Why you need an archetype for your organization

A brand is a personality that you convey. If you have a crystal clear view of what the brand stands for, it is easier to establish a brand. A tool for positioning your brand on the market is choosing an archetype. The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung defined twelve archetypes that symbolize the basic human motivations. They have personality traits that can also be found in brands. As you can see in the illustration below, the twelve archetypes can be divided into four groups. The lover, everyman and jester, are motivated by togetherness and pleasure. The hero, outlaw and magician, live for taking risks and mastery. The most important thing for the explorer, innocent and sage is individuality and satisfaction and for the caregiver, ruler and creator, stability and control are the basic motivations.

Each archetype has its own set of values, meanings and personality traits. All people have multiple personality traits, but one trait is always dominant. This also applies to brands. As an organization, you promote a personality and choose one archetype. The archetype that you choose is what you stand for. In fact, that's how you ARE. It offers you a tool in brand communication. With every communication you think; is this in line with the archetype we have chosen?

Stay true to the organization's archetype with every action and message. After all, you want your target group to immediately recognize an expression as being one of yours. Your target group therefore identifies your communication with your brand. You do this by positioning the brand on the market. To build a strong brand, you have to make a choice in the position that you want to occupy in the market. You paint a picture of the personality of the brand with the recipient. By sketching a certain image, you create expectations with the recipient. The recipient consciously or unconsciously knows how a brand communicates and behaves. Think of Nike: what kind of message do you expect from them? Exactly, a bold and risky message. Nike therefore has the hero as an archetype. Nike has made a choice and this is reflected in every expression of Nike. As a recipient, you never have to adjust your expectations. Amazing, right?

As humans, we like it when our expectations match reality. If the expectations of your target group do not match with what you communicate, then confusion will arise. The recipient wants to find an explanation for this, but if this fails then it will be at the expense of the brand identity. If you do create clear expectations and if you also fulfill them, you will gather fans. All you have to do is be yourself; behave as your archetype would.

So make sure that the brand is leading in all internal and external expressions. A brand that matches the values ​​and norms of your target group increases identification and therefore the chance of purchase. Brands help to show customers what they themselves stand for. Your identity is your DNA. Link your brand through emotion and experience. You express the emotions of your archetype in your communication. Whether it is a social media post, a video, a white paper or a product packaging, make sure that everyone experiences the brand in the same way through different expressions. Identification is the key and forms the basis for building a strong brand.

Do you want to read more about what it involves to build a strong brand? In our white paper ‘How do you build a strong corporate brand?’ we discuss other aspects that help you create a strong brand.