Beyond the Hero's Journey – Crafting Your Brand Narrative with Archetypes
Brand archetypes are universally familiar symbols, themes or characters that transcend time, place, culture, gender and age – often embodying some essential elements of a universal human experience. There are 12 fundamental archetypes, but many subgroups have similarities as well as distinguishing characteristics.
Brand archetypes can be an effective tool for building a strong brand identity. They offer a framework to connect with your audience on a deeper level, tapping into universal human desires and motivations. Let’s take a fresh look at using archetypes in branding today.
Moving Past a One-Size-Fits-All Approach
The classic 12 archetypes (think The Hero, The Sage, The Rebel) remain valuable, but often a more nuanced approach is needed.
Rigid vs Fluid Interpretation: Limiting yourself to one archetype may not adequately express your brand. Today, embracing sub-archetypes or blending two archetypes can be a better route to create a unique brand persona that reflects your authentic values.
For example, Patagonia might embody elements of both The Explorer (advocating for environmental exploration) and The Caregiver (promoting sustainability).
Move Beyond the Stereotype: Simply labeling your brand as "The Jester" won’t guarantee success. For your business and brand, understanding the core values of such an archetype (playfulness, humor) and expressing them in a way that feels genuine to your brand voice adds depth and distinctiveness.
Storytelling with Resonance
Archetypes aren't just about categorization; they're a springboard for crafting a compelling brand narrative with your audience in mind. Effective use of brand archetypes should connect audience motivations and needs with how your brand can best fulfill them.
Themes and Language: The best way to distinguish your brand with archetypes is to weave their themes and language into your brand story. The Hero's Journey, for example, is a classic framework that resonates with audiences who yearn for overcoming challenges and achieving victory.
Emotional Connection: The best brand narratives evoke emotions. When you use archetypal themes that resonate with your target audience's desires and fears, you can create a deeper connection.
Think of Nike's "Just Do It" campaign which taps into the Hero archetype's spirit of perseverance. An eco-friendly cleaning product might use The Caregiver archetype to evoke feelings of protecting loved ones and the environment.
Making Archetypes Your Own
Brand archetypes can be a cornerstone for creating your brand identity, defining a unique purpose and motivation for why you do what you do and how you go to market. Evaluating archetypes that are authentic to your brand and relevant to your audience is essential. Once you’ve identified what’s true for your business, use them as a springboard to craft a unique brand voice and narrative, rich with emotional connection and dimension. This will help you to build a brand that stands out from the crowd and resonates deeply with your target audience.
