By Isabella, Head of Strategy
The Creator, the Sage, the Explorer, the Caregiver: these are just some of the names you'll encounter if you decide to jump on the brand archetype train. You might wonder how they'll benefit you. I understand your question. Frankly, I was initially skeptical about their usefulness, too. I wanted to offer our clients an easy-to-grasp tool that would really help them in their branding journey.
When I delved into these archetypes, I discovered you can also use them in a very practical way — as archetypes 2.0. It's not too complicated, and it’s very concrete.
And yes, I know: at first glance, Carl Jung's 12 archetypes seem pretty challenging. Doesn't each have its own personality description? How on earth can you distill your archetype?
I'll be straight up with you: you won't answer that question in a snap. That's why we join forces with each client to unearth their brand's personality. What's your way of talking? How do you come across? What sets you apart from others? How do you really want people to see you? If we can find the right answers to all these questions, you can define your positioning in the landscape.
To get clarity on your unique positioning, we start by examining several competitors during our strategy sessions. By jointly determining the archetypes of your competitors, we'll discover how other companies in your industry are making their voices heard. This gives you a clear picture of the landscape in which you operate, which helps you distinguish yourself by claiming a different position.
Short recap: Why are brand archetypes part of the strategy process we complete with clients? And how do we use them?
If you ask me, branding is about showing your colors — literally, in this case. According to Jung, you can break down the archetypes in the three primary colors. If you want to stand out as a brand, you have to pick one. Yes, you read that correctly: one! If, for example, you can't decide between the Creator and the Explorer, you lack direction. That means you're not positioning yourself. (Wondering what the selection process is like? Scroll down for a practical example!)
We believe that's indispensable when it comes to branding. The more clearly you position yourself and the louder you make your voice heard, the stronger you'll convey your brand. By linking a brand archetype to your brand's personality, you'll make your brand tangible. So it's really all about your personality, which might be completely different than you'd think at first glance (if it'd be purely based on your products).
If, for example, you sell knowledge products, that doesn't necessarily mean the Sage is your archetype! Depending on the heart of your brand, the Explorer might suit you well — perhaps because you're Lonely Planet's publisher. And if your company produces and sells oat milk cartons, don't be pigeonholed into assuming you're the Caregiver. Who knows? You might just be the Rebel! Oatly is the perfect example of that.
Oat milk is probably the last thing you'd associate with rebellion. Right? That is, until eight or nine years ago...
Oatly's oat milk is not only better for the environment, but also for people and animals. The brand makes a case for that on packaging, buildings, and billboards alike.
The Everyman, the Innocent, the Caregiver — those are archetypes that would naturally fit the product. But they don't match Oatly's brand essence. As a niche player whose media budget was just 2% of that of major competitors, Oatly had to find a way to get its message across.
Oatly's specific mission and vision are reflected in everything the brand does — which is always a tad rebellious. The brand turns against the status quo, opting for a unique positioning. To strip oat milk from the ecological ‘tree hugger’ landscape, it needed some rebellion! As a brand, Oatly rose to a new level because of this rebellious personality: it went from just another oat milk carton on the (then) small organic grocery store shelf to an absolute trendsetter. With rebellious statements such as “Wow. No cow!” and “It's like milk, but made for humans,” Oatly caused disruption and angry voices in the milk industry (rebellion at its finest!). The rebellious character is also reflected in its campaigns, which helped the brand gain a prominent spot on the shelves and in coffeehouses in a short time.
Other oat milk brands have noticed Oatly's success and want to ride on its success by aligning their design with Oatly's rebellious look. But if it doesn't clearly fit your brand essence and positioning, it'll miss the mark. No matter how great you look, you'll pale in comparison to the amazing brand you admire and try to imitate. Ultimately, you shouldn't just look like your archetype; you should act like it and implement it 360º. Otherwise, consumers will see right through it and only consider you a wannabe.
“Who are you? And what doesn't represent you at all?” These questions are at the heart of our strategy sessions. Brand archetypes are fantastic tools for pinpointing your answers to them. For each archetype has specific characteristics and traits that may reflect your unique personality. Together we'll assess whether these fit you and your target audience. It's an essential step, as we want to translate this into your brand identity, your tone of voice, and all your communications.
Usually, we discuss archetypes after we've completed several sessions. Storytelling allows us to fathom who you are. At this point, we've already identified your strengths, dreams, and goals. We have a clear picture of the horizon you're sailing toward, the sails you need to get there, and the roadblocks that hold you back.
That's the right time for us to jointly choose your brand archetype. As we always hold strategy sessions with a group of stakeholders, I see very interesting conversations develop when this topic is brought up. There's usually some overlap: people tend to believe more than one archetype fits their brand.
What if you can't reach a consensus? What if there are two ‘teams’ and each is rooting for a different archetype? That's quite the predicament. How to solve it?
We recently had to deal with this exact issue during a strategy session! ‘Team Old-School’ consisted of the brand's founders. One archetype stood out to them: the Sage. ‘Team Newfangled,’ though, said they were wide of the mark. This group wanted to cross boundaries and discover new things with customers. So according to them, there was only one logical choice: the Explorer.
When the introverts and extroverts are so diametrically opposed, we make sure everyone talks to each other. Here are some questions we ask: How do you envision the future? What do you want the market to know you for?
So, it turns into a strategic issue. Sometimes it requires additional research, including interviews with current customers to paint a picture of your image.
In these cases, it's essential that you clarify the ‘you’ of the past, present, and future — or, who you used to be, who you are, and who you want to be. Perhaps you started out as the Sage but have now turned into the Explorer. You may also find that you've always been a Creator — without ever having realized it. What matters is that you pick one archetype which accurately reflects the goal you're moving toward. Next, you fully incorporate it into your identity as well as all the decisions you make within the organization.
You've compared the different archetypes, discussed them with each other, and picked one archetype. You're all set! But are you...?
Well, partly. Because this is the start of a new challenge. How to we breathe life into all this unique input and into the strategy? This is when our creative team translates a strategic vision into a visual concept. In doing so, we determine how this concept — your brand's umbrella — can be translated into the identity that makes the brand stand out and fits your strategy and fanbase.
For it's great to know which archetype fits your brand, but it's only useful if you actually put it to work. Did you hang a colorful sheet with a description of the Sage on your office wall and do you glance at it from time to time? Cool, but that's not how you create fans of your brand! Your audience should recognize your voice and personality in all your communications. Or, in a 360° brand experience.
An archetype is a tool, but it remains very generic until you use that tool. The archetypes can be divided into 12 categories, so chances are you've picked the same archetype as, say, Ikea. Does that mean you're the same brand? Obviously not! And you can clarify that by using your tool and translating your archetype into your entire brand.
An archetype is a stepping stone. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a very interesting one, though — it helps you build a recognizable, distinctive, easily scalable brand.
Are you curious about the outcome of the brand archetype conversations between Team Old-School and Team Newfangled, which I mentioned above? Me too! I can't share the results with you yet, as we're currently in the concept and creation stages. Want to discuss your brand archetype? Be sure to contact me for a free brainstorm, so you can put yourself on the map with an unforgettable brand personality!
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