the ruler.

If your brand is looking to provide them with information or education that will help them on the road to the power that they desire, then they'll more likely be drawn to the same personality that demonstrates wisdom and knowledge and is more likely to get them to that future vision of themselves rather than the rule or personality that demonstrates this power and authority.

Like for like just as important as understanding who your audience is and the desires that they have is understanding the role that you'll play in their lives and what they look for from that role.

archetypes are crucial in establishing a congruency between your company, your message, and the consumer. Establishing an archetype for your business early on will help engender consistency in how you develop your business image, which in turn will help galvanise a sense of trust, consistency and, ultimately, reliability in your brand.

The relationships with brands and consumers are the same with people. For example: In an organisation if you’re among same set of mediocre thinker who enjoys being in same set of environment same set of routine and same set of mindset than you want to be around the same personality all thru across. But when it comes time to move or to advance in your position then you might look towards a leader not those mediocre set of people. So you might look towards a ruler to lead the way.

So it's the exact same with humans and humans as it is with humans and brands.

#stayinspired