Brand archetype
In short
A brand archetype is one of twelve basic characters, such as the Hero or the Caregiver, that give a brand a clear personality.
The model builds on the ideas of Carl Jung. Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson connected it to brands in the book The Hero and the Outlaw from 2001. The idea is that some characters recur in stories everywhere, and that people recognise them without thinking about it. Each of the twelve, such as the Explorer, the Creator and the Jester, points in its own direction for tone, word choice and expression.
A language for something vague
An archetype gives you a language for something that is otherwise vague. Instead of saying the business should be "professional, but warm", you can say it is a Caregiver. Then you know more about which words, images and colours fit, and it gets easier to keep the same tone on your website, in ads and in email.
The archetype is a tool for thinking more clearly, not an answer key. It does not replace the work on positioning.
Find yours in a couple of minutes
We have made a free test at brand.ibenta.no. You answer fifteen questions about your business and find out which archetype fits best. If you want to see all twelve and the method behind them, read The twelve archetypes and the method.
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