The Psychology of Branding: 12 Brand Archetypes
Branding
Have you ever instantly connected with a brand? Felt an emotional connection or loved a brand so much that you’d stand in line for days waiting for its latest product to be released? We all have brands that we value more than others. Your favorite brands might have great products, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll most likely find that the brands you treasure most share your core values and traits. That is, you share the same archetype. Welcome to the psychology of branding.
archetype: [ahr-ki-tahyp]
noun: a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, or image, universally present in individual psyches
The 12 Brand Archetypes
Famed psychologist Carl Jung first used archetypes to understand what subconsciously drives and motivates us. In 2001, authors Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson introduced Jung’s archetypes to the marketing world in their book titled, “The Hero and the Outlaw.” Using Jung’s theory, they created 12 archetypes, which are now widely used in branding.
Each archetype has its own set of values and personality traits. While your brand may identify with a few different archetypes, the strongest brands in the world adopt one dominate archetype.
Determining your brand’s dominate archetype gives it personality and meaning. It’s the image you present to the world. It paints a clear picture in your customers’ minds of who you are and what you stand for, and it differentiates your brand from competitors. Today’s consumers don’t just buy products; they’re much savvier and deeper than that. They buy the meaning and reputation of the product, those that create and share emotional connections with them.
When companies come to us looking to either create a brand or refresh their current brand, our first step is to determine their archetype.
Following is a quick overview of each of the 12 brand archetypes we use to guide our process:
