Archetypal Branding: The Secrets of building a Premium Brand
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- Turn Your Employees into Brand Ambassadors
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- Establish Trust & Resonance with Your Key Target Audiences
- Monitor and Assess the Strength of Your Brand Continuously
- Basic Understanding of Marketing and Branding
"Archetypal Branding: The Secrets of Building a Premium Brand" is designed to provide you with a systematic way to:
• Clearly define the Brand so that it is compelling and credible to your key Target Audiences.
• Create a Brand Identity that all key internal Constituencies can agree on and work from.
• Increase the Reputation, Image, perceived Value and Brand Awareness of your Company
Take this Brand Leadership Course and discover how to build a Brand that commands Premium Prices and turns Customers into Brand Advocates that are Loyal for Life.
- C-level Executives
- Marketing Managers
- Brand Managers
- Entrepreneurs
- Business Owners
Archetypal Branding helped Dr Nik to
• build a Global Media Brand (on the likes of CNBC and Carte Blanche)
•helped South Africa achieve the Highest Brand Advocacy Score in the history of the FIFA World Cup (92%)
• develop Strategic Relationships with Global Leaders, including a State President, Olympian Athlete and one of the most celebrated World Record Holders
•enable a Consulting Client of mine to grow their Business 10X over 10 Years
•propel my FIFA World Cup Book to Bestseller Status with ½ Million Copies in Print
Why Archetypal Branding?
Recent studies have shown that the most potent component of premium brands is a clear identity that is grounded in the ultimate personality types deciphered by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, the so-called Archetypes.
Tracking over 13,000 brands over a period of five years and interviewing more than 120,000 consumers across 100 product categories, archetypal researcher Carol Pearson found that archetypal brands outpaced non-archetypal ones by a factor of 97% in Market Value Added (a measure of how much value a company has added to, or subtracted from, its shareholder investment).
A Booz Allen Hamilton research report recently showed that „brand-guided companies have profitability margins nearly twice the industry standard. Brand-guided banks, for example, have an ROE of 19% compared to 8% for non brand-guided banks.“
“As products and services are converging, clients are now looking for a sense of meaning and identity – a brand image in every experience they encounter with your company” (Institute for Brand Leadership). So, what exactly is a brand? In order to arrive at the very core of what constitutes a brand, it is important to dispel some myths about what a brand is not.
A brand is not your logo, your Product or even your Corporate Identity. Rather, a brand is an expectation of an emotional experience, created by a certain brand promise. In the car industry, well-known brand promises are shown above.
Hannah Arendt, a well known 20th century philosopher, calls promises “islands of certainty in the sea of uncertainty that the future is”. Through promises we manage and control the uncertainty, whilst trust is the attitude required by authentic promise-making. This is why leading brands often command a market share of 50% or higher, as well as price premiums of up to 40% more than generic brands.
In other words, a brand is “the most valuable real estate in the world, a corner of the consumer’s mind” (Institute for Brand leadership). It is therefore the Brand Promise that creates the Brand Expectation and is the foundation of building the Brand Image.
“Forms or images of a collective nature which occur practically all over the earth as constituents of myths and at the same time as individual products of unconscious origin.”
— C. G. Jung, Psychology and Religion
“The concept of archetypes was borrowed by Jung from classic sources, including Cicero, Pliny, and Augustine. Adolf Bastian called them “Elementary Ideas.” In Sanskrit, they were called “subjectively known forms”; and in Australia, they were known as the “Eternal Ones of the Dream.”
— Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
“Jung to some extent took the opposite approach to that of the behaviorists, that is, he did not observe people from the outside, did not ask how we behave, how we greet one another, how we mate, how we take care of our young. Instead, he studied what we feel and what we fantasize while we are doing those things. For Jung, archetypes are not only elementary ideas, but just as much elementary feelings, elementary fantasies, elementary visions.
— Marie-Louise Von Franz, Psyche and Matter
Core Desire: to get to Paradise
Goal: to be happy
Greatest Fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong
Strategy: to do things right
Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence
Talent: Faith and Optimism
Also known as: Utopian, tradi-tionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic, dreamer.
People: Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Oprah
Brands: Disney, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Ivory soap
The Innocent may be right for your Brand Identity if your brand...
- offers a simple solution to an identifiable problem
- Is associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, nostalgia or childhood
- Is low or moderately priced
- Is produced by a company with straightforward values
Core Desire: connecting with others
Goal: to belong
Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd
Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth
Weakness: losing one's own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships
Talent: realism, empathy, lack of pretense
Also known as: good old boy, everyman, the person next door People: Homer Simpson, Tom Hanks, Princess Diana, Dr Phill
Brands: VISA, Mr Price, IKEA
The Regular Person provides a good identity for brands:
- that give people a sense of belonging
- with an everyday functionality
- with low to moderate prices
- produced by a solid company with a down-home organisational culture
Core Desire: self discovery through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Greatest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness
Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape from boredom
Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one's soul
Also known as: seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim.
People: Christopher Columbus, Jacques Cousteau, Richard Branson
Brands: Land Rover, Jeep, Virgin,
The explorer is a good identity for brands that:
- helps people feel free, nonconformist or pioneering
- is rugged and sturdy or for use in the great outdoors or in dangerous settings
- can be purchased from a catalogue or on the Internet
- helps people express their individuality
Core Desire: to prove one's worth through courageous acts
Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world
Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, being a "chicken"
Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible
Weakness: arrogance, always needing another battle to fight
Talent: competence and courage
Also known as: The warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon slayer, the winner and the team player
People: Donald Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Brands: Nike, Tag Heuer, Marlboro
The Hero could be good for brands that:
- are inventions or innovations that will have a major impact on the world
- solve a major social problem or encourage others to do so
- have a clear opponent you want to beat
- that are underdogs or challenger brands
Motto: Rules are made to be broken
Core Desire: revenge or revolution
Goal: to overturn what isn't working
Greatest fear: to be powerless or ineffectual
Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock
Weakness: crossing over to the dark side, crime
Talent: outrageousness, radical freedom
Also known as: The rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, or iconoclast
People: James Dean, Sid Vicious, George Washington
Brands: Harley Davidson, Virgin, MTV, Rimmel, Steve Madden, Urban
The Outlaw may strengthen your brand's identity if it:
- has customers or employees who feeldisenfranchised from society
- helps retain values that are threatened by emerging ones, or paves the way for
revolutionary new attitudes
- is low to moderately priced
Core Desire: to create things of enduring value
Goal: to realise a vision
Greatest fear: mediocre vision or execution
Strategy: develop artistic control & skill
Weakness: perfectionism
Talent: creativity and imagination
Also known as: The artist, inventor, innovator, musician, writer or dreamer
People: Mark Shuttleworth, Salvador Dali, William Shakespeare
Brands: Lego, Sony, Swatch, 3M, HP, Adobe
The Creator may be right for your brand identity if:- it promotes self-expression, gives customers choices , foster innovation, artistic in design
- it is in a creative field like marketing, public relations, the arts, or technological innovation
- you want to differentiate it from a "do-it-all" brand with little room for the imagination
- it is in a creative field like marketing, public relations, the arts, or technological innovation
- you want to differentiate it from a "do-it-all" brand with little room for the imagination
- your product has a do-it-yourself aspect that saves money
Core Desire: control
Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community
Greatest fear: chaos, being overthrown
Strategy: exercise power
Weakness: being authoritarian, unable to delegate
Talent: responsibility, leadership
Also known as: The boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, politician, role model, manager or administrator
People: Thabo Mbeki, Steve Jobs, Moses
Brands: Microsoft, Rolex, Gillette, Jack Daniel’s
The Ruler may be right for your brand identity if:
- it is a high-status product used by powerful people to enhance their power
- it makes people more organised
- it offers a lifetime guarantee
- it empowers people to maintain or enhances their grip on power
Core Desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe
Goal: to make dreams come true
Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences
Strategy: develop a vision and live by it
Weakness: becoming manipulative
Talent: finding win-win solutions
Also known as: The visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman, healer, medicine man
People: Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, Harry Potter, Albert Einstein
Brands: Axe, Smirnoff Vodka, Intel
The Magician could be the right identity for your brand if:
- the product or service is transformative
- its implicit promise is to transform customers
- it has a new-age quality
- it is consciousness-expanding
- it is user-friendly
Core Desire: intimacy and experience
Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love
Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved
Strategy: to become more physically and emotionally attractive
Weakness: Desire to please others at risk of losing own identity
Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment
Also known as: Friend, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse, team-builder
People: Madonna, Jane Austen, Dracula, Liz Taylor
Brands: Revlon, Chanel, Hallmark, Alfa Romeo, Interflora, Haagen Dazs
The Lover may be a good identity for your brand if:
- it helps people belong, find friends or partners
- it's function is to help people have a good time
- it is low to moderately priced
- it is produced by a freewheeling, fun-loving organisational structure
Core Desire: to protect and care for others
Goal: to help others
Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude
Strategy: doing things for others
Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited
Talent: compassion, generosity
Also known as: The saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter
People: Mother Theresa, Pat Tillman
Brands: Volvo, Amnesty international, Red Cross, Peace Core
The Care giver may be right for your Brand Identity if...
- it gives customers a competitive advantage
- it supports families (products from fast-food to minivans) or is associated with nurturing
- it serves the public sector, e.g. healthcare, education, aid and other care giving fields
- helps people stay connected with and care about others
- helps people care for themselves
Core Desire: to find the truth.
Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world.
Biggest Fear: being duped, misled—or ignorance.
Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection and understanding thought processes.
Weakness: can study details forever and never act.
Talent: wisdom, intelligence.
The Sage is also known as: The expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher, academic, researcher, thinker, planner.
People: Plato, Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coelho
Brands: Discovery Channel, New York Times, CNN, Oprah, Procter & Gamble
The Sage would be a good identity for brands:
- that provide expertise to customers
- that encourage customers to think
- that are based on new scientific findings or esoteric knowledge
- that are supported by research-based facts
Core Desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment
Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world
Greatest Fear: being bored or boring others
Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny
Weakness: frivolity, wasting time
Talent: joy
Also known as: The fool, trickster, joker, practical joker or comedian
People: Robin Williams, Bob Hope, Bishop Tutu
Brands: Brands: Budweiser, Fanta, Nando’s
The Jester may be a good identity for brands:
- that give people a sense of belonging
- that help people have a good time
- that are low or moderately priced
The Caregiver is a good identity for brands:
- for which customer service provides competitive advantage
- that provide support to families (from fast food to minivans) or that are associated with nurturing (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
Signs that your brand is an Innocent
- You provide a relatively simple answer to an identifiable problem
- You are associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, nostalgia or childhood
- You have functions associated with cleanliness, health, or virtue--and that are infinitely replicable
- You are priced moderate to low
- You are produced by a company with straight-arrow core values
- You have a desire to differentiate from a product with a tarnished image
Your brand might be The Regular Guy 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 of 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
Signs that your brand is an Explorer
- Your product helps people to 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 (fashion, furnishings)
- Your product can be purchased and consumed “on the go”
- You seek to differentiate your brand from a successful Regular Guy or other more conformist brand
- Your organization has an explorer culture
Signs that your brand is a Hero
- 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 or service from one that has problem with follow-through
- Your customer base identifies itself as good, moral citizens
Your brand might be an Outlaw if:
- Customers and employees are feeling very disaffiliated from society or they 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
A Creator identity may be right for your brand:
- if your product’s function encourages self-expression, provides the customer with choices and options, helps foster innovation, or is artistic in design
- is 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 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
The Ruler identity might be right for your brand if you have:
- 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) 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
Your brand might be the Magician if:
- The product or service is transformative
- Its implicit promise is to transform the customer
- It appeals to New Age consumers or cultural creatives
- 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
Your brand might be a Lover archetype if:
- its use helps people to find love or friendship
- it fosters beauty, communication, or closeness between people or is associated with sexuality or romance
- it has pricing that is moderate to high
- it is produced or sold by a company with an intimate, elegant organizational culture, as opposed to a massive Ruler hierarchy
- it needs to differentiate itself in a positive way from lower priced brands
Signs that your brand is a Sage
- you provide expertise or information to your customers
- you encourage customers or clients to think
- your brand is based on a new scientific breakthrough or esoteric knowledge
- the quality of your brand is supported by hard data
- you are differentiating the product from others whose quality or performance is questionable
The Jester is a promising archetype to provide identity to brands:
- 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