Archetypes for brand building

Often our clients come to us when they are looking to understand how to position their brand. There are many ways to approach this, and one of our favourites is using brand archetypes.

The theory behind brand archetypes is simple. It takes the 12 archetypes similar to those developed by Carl Jung, representing each of the different character types in literature and storytelling, and identifies which one fits best with your brand. This archetype then provides direction for how your brand should behave in its communications.

Brand archetypes work well because they are based on familiar characters that consumers can easily relate to, and provides guidelines to help marketers create a distinctive and salient brand.

Some classic examples of this are:
• The Hero (Nike)
• The Creator (Lego)
• The Explorer (Jeep)
• The Caregiver (Johnson & Johnson)
• The Jester (Virgin)

Edentify's approach to brand archetypes involves 3 stages, including a quantitative survey and a brand workshop:

1. Understanding how your brand is currently perceived. This is done through a survey specifically designed to identify how closely the brand is associated with each archetype.

2. Identifying a desired brand archetype. In a workshop, key brand stakeholders are brought together to identify which archetype they want the brand to align with. This is then compared to the survey results from stage 1 to settle on a single archetype that aligns with both consumer perceptions and business objectives.

3. Having decided on the most appropriate archetype, we work through the implications for the brand and develop strategies and tactics to bring the archetype to life.

If you are looking for a powerful approach to position and focus your brand, talk to Edentify about brand archetypes.