A basic how to for discovering brand archetypes.

1. Archetypes Part II: Uncovering Brand Archetypes
October 2014

2. Don’t be a Hero (or an Outlaw…if you aren’t one)
Broadly speaking many clients are drawn to the hero archetype and many
agency folks are hoping to uncover an outlaw brand.
Client
Brand as hero
no matter the product, clients believe it is the
best in the category, well-made and loved by
fans, they often see it as a hero archetype
Agency
Brand as outlaw
no matter the brand, agencies frequently
hope it will be disruptive in its category and
creatively daring in its communications

3. There is no good or evil type
Every archetype has strengths and weaknesses. No single archetype is better
than any other.
For branding purposes focus on the common positive attributes and only
consider the negative elements of the archetypes as possible missteps to
avoid.
Magician Jester
Merlin Maleficent Ace Ventura the Joker
Ruler
Elizabeth Godfather

4. This isn’t the school dance
Don’t shy away from an archetype because it seems less cool than others.
Everyman
Maytag Pillsbury
It is okay to be more like
Tom Hanks than Tom
Cruise
Innocent
Being an innocent archetype
doesn’t mean you are
exposing weakness

5. Gender doesn’t have anything to do with it
Archetypes can be portrayed in both feminine and masculine forms.
The brand does not need to choose an archetype that reflects their target
audience.
Caregiver
Dove Men + Care
Dove Men’s line connects
caring for men with the
caregiving men do
Outlaw
Dollar Shave Club
a disruptive business model
and advertising approach
show that it is a brand willing
to break all the rules
Lover
Tom Ford for men
in this extension of
the brand Tom Ford
maintains the lover
archetype

6. How to uncover brand archetypes
ONE: Revisit the origin story and values
TWO: Spend time looking at category codes (semiotics)
THREE: Look at your role in the competitive set

7. ONE: Explore the origin story
Who founded the company? Why? How did it grow? What changed over time?
Example: Louis Vuitton
For a brand that has over a 150 year history its issues are startlingly
consistent. An association with royalty and the upper class, simple design
and struggles with counterfeit competitors remain true today.
Created for Royalty
1850s Louis Vuitton is the
personal box maker and
packer for empress
Eugene, wife of Napoleon III
Fighting Impostors
Monogram created by his
son in 1892 to combat
knock offs by competitors
Simple Design
Creates rectangular flat
shaped trunks that are
easier to tack than the
curved trunks of the day

8. TWO: Looking into Category Codes Tumi & Louis Vuitton

9. TWO: Category Codes Victorinox, Mulberry, Rimowa & Globe-Trotter

10. TWO: Semeiotic deep dive, make the implicit explicit
• Examine signs and codes (textual codes like camera work and social codes like
body language).
• Identify paradigm sets and structural relationship between signifiers.
• Construct analysis as a whole. How does it naturalize it’s perspective? What
assumptions does it make about its audience?
Example: Premium and Luxury luggage
Absence
Less is more
Separate
when together
Entitlement &
exclusion

11. THREE: Competitive Evaluation
What archetypes exist?
How does the category
leader communicate?
Which brands are you
most like?
Which brands are you
least like?
Yearn for
paradise
Leave a
mark on
the world
Provide
Ruler
control
structure to
the world
Connect
with
others
safety
understanding
freedom
liberation
power
intimacy mastery
Caregiver
service
Everyman
belonging
enjoyment
innovation
Innocent
Sage
Explorer
Outlaw
Magician
Lover Hero
Jester
Creator
Example: Premium and Luxury luggage

12. How to Start Fresh
Not all brands have a long history to reference

13. 23andMe - Searching for the type
The brand 23andMe presented a few challenges
• It was a silicon valley start-up created in 2006, at the ripe old age of 7 it explored
advertising and creating a consumer facing identity
• There wasn't an existing category (personal genetic info) for comparison
• Information we had
• Founding principles - empower individuals & accelerate research, allow everyone to
contribute to improving human understanding.
• Goal - be the worlds trusted source of personal genetic information
• Product - kits sent to homes for $99 that allow individuals to get a much better
understanding of their genetic info

14. 23andMe - Using the Archetype
• Sage - unlocking knowledge
• the core desire- the discovery of
truth
• goal - use intelligence and analysis
to understand the world
• Advertising - visualized the amount of
information that we have inside and
highlighted the importance of self-knowledge

15. Happy Branding.
!
Questions? Suggestions?
Ask @emilylizb