Transcript

00:00 What's up brand builders! Stephen Houraghan here of BrandMasterAcademy.com and in this video you're gonna learn all about brand archetypes. So you can understand brand personality through a scientific lens and use that science to give the brands that you build a competitive advantage. Now if you're new to this channel and you want brand strategy tips and techniques that you can take into your business to grow your brand then click on the subscribe button and the notification bell and you will be well on your way. Now. Throughout this video I refer to a brand archetypes cheat sheet that I developed and I use within my business everyday if you want to get your hands on that. Then I'll leave a link in the description below or a link above and you can grab that for free now if you're new to brand archetypes. Then you might find a couple of earlier videos that I did useful as well. It goes through what brand archetypes are the history behind them the scientific relevance of them and why they're increasingly important in building brand strategies in modern branding today so if you want to check those videos that I'll leave a link in the description as well.Now if you've come across brand archetypes before. If you've done any research into them or if you've seen any of my other videos. Then you'll know that archetypes are essentially twelve personalities that we all have this collective unconscious understanding of so essentially. We have this innate understanding of these types of behaviors and we recognize them when we see them. So each of these twelve archetypes are individual characters that we see time and again throughout our lives thread stories throughout movies and every day within our lives as well and as I said when you see those behaviors and you see those characteristics you instinctively recognize them. So let's go through each and every one of those characteristics and see if you recognize them. See if you understand who these are and you've seen these within your life before whether it's your personal life or through stories or through movies or even through brands.

01:56 The outlaw. Now the outlaw archetype is an archetype and a personality that we all tend to know quite well. So we might come across this archetype early within our lives in our own family. If we have a rebellious brother or sister but certainly by the time we get to school. We will have met at least a couple of outlaw archetypes and we will continue to meet that outlaw throughout our lives and this is the type of person who is getting into trouble in class not listening to the teacher getting detention and generally just not following the rules now later on in life. You know some outlaws go the full mile and you know they end up in trouble with the law or some outlaws really kind of internalize that but they keep that within themselves they might end up getting a professional job but then within themselves. They they still have this rebellious spirit. Now the common outlaw has this burning desire for freedom and for liberation and for change and they just generally as I said they just generally don't like rules now in film.We see this character time and again. An example of this would be William Wallace in Braveheart and that's a character who just does not want to conform to those types of rules and wants that freedom and then when this plays out in brands. We see that within Harley Davidson now Harley is a perfect example of an outlaw archetype. They don't conform to rules. They do their own thing and they really appeal to that professional with that inner burning desire for liberation and change within them.The magician has a burning desire for power. Now we tend to recognize the magician more today through fantasy stories so we see them more in stories that have been passed down from generation to generation or in the fantasy genre. But we also see the magician in everyday life as well. So for example in school. Your chemistry teacher has this element of mystique about them because they're able to do these things with chemicals that you know we. We don't really understand what it is that they're doing and that holds an element of mystique for us. So we see them on this higher level where they're able to do things that we don't fully understand but we really appreciate the things that they do. The magician is powerful. They're mystical and they protect their secret sauce really really carefully. So they have this power and they're able to do things that we all look at in all but they're not quick to tell anybody what their secrets are behind. What they're able to do now one of the characters that we see in film and that we recognize really well from this character is Gandalf from Lord of the Rings so that is somebody who's really really mystical who has these powers and were drawn to that type of character and when it comes to brands. Disney is probably the most magical brand there is and they really use that magician archetype throughout their brand communication the hero archetype has a burning desire to win and to save the day now without a doubt. The hero is the most recognizable archetype of all the twelve and there's a reason for this as well.

05:00 An author by the name of Joseph Campbell wrote a book called The Hero With A Thousand Faces and that book became the framework for storytellers and filmmakers to create stories about a hero and that hero is taken directly from Carl Jung's archetypes. Now stories and film. Aside. The hero is a very common archetype that we see throughout our lives as well and we see every day. So. This is the type of person who will do whatever it takes to win that race or to win that game of football or to win that game of snakes and ladders or hide-and-seek whatever game you're playing with this person they will do whatever it takes to win and they get pretty upset if they don't win so. I'm sure you know somebody like that. I certainly do the hero is typically determined courageous aggressive competitive and they really really want to win and we see this archetype more than any in film. So an example of this would be Maximus from Gladiator or Luke Skywalker from Star Wars when it comes to brands. No one epitomizes the hero more than Nike and we see the heroes that they celebrate throughout their advertising so whether that's Serena Williams or Tiger Woods back in the day and they really do put the heroes on a pedestal. The modern-day heroes today are athletes and that's what they do. They celebrate these athletes as heroes.The lover archetype has a burning desire for intimacy. Now we don't tend to come across the lover archetype early on in our lives. Like most of the other archetypes and obviously there's a reason for that the lover archetype is more of an adult archetype because of the adult behaviors a lot more about seduction but behind all of this adult behavior and seduction. The lover archetype really just wants to belong and just wants to be loved. The lover archetype tends to be sensual exotic sensitive affectionate and almost always sexy. We see the lover archetype in many stories and films and an example here would be Romeo from Romeo and Juliet or Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot when it comes to brands a very good lover archetype here would be Victoria's Secret obviously because of the sensuality and the seductiveness involved with that brand.

07:14 The jester has a desire for laughter now without a doubt. We all know this archetype very very well. Essentially. This is the funny man or the funny woman whoever is in the room cracking jokes whether that's your brother your sister your funny uncle maybe it's your friend in class whoever it is. It's that person who just wants to laugh and make light of the situation and find the humor in any situation so that is their desire. Their desire is to make other people laugh and just really enjoy themselves and enjoy life. The jester tends to be full of humor positivity excitement and this character is all across any kind of comedy movie so whether that's Ace Ventura or Will Ferrell in The Anchorman. There are many many examples of the jester throughout film when it comes to branding. The Old Spice brand has really taken on that jester archetype and that jester personality but it wasn't always that way that really only happened in the 90s when they were seen as this kind of middle-of-the-road middle-aged brand and they really took this new direction and brought the jester archetype into their brand strategy and started appealing to a younger generation and that's really part of their overall strategy now is to make their audience laugh and to give them a sense of enjoyment.The everyman archetype just wants to belong. Now there's an old saying in branding. You can't read the label from inside the jar and everybody tends to see themselves in some kind of way as the everyman because we all use ourselves as the basis for what's normal. So. If you have a chat to your friend you might see them as the outlaw and yourself as the everyman but to them. They might see themselves as the everyman and see you as the hero. So it really depends on the perspective. But the everyman archetype is the most normal person they just want to be normal. They don't want to stand out. They don't want to be in the limelight and they just want to be accepted. They just want to feel like they belong. The everyman tends to be humble welcoming friendly and an example in film would be Will Smith in The Pursuit Of Happiness and when it comes to branding IKEA is a great example of an everyman brand and they even have it in their tagline. The Wonderful Everyday and essentially what they're saying there is that we're for everybody and we're not pretentious and if you want to belong if you want to be one of us if you just want to be normal. Then we have the furniture for you.

09:35 The caregiver archetype has a desire to give service so this is the archetype that we're introduced to first in life. So this is your mother. Or this is your father and we have that connection with a caregiver right throughout our lives because they are the behaviors that we first see as a baby. So we see this archetype time and again throughout our lives as well. Whether it's a nurse or a teacher or you're really caring friend and this is somebody who gives to others and you know they put others before themselves and they are selfless kind of people and that's their mantra that they just want to help other people they want to give and they want to make sure that other people are safe and that's their vocation. The caregiver archetype tends to be kind warm loving caring and you really have a genuine affection for this archetype. Because again this is innate and this is your first experience and you have this bond with this archetype and rather than give you an example of film. Here. I think the best example would be a historical figure and that would be Mother Teresa. I don't think any historical figure or story or character epitomizes the caregiver archetype more than Mother Teresa who just devoted her life to helping others and a great example of a caregiver. Brand would be WWF or UNICEF or any brand really that devotes themselves to helping somebody or something. The ruler archetype is all about control.They have this desire to control and to impose their authority and you might meet this archetype early on in life. If you have a strict parent or maybe when it comes to school whether it's the Dean of discipline enforcing the rules or maybe. It's even the school bully enforcing their own authority on you. So it really depends there's different angles to this authority but when it comes to the real world. Obviously the school bully is only gonna go so far but then when it comes into the real world whether it's in your professional life or wherever it is. There is always a ruler in and around enforcing those rules so that could be your boss or it could be somebody within your football team. Your sports team whoever it is. It's the person in the room enforcing the law. There's an element of intimidation about them and an element of fear. About them.You don't want to cross them and they are the top dog. The ruler places a high value on success and wealth and more importantly status. They're really commanding. They're authoritative and they rule by fear so as I said before there's a sense of intimidation about them so when it comes to movies a perfect. Example of the ruler is Don Corleone in The Godfather and then when it comes to brands pretty much any high street brand. Here is using some kind of ruler archetype because what they're appealing to here is they're appealing to that level of status. So a very good example of the ruler archetype in branding would be Mercedes.

12:32 The creator archetype is all about innovation and imagination now Pablo Picasso once famously said that all children are artists but as we go throughout life. Most of us children lose our artistic capabilities and our artistic expression because of the confines of modern society. But there are a few who keep that going so designers are a perfect example of the creator archetype architects and writers. These are people who apply their creativity throughout their professional lives and keep this creativity going throughout their lives. As I said everybody does have an element of that innovation within them and an element of that originality within them. But for some people. It's far greater than others and these professions are a perfect example of that.The creator archetype tends to see things that other people don't because they think outside the box. They tend to have grand visions and innovation and imagination and a really creative idea of what the world could be now when it comes to film. A great example of the creator archetype would be Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and when it comes to brands one of the most famous creator archetype brands would be Apple because Apple align themselves with creatives and they've aligned themselves with the idea that people who think differently change the world so that's all about innovation and creative thinking.The innocent archetype has a desire for safety. Now we all know somebody who we would refer to as somebody that wouldn't hurt a fly. Now. I would suggest that that person would be aligned to the innocent archetype because the innocent archetype is just somebody who wants safety. They want the world to be as nature intended. They want this sense of purity their wholesome people so you know vegans and vegetarians. They tend to be aligned to the innocent archetype but really somebody who loves nature who has an affinity for nature who is in touch with nature and who wants things to be as nature intended. So the innocent archetype tends to be someone who's sensible responsible and just simplistic and a perfect example of this archetype in film would be Maria from The Sound of Music and when it comes to brands any brand that embraces natural things or organic things or things. The way nature intended would be seen as an innocent brand so an example here would be Aveeno or The Body Shop who really embrace sustainability. The sage archetype is another archetype that we tend to be introduced to early on in life and they have this desire for knowledge and for wisdom.

15:09 So this would be your teacher or a parent who is really responsible and really guiding or a mentor. So anyone who is really there to help you and guide you in the right direction could be seen as the sage so they have this desire for knowledge. They have this desire for wisdom but they also have a desire to share that knowledge and to help people on the way so anyone in a coaching role or a teaching role or a mentorship role where they're helping somebody to guide the way forward to teach them the path that they've been on or that they know to help them to where they want to go. They would be seen as a sage so they're seen as wise knowledgeable. They have this wisdom and again they just want to help they want to pass on that knowledge. So when it comes to movies a perfect.Example of this would be Yoda from Star Wars who's teaching Luke all about the force and when it comes to brands any brand really that provides answers and provides the way forward could be seen as a sage brand so a perfect example of that would be Google. The explorer archetype has a desire for adventure now me personally. I really resonate with this archetype because I have a desire for exploration and adventure and you know to just get out there get out there into nature and see something that I haven't seen before. So this might be you and you might have been introduced to this archetype early on in your life or it might be someone that you know it might not necessarily be your personal archetype. But you would definitely know somebody like this so anybody who is out there exploring whether it's exploring the back garden exploring the city or exploring the world so travelers and backpackers will definitely be aligned to the explorer archetype. So the explorer archetype tends to be adventurous independent and even daring they have to try new things all the time. So there's an element of this unknown so they have to challenge themselves to do something different all the time now when it comes to movies. A great example of the explorer archetype would be Indiana Jones because he's always out there exploring something new on some wild adventure and in the branding world any brand that really kind of explores. The outdoors or you know celebrates the outdoors or provides tools to go out and celebrate. The outdoors would be considered or could be considered an explorer archetype. So an example here would be Patagonia or Jeep.

17:28 Now I've no doubt that when you saw all of those archetypes you felt more attracted to one or two than the rest and there's a reason for this. It's because your personality makes you more attracted to those characteristics and regardless of which characteristic you're attracted to regardless of which archetype you're most attracted to you will have certainly recognized each and every one of those because they're in your innate understanding of other people's behaviors and that's called your collective unconscious. So this is what Carl Jung uncovered through archetypes and this is why they're so effective when it comes to building strategic brands because the brands today that connect with their customers are brands that do that through personality through human connection and through emotion so if you are building brands if you are building. Brand strategies for your clients are for your own brands. Then you definitely need to understand brand personality and in order to understand brand personality. You need to have a good grasp of archetypes now just to remind you. If you want to start using brand archetypes and you want to grab that cheat sheet that I've been using throughout. This video then head on over to BrandMasterAcademy.com. I'll leave the link in the description. Below you can head right to that landing page and you can download that for free but I would love to hear from you. What your experience is when it comes to brand. Archetypes are you building brand personalities for yourself or for your clients. Do you have any challenges around applying brand archetypes.Please let me know in the comments below if you like this video. Please give it a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button as well and the notification bell it'll let you know when I've got new videos coming out if you want more tips techniques and exclusive content. Like this whether it's got to do with brand psychology or brand science or brand strategy in general head on over to BrandMasterAcademy.com and get yourself signed up for that newsletter. It is free and I do keep some exclusive tips and techniques for that list. So get yourself signed up. But again I just want to hand it over to you let me know what your challenges are what your experiences are in the comments below. I'll do my best to answer all of those questions until next time brand like a master and I will see you in the next video!