The document discusses different archetypes and how they may resonate with brands. It provides descriptions of 12 archetypes: Caregiver, Innocent, Explorer, Sage, Hero, Outlaw, Magician, Creator, Ruler, Jester, Regular Guy/Gal, and Lover. For each archetype, it outlines their core desire and fear, as well as when a brand may want to align with that particular archetype, such as when the product helps people feel free for the Explorer archetype. The document also provides brief summaries of what each archetype represents.

2. Who Are you?

3. Archetypes
For a more detailed look
at Archetypes, please
refer to “The Hero and the
Outlaw” by Margaret
Mark and Carol S.
Pearson
Otherwise, this
presentation will suffice

4. Role Of Archetypes
Archetype Helps People Brand Example
Creator Express themselves Crayola
Caregiver Care for others Volvo
Ruler Exert control Rolex
Jester Have a good time M & M’s
Regular Guy/Gal Fit in NRL/AFL
Lover Find and give love Lavazza
Hero/Heroine Act courageously Nike
Outlaw Break the rules Harley Davidson
Magician Transform themselves Lynx
Innocent Retain or renew faith Disney
Explorer Discover themselves Lonely Planet
Sage Understand the world The Economist

5. Who Am I?
Stability
Belonging
Independence
Mastery
Ruler
Creator
Innocent
Explorer
Jester
Outlaw
Hero
Regular
Guy/Gal
Magician
Sage
Lover
Caregiver

6. The Caregiver
Love your neighbor as yourself
Core Desire: Protect people from harm
Goal: To help others
Fear: Selfishness, ingratitude
Strategy: Do things for others
Trap: Martyrdom or self,
entrapment of others
Gift: Compassion, generosity

7. The Caregiver

8. The Caregiver

9. The Caregiver Archetype May Resonate If…
§ For which customer service provides the competitive advantage
§ That provide support to families (from fast food to minivans) or that are associated
with nurturance (such as cookies)
§ For services in the health care, education, and other caregiving fields (including
politics)
§ That help people stay connected with and care about one another
§ That help people care for themselves
§ For non-profit causes and charitable activities

10. The Caregiver
SAINT, ALTRUIST, PARENT, HELPER
Altruistic, giving, making sacrifices for others.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Caregivers are taking care of others; they are
altruistic, helpful, and willing to sacrifice their
own interests for others; unlike Guardians who
tend to protect according to certain principles
or rules, the Caregiver leads from the heart
and with compassion.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that help consumers with their problems; that care
about the consumer; that allow consumers to take on the role
of Caregivers through them, i.e., to support the brand that has
a Caregiver role, e.g., through philanthropic giving.
DRIVER
To help. – protect and care for others
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who want to be cared for, who feel weak and
feeble or believe they have a significant disadvantage or
problem they need a caring hand with; consumers who
believe strongly that it is important to care for others;
consumers who want to associate themselves with brands that
are Caregivers and may even be involved in the brand’s
activities.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Tormentor, Bully
When Caregivers become too dominant and place their own
will above that of the cared for, they become Tormentors; they
take away the rights of the people they are caring for,
replacing them with their absolute authority, which is exercised
in the belief that they know better.
Martyr – guilt tripping
When Caregivers sacrifice themselves in the process of giving
care, they become Martyrs.

11. The Innocent
“Free to be you and me”
Core Desire: To experience paradise
Goal: To be happy
Fear: Doing something wrong
or bad that will provoke
punishment. Boredom
Strategy: Do things right,
experience new things,
look through the eyes of a
child. Questioning
Gift: Faith, curiosity and
optimism. Fresh
perspectives.

12. The Innocent

13. The Innocent Archetype Resonates If…
§ Your product offers a simple solution to an identifiable problem
§ Your product is associated with goodness, health, morality, simplicity,
nostalgia or childhood
§ Your product is produced by a company with straightforward values
§ Your product needs to be differentiated from brands / products with
negative associations
§ Your product is low or moderately priced
§ Your product is derived mainly from core values and integrity, not outer
experiences
§ Your organization has an Innocent culture.

14. The Innocent
MAIDEN / UTOPIAN / MYSTIC / SAINT /
ROMANTIC / DREAMER – “Free to be you and
me”
Innocent, blameless, incorruptible, lives in ideal
world, pure, virtuous, strong values.
Greatest Gift – Faith & Optimism
Strategy – Do the right thing
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Innocents are pure and innocent, often living
in a world where ideals replace reality;
Innocents belief in the ‘fundamental good’ in
people; they are caring, strong on emotions
and have strong values. Innocents greatest
fear is doing something bad or wrong that will
provoke punishment
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that stand for something innocent and
fundamentally good; that offer the consumer an
opportunity to feel innocent and good; that tend to
be somewhat romantic.
DRIVER
A belief in the fundamental good. Experience paradise
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who want to preserve the ideal of
innocence in their hearts; who are touched by the
innocence of brands; who want to see the world with
rose coloured glasses.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Lost Soul, Orphan – denial, repression, naivety
When Innocents are suffering from the gap between
their idealized world and the harsh reality of human
nature., they enter Shadow Territory and become Lost
Souls; they feel abandoned and vulnerable, lost and
frightened. In short, they feel out of place in this world
and cannot cope with reality.

15. The Explorer
“don’t fence me in”
Core Desire: The freedom to find out
who you are through
exploring the world
Goal: To experience a better,
more authentic, more
fulfilling life
Greatest Fear: Getting trapped,
conforming, inner
emptiness, non-being
Strategy: Journey, seek out and
experience new things,
escape from entrapment
and boredom. Observing
Trap: Aimless wondering,
becoming a misfit
Gift: Autonomy, ambition,
ability to be true to one’s
own soul

16. The Explorer

17. The Explorer

18. The Explorer Archetype May Resonates If…
§ Your product helps people feel free, is nonconformist or is pioneering in
some way
§ Your product is rugged and sturdy or is appropriate for use in nature, on the
road, or in dangerous settings or occupations
§ Your product can be purchased from a catalogue, the Internet, or another
alternative source.
§ Your product helps people express their individuality (e.g. fashion,
furnishings).
§ Your product can be purchased and consumed “on the go”.
§ You seek to differentiate your brand from a successful Regular Guy/Gal or
other more conformist brand.
§ Your organization has an Explorer culture.

19. The Explorer
SEEKER, WANDERER, PILGRIM, ADVENTURER
Seeking knowledge or understanding of
something that is not currently known; often
searching for self-understanding, seeking new
experiences that expose strengths, weaknesses
and boundaries.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
To discover themselves – they are on a tour of
discovery, searching for self-knowledge or
understanding; the many activities Explorers
get involved in serve only one purpose: to lean
more about themselves by exploring their limits
and understanding how they cope with
various challenges; they tend to explore new
territory, break new ground, push the
envelope and superficially they may look like
Adventurers, but the latter seek the thrills while
Explorers seeks a deeper understanding of
themselves.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that seek to understand themselves or offer
consumers an opportunity to understand themselves;
brands that challenge the consumer, that demand
that consumer learns new skills or deals with new
situations.
DRIVER
Self-knowledge and freedom through exploration
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who are seeking an understanding of
themselves; who want stimulation as a means of
finding out more about themselves.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Obsessed, Driven, Alienated, Aimlessly Wandering
When Explorers get lost in their search for self discovery
they either explore the dark side or they simply get
restless and driven, finding no peace, drifting through
life aimlessly without being able to grasp what they
are searching for.

20. The Sage
“The truth will set you free”
Core Desire: The discovery of truth
Goal: To use intelligence and
analysis to understand the
world
Fear: Being duped, misled,
ignorance
Strategy: Seek out information and
knowledge; become self
reflective and understand
thinking processes.
Facilitation
Trap: Can study issues forever
and never act
Gift: Wisdom, intelligence.
Storytelling, detective like
intuition, signalling

21. The Sage

22. The Sage

23. The Sage Archetype May Resonate If…
§ It provides expertise or information to your customers
§ It encourages customers or client to think
§ The brand is based on a new scientific breakthrough or esoteric
knowledge
§ The quality of the brand is supported by hard data
§ You are differentiating the product from others whose quality
performance is questionable

24. The Sage
GURU, SPIRITUAL LEADER, MENTOR, SCHOLAR,
EXPERT, ORACLE, PHILOSOPHER, THINKER,
PLANNER, TEACHER
Wise, insightful, mentoring.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Sages can see what escapes others; they
have a deep understanding, are insightful,
with an important mentoring role – without
mentoring the Sage lacks energy and
dynamism.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that stand for wisdom, that offer useful insights,
that help the consumer to become wiser; brands that
can be trusted and that make an impact on the
consumer’s life; brands that are not just selling
themselves, but are honestly trying to impart wisdom.
DRIVER
To understand and help others to understand.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who seek meaning or understanding,
insights and wisdom.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Hermit, Dogmatism, Ivory Tower, Disconnection
When Sages withdraw from the real world, they
become isolated and irrelevant; they start to live in an
imaginary world; the lack of mentoring leads to a loss
in energy; the Hermit in a cave is a typical image for
this shadow archetype.

25. The Hero
“where there’s a will, there’s a way”
Core Desire: Prove one’s worth through
courageous and difficult
action
Goal: Exert mastery in a way
that improves the world
Fear: Weakness, vulnerability,
‘wimping out’, barriers
Strategy: Become as strong,
competent and powerful
as you are capable of
being. Getting the job
done. Risk taking
Trap: Arrogance, developing a
need for there always to
be an enemy
Gift: Competence, courage
and momentum

26. The Hero

27. The Hero

28. The Hero May Resonate If…
§ You have an invention or innovation that will have a major impact on the
world
§ Your product helps people perform at their upper limit
§ You are addressing a major social problem and asking people to step up
to the plate to help address it
§ You have a clear opponent or competitor you want to beat
§ You are the underdog and want to rival the competition
§ The strength of your product or service is its ability to do a tough job
efficiently and well
§ You need to differentiate your product from one that has problems with
follow-through
§ Your customer base identifies itself as good, moral citizens

29. The Hero/ Heroine
RESCUER, WHITE KNIGHT, WARRIOR, CRUSADER,
SAVIOUR, SUPERHERO, SOLDIER, WINNER
Natural tendency to rescue, to get others out
of trouble, empathetic, compassionate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Heroes engage in fights like Warriors, but for
them the fight is only a means to an end,
rather than an end in itself; Heroes have to
defeat another party to save somebody or
something: the rescue is the essential issue;
bravely facing opponent(s) they need to
defeat, they slay dragons, rescue princesses,
save kingdoms; they are on the light side
battling the dark side.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that help somebody who is in trouble; that
provide a lifeline; that provide an unexpected
solution; that are going into battle to save somebody
DRIVER
To rescue
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who are lost and need to be rescued; who
cannot resolve a challenge or problem by themselves;
who don’t feel confident about their own ability to
cope; or who want to join a brand in saving
somebody or something.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Conqueror, Subjugator, Ruthlessness, Obsession
Heroes who have crossed into Shadow Territory still
rescue – but they don’t set free who or what they
have rescued, but rather keep it for themselves; they
have become Conquerors or Subjugators.

30. The Outlaw
“Rules are meant to be broken”
Core Desire: Revenge or Revolution.
Overcome adversity
Goal: To destroy what is not
working (for the outlaw or
society)
Fear: Being powerless,
trivialized, inconsequential
Strategy: Disrupt, destroy or shock,
questioning. Challenging
the status quo
Trap: To go over to the dark
side, criminality
Gift: Outrageousness, radical,
freedom

31. The Outlaw

32. The Outlaw

33. The Outlaw Archetype May Resonate If…
§ Customers and employees are feeling very disaffiliated from society or
identify with values at odds with those of society at large
§ The function of your product is to destroy something (actually, like a
bulldozer, or virtually, like many video games) or is genuinely
revolutionary
§ Your product is not very good for people, so that using it is akin to
thumbing your nose at society’s ideas of what constitutes health
§ Your product helps retain values that are threatened by prevailing ones
or pioneers new and revolutionary attitudes
§ Your product’s price is low to moderate

34. The Outlaw
REBEL, REVOLUTIONARY, WILD MAN / WOMAN,
MISFIT
Breaking rules to achieve a better or fairer
outcome, purposeful, goal orientated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Outlaws break rules they do not accept, but
they don’t necessarily have poor values – they
break rules to achieve a positive outcome
(e.g., Robin Hood); they are considerate and
not naturally aggressive; they are purposeful
and resourceful and will stick to their goal and
find ways of achieving it; they often find
widespread support for their actions and what
they stand for, even though they are not
staying within generally accepted rules.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that battle for those who are treated unfairly or
suffer from inequalities; brands that attempt to
balance the scales; that offer the average person
something that may otherwise have been reserved for
an elite.
DRIVER
To battle unfairness or inequalities.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who feel they are disadvantaged; that
they don’t have access to many products or services
because they are not affordable; who feel that they
get ripped off by leading products or services; who will
support a brand that works towards levelling the
playing field.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Bandit – Criminal or Evil Behaviour
When Outlaws lose sight of the greater good they are
pursuing, they enter Shadow Territory and become
Bandits; they harm society, community or other
individuals for their own benefit or engage in illegal
acts simply to exercise and feel power over others.

35. The Magician
“It can happen”
Core Desire: Knowledge of the
fundamental laws of how
the world or universe
works
Goal: Make dreams come true
Fear: Unanticipated negative
consequences
Strategy: Develop vision and live it.
Building environment
conducive for creativity
and innovation
Trap: Becoming manipulative
Gift: Finding win-win
outcomes, designing
extraordinary outcomes

36. The Magician

37. The Magician

38. The Magician Archetype May Resonate If…
§ The product or service is transformative
§ Its implicit promise is to transform the customer
§ It appeals to New Age consumers or cultural creative's
§ It helps to expand or extend consciousness
§ It is a user-friendly technology
§ It has a spiritual or psychological component
§ It is a new and very contemporary product
§ It is medium to high priced

39. The Regular Guy/ Gal
“all men and women are created
equal”
Core Desire: Connection with others
Goal: To belong, fit in
Fear: Standing out, seeming to
put on airs, and being
exiled or rejected as a
result
Strategy: Develop ordinary solid
virtues, the common
torch, blend in. Networking
Trap: Give up self to blend in, in
exchange for only a
superficial connection
Gift: Realising empathy, lack of
pretence, collaboration

40. The Regular Guy/ Gal

41. The Regular Guy/ Gal

42. The Regular Guy/ Gal May Resonate If…
§ Whose use helps people belong or feel that they belong
§ Whose function is something used commonly in everyday life
§ With pricing that is moderate to low (or that is an upscale version of a
product that would ordinarily be inexpensive)
§ Produced or sold by a company with a down-home organizational
culture, and
§ That want to differentiate themselves in a positive way from a higher
priced or more elitist brand

43. The Regular Guy/ Gal
EVERYMAN / EVERYWOMAN, COMMON MAN,
THE PERSON NEXT DOOR, SOLID CITIZEN, GOOD
NEIGHBOUR, ONE OF THE BOYS
Reliable, predictable, taking care of business
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Regular Guy or Girl takes care of business while
others may pursue higher goals and
aspirations; they are absolutely necessary for
the functioning of communities and societies;
they are reliable, but not servile, predictable
but not boring, capable but not boring,
capable but not masterful; they are positive
and well set in their roles, innately
understanding that they are making an
important contribution despite their apparent
lack of significance.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that don’t play a high profile role, but that fulfil
a necessary role; brands that quietly deliver day after
day without fail, without getting attention.
DRIVER
To keep things going.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who value the basics that make everyday
life possible; who would be receptive to a message
reminding them of how important these brands and
products are.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Despairer, Victim (who is willing to be abused)
When the Regular Guys actions become routine and
habit, carried out with no commitment, no pride, no
purpose, no feeling of importance, no benefit, no
goal, the Regular Guy enters Shadow Territory;
exhaustion, dissatisfaction, routine, apathy and
lethargy are the characteristics of the weary and
lacklustre Despairer.

44. The Lover
“I only have eyes for you”
Core Desire: Attain intimacy and
experience sensual
pleasure
Goal: Being in a relationship
with the people, the work,
the experiences, the
surroundings they love
Fear: Being alone, a wallflower,
unwanted, unloved
Strategy: Become more and more
attractive, physically,
emotionally, and in every
other way. Visualisation
Trap: Doing anything and
everything to attract and
please others, losing
identity
Gift: Passion, gratitude,
appreciation, relaxation
commitment. State
Management

45. The Lover

46. The Lover

47. The Lover Archetype May Resonate If…
§ Whose use helps people find love or friendship
§ Whose function fosters beauty, communication, or closeness between
people or is associated with sexuality or romance
§ With pricing that is moderate to high
§ If it is produced or sold by a company with an intimate, elegant
organizational culture, as opposed to a massive Ruler hierarchy
§ That needs to differentiate itself in a positive way from lower priced
brands

48. The Lover
PARTNER, ENTHUSIST, SENSUALIST, SPOUSE,
MATCHMAKER, CONNOISSEURS
Romantic, emotional, prepared to make
sacrifices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Lovers are high in passion and romance; they
act on the basis of emotion rather than
reason; if necessary, they will sacrifice their life
for their loved one(s); ideally they want to tie
their life to the life of the loved one.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that are romantic and emotional, typically
allow the consumer to feel romantic and loved;
brands that may ask for sacrifices in exchange for
feeling better about oneself as a lover; brands that
promise to attract the attention of desired lovers and
to attract them.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who seek romance in their life or like to be
part of, or observe, romance; consumers who are
responsive to strong emotional, romantic messages
and feelings; consumers who want to attract their
lover/s and feel they can benefit from a brand that
promises to make them more attractive.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Obsessive, Promiscuity, Jealousy, Envy
When Lovers become obsessive, they become
unreasonable and dissatisfied; they still act on the
basis of emotions, but the emotions have turned from
positive to negative and the ideal of harmony has
been replaced with the concept of possession.

49. The Jester
“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be
part of your revolution”
Core Desire: To live in the moment with
full enjoyment
Goal: To have a great time and
lighten up the world
Fear: Boredom or being boring
Strategy: Play, make things, make
jokes, be funny
Trap: Frittering away one’s life
Gift: Joy, experimentation

50. The Jester

51. The Jester

52. The Jester Archetype May Resonate If…
§ Whose use helps people belong or feel that they belong
§ Whose function helps people have a good time
§ With pricing that is moderate to low
§ Produced and/or sold by a company with a fun-loving, freewheeling
organizational culture
§ That need to be differentiated from a self-important, overconfident
established brand

53. The Jester
JOKER, FOOL, COMEDIAN, TRICKSTER,
ENTERTAINER, CURIOUS
Irreverent, witty, questioning.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Like Larrikins, Jesters are irreverent and witty,
but they have a specific objective: to question
thinking, traditions, habits, processes and
anything else that is simply accepted by
others without thinking; Jesters make people
take note and get them to think, leading often
to change; Jesters are generally like and even
when their role as a change agent is not
understood, they are given license to make
their witty and irreverent comments; they are
smart and understand the role they play.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that question current thinking, standards, the
way things are done, the values we express or uphold,
et cetera; brands that highlight issues, rather than fight
for a change or present new ways.
DRIVER
To question commonly accepted thinking, norms,
habits and rules.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who like to challenge today’s thinking; like
to analyse, review, like to have their own thinking
challenged; like brands that are not run of the mill,
that don’t make the same standard assumptions as
other brands, that challenge today’s thinking.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Trickster – self indulgence, mean spirited
Jesters who use their natural abilities and the informal
power these abilities provide them with for personal
goals enter Shadow Territory; they are scheming and
phoney and can’t be trusted.

54. The Creator
“if it can be imagined, it can be
created”
Core Desire: Create something of
enduring value
Goal: Give form to a vision
Fear: Having a mediocre vision
or execution
Strategy: Develop artistic control
and skill. Associational
thinking
Task: Create culture,
expression, vision
Trap: Perfectionism, miscreation
Gift: Re-expression and
imagination

55. The Creator

56. The Creator

57. The Creator Archetype May Resonate If…
§ If your product’s function encourages self-expression, provides the
customer with choices and options, helps foster innovation, or is artistic
in design
§ In a creative field, like marketing, public relations, the arts,
technological innovation (such as software development)
§ When you are seeking to differentiate it from a brand that “does it all”
for the customer, leaving a little room for choice
§ When a do-it-yourself element saves the customer money
§ If your customers have enough discretionary time for creativity to
flourish
§ If your organization has a creator culture

58. The Creator Archetype May Resonate If…
INITIATOR, PIONEER, ARTIST, INVENTOR
Creative, innovative, powerful, purposeful.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Creators are innovative and creative and
have the power to surprise and delight through
their creations; they tend to be focused and
purposeful; their contributions are positive and
add to the life of others.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that offer something that is really new – a new
way of doing something, a new something to do; brands
that break convention, that bring disruptive innovation to
product categories or areas of the consumer’s life;
brands that are not just offering innovative features, but
quantum leaps; brands that allow the consumer to do
something that has not been possible before.
DRIVER
To create something new with enduring value.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who value innovation; who value the
excitement or benefits of a new way of doing something,
even if this means changing habits or learning some new
skills; consumers who value being able to do new things,
to engage in new activities that have never before been
possible.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Dr Frankenstein, Over Dramatic (living a soap opera)
When Creators use their powers to create instruments of
death and destruction, when they create obstacles and
barriers, they have entered Shadow Territory;
Frankenstein’s’ are driven by their own benefit or serve
the dark side.

59. The Ruler
“Power isn’t everything, it’s the only
thing”
Core Desire: Control
Goal: Create a prosperous,
successful family,
company, community
Fear: Chaos, being overthrown
Strategy: Exert leadership, project
teams
Trap: Being bossy, authorization
Gift: Responsibility, direction

60. The Ruler

61. The Ruler

62. The Ruler Archetype May Resonate If…
§ A high-status product used by powerful people to enhance their power
§ A product that helps people be more organized
§ A product or service that can offer a lifetime guarantee
§ Services that offer technical assistance or information that helps maintain or
enhance power
§ An organization with a regulatory or protective function
§ A product at the moderate to high price range
§ A brand seeking to differentiate from a more populist (Regular Guy/
Gal) one or that is the clear leader in the field
§ A field that is relatively stable or a product that promises safety and
predictability in a chaotic world

63. The Ruler
PATRIARCH / MATRIARCH, BOSS, KING, QUEEN,
ROLE MODEL
Dominant, authoritarian, benevolent,
expecting absolute loyalty and acceptance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Patriarchs/Matriarchs lead from a position of
power; they tend to be dignified,
authoritative, quite often older (although this is
not necessarily the case); they are set in their
way is the only right way; they punish anyone
who does not accept their absolute authority.
BRAND ARCHETYPE
Brands that set the standards; that make the rules; that
dominate their category; that don’t engage in
disruptive innovation, but rather like to keep things as
they are.
DRIVER
To rule their world.
TARGET SEGMENT
Consumers who like to be told because it’s too
confusing to work it all out for themselves; who feel
secure in the knowledge that there is a dominant
brand and believe one cannot go wrong with such a
strong brand, even if it may not offer the latest and
best.
SHADOW ARCHETYPE
Dictator, Godfather, Oppressor, Tyrant
Patriarchs/Matriarchs who drift into Shadow Territory
become repressive and close-minded; they ruthlessly
enforce their will no matter what they might inflict on
others; they often become introvert and dark,
removing themselves more and more from the
richness of life, while creating a small world around
them that plays to their absolute power.