Brand Archetypes 101
Everyone loves a brand they can connect with. Whether it’s a funny commercial, celebrity spokesperson, quality product, or catchy packaging, people tend to gravitate towards brands that they can relate to emotionally. Maybe you only use Apple products, or maybe you will only grocery shop at Publix. Either way, most people have product or business preferences where an alternative just won’t do the trick.
In 1947, psychologist Carl Jung posed the theory that 12 essential characters exist in everyone’s unconscious mind, each one battling for dominance. Since then, marketing experts have utilized this theory, stating that each brand fits into one of the 12 archetypes or “characters.”
These characters are all based on universal patterns of behavior that everyone can instinctively relate to. The following human desires each match with a specific character or “archetype”:
- Power = The Magician
- Mastery = The Hero
- Liberation = The Outlaw
- Freedom = The Explorer
- Understanding = The Sage
- Safety = The Innocent
- Intimacy = The Lover
- Enjoyment = The Jester
- Belonging = The Everyman
- Innovation = The Creator
- Control = The Ruler
- Service = The Caregiver
The Outlaw
The outlaw archetype tends to be disruptive, rebellious, and combative. This is the type of brand that attracts people who like to live life on the edge, encouraging revolution and empowerment. Harley Davidson motors is a great example of an Outlaw.
Related Industries: Automobiles, Tools, & Apparel
The Magician
The Magician is a reassuring archetype that wants to make your dreams come true. They want their customers to feel like anything can happen and that one is only limited by their imagination. A perfect example of this would be Disney.
Related Industries: Entertainment, Health & Wellness, Cosmetics
The Hero
The Hero archetype is honest and brave. They have the determination and desire to make the world a better place. Businesses like Nike and FedEx lean towards the Hero archetype due to their motivation to prove their worth.
Related Industries: Sportswear, Outdoor Equipment, Trade Services
The Lover
The Lover archetype can be sensual and soothing, seeking pleasure from the experience of intimacy. Some brands that relate to this are Victoria’s Secret and Chanel.
Related Industries: Cosmetics, Wine, Food, Travel
The Jester
The Jester archetype is the playful, fun-loving optimist. The Jester is all about living life in the moment and ensuring that the people they surround themselves with are as happy as they are. Some great examples of companies that utilize this persona are M&Ms, Old Spice, and Dollar Shave Club.
Related Industries: Beer/Liquor, Child Services
The Everyman
The Everyman archetype is authentically humble and friendly. They don’t like to stand out from the crowd, so they seamlessly blend in to society. They tend to be very positive due to their need to fit into a group. Target and Ikea are both great examples of brands that fall under the Everyman category.
Related Industries: Foods, Home & Family Life, Apparel, Automobile
The Caregiver
The Caregiver archetype has a warm and caring personality. They are often thought of as maternity figures due to their need to protect others. Toms and UNICEF both have brands that make them perfect caregivers.
Related Industries: Elder Care, Non-Profits, Hospitals, Education
The Ruler
The Ruler archetype has a very refined and commanding presence. Above everything else, the ruler needs control. They can be considered intimated at times due to their authoritative actions. These brands consider themselves to be the best of the best and want their customers to feel the same way. Mercedes-Benz and Rolex are both obvious Rulers in their industry.
Related Industries: Luxury Automotive, Watch Manufacturers, Hotels, Formal wear
The Creator
The Creator Architype tends to be provocative and inspirational, always wanting to create something incredible. Imagination and creative expression are two things they value the most. Lego, Apple, and Adobe are all great examples of creator brands.
Related Industries: Arts, Design, IT, Marketing, Writing
The Innocent
The Innocent archetype is always humble and honest. They have a positive view of life due to their inherent optimism. Companies like Dove and Aveeno would be considered Innocent brands.
Related Industries: Beauty & Skin products, Fresh Food, Cleaning Supplies
The Sage
The Sage archetype is knowledgeable and understanding. They seek truth above all else and want to share their knowledge with the world. Examples of sage-like bands would be Google and the University of Oxford.
Related Industries: Media & News, Schools & Universities, Educational Businesses, Search Engines
The Explorer
The Explorer Archetype is exciting and fearless. They have very daring personalities and don’t like to be pinned down. They love to push themselves out of their comfort zones and are on a constant road of discovery. Patagonia, North Face, and Jeep are all true Explorer brands to the core.
Related Industries: Extreme Sports, Outdoor equipment, Automotive, Travel
You may be wondering if your archetype is that of your customer or that of your brand, and the simple answer is both. Archetypes represent all personalities. First, we must figure out your customers’ personalities and then tailor your brand to the archetype that is most attractive to your customer base. Define your character and begin your story!
Top Reasons Why Great Copywriting Matters in Advertising
In a world where videos and photos are all but overtaking our collective attention spans, you might focus your marketing efforts more on painting a picture than you do crafting a beautiful sentence. After all, this is a common sentiment today.
But while design is one of the most aesthetically effective means of capturing an audience’s waning attention, you can’t discredit the power of storytelling and excellent copywriting altogether.
Here are our top three reasons why:
It Generates Influence
Perhaps a picture is worth a thousand words, but what is a social media post without its controversial caption?
What is a billboard without the few bold-print words that drive the brand’s story home with just a passing glance?
What is a beer commercial without the witty quips and jokes that actually manage to pull a chuckle from you?
In essence, how much emotional power are you relinquishing by not backing your brand image with creative copy?
“One of the most powerful things a copywriter can do is break down a reader’s guard with an unexpected approach,” Hubspot explains. “Every story has a myriad of angles — [their] job as a copywriter is to find the one that resonates.”
Visual imagery is integral within advertising but, without the right words to back it up, you’re losing out… on both impact and ROI.
It’s the Language of Audience Engagement
Particularly in a world that is becoming increasingly dependent upon digital interaction, your business’s success isn’t just about the leads that walk through the brick-and-mortar door — it’s also about the reputation you garner online through engagement.
Think about it: The nature of the feedback found in comment sections and reviews are capable of making or breaking some brands, as word of mouth is a powerful tool in the modern day and age. (Hello, earned media.)
Additionally, how you react to those messages — either in a DM or comment or through a larger, responsive campaign — contributes to this ongoing relationship between you and the consumer.
Thus, crafting copy that is specifically designed to appeal to your target audience through every step of the buyer’s journey is integral to your overall advertising strategy.
“In order to create copy that inspires … agency executives must conduct extensive research on how to craft a message that will resonate most,” according to Forbes. “This could range from creating buyer personas to determine the attitudes of those to whom the copy is catered, or speaking with emotion to build a deeper bond between company and consumer.”
It’s Your Brand and Your Story
When it comes to your specific brand, it’s worth asking: Who are you? And how do you want to be perceived by your audience and potential customers?
After all, it’s not all about buzzwords; rather, it’s about how you use both tone and voice to effectively communicate over time.
When you’re building your brand, you want to aim for authenticity and use the language that will best invoke your values and/or message. What’s more, you want that language to remain consistent across different platforms and copywriting mediums, thereby making you recognizable to consumers.
With “bad” or inconsistent copywriting, you might seem ingenuine or unfamiliar to your existing audience in new spaces. Worse, new customers might misinterpret your message, thereby feeling skeptical, let down, or as though they’ve been fed false promises through your use of language.
This is all to say, when an audience knows you, they can trust you and become repeat customers in the future. And the best way to be known? Is with strategic copywriting that is dedicated to consistent and comprehensive brand communication.
But if you don’t know where to begin crafting the right copy for your brand, don’t worry — Mad Men Marketing has got you covered!
Our research-driven agency consists of digital strategists and creative copywriting wordsmiths who specialize in optimizing your brand’s presence, be it online, through print collateral, or other traditional means of advertisement.
After all, we believe your copy should help you interact with your audience, not interrupt them.
So, are you ready to interact? If so, reach out to Mad Men Marketing today by calling 904-355-1766! We can help you grow your business through the innovative application of copywriting. You have our word.
Best Practices for a Creative and Productive Day!
As creators, we can’t always control our creative flow and, consequently, our productivity level. Fortunately for us, there are practices we can implement that just might increase creativity and production in our daily lives.
Here are a few that we recommend:
Get in Touch with Your Intuition
Albert Einstein called the intuition “a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance.” There are patterns in our daily lives, organic ways in which the world moves that we can tune into and harness for our own creations.
Tuning into this natural flow allows us to arrive at conclusions that just make sense. When you can’t find anything new in the patterns around you, ask questions about them. If this doesn’t work, it may be time to switch up your environment: go play.
Shake Up the Pattern
“Our brains are constantly changing, they’re adapting, they’re learning, they’re dynamic,” according to Dr. Sahar Yousef, a UC Berkeley-trained cognitive neuroscientist. “It’s truly a canvas, and you can change and manipulate, depending on what you’re exposing your brain to. You can create different associations.”
You don’t have to go as far as taking a vacation to the other side of the world, but maybe change up your routine a little bit: go for a jog before sunrise, take a drive through a different side of town, listen to a new artist or playlist. There are plenty of ways we can find new perspectives and patterns we never thought about before. Although these changes can spur creativity, it’s not always good for the production side of things.
Keep Your Work Area for Work
“What is important here is intentionality in the environments we choose to do specific types of activities,” Yousef says. So, while switching up your daily pattern can help spur creativity, keep your actual work area for focused productivity so that your brain doesn’t get confused.
When we start allowing copious amounts of emails, meetings, calls, or even meals to interrupt our productivity time, we are training our brains to multitask instead of focus on the task at hand. Set aside some time for these distractions outside of where you are productive so that when you get back to your productivity space, your brain knows it is time to focus.
Building Brand Emotion Through a Tagline
Does your brand connect with people emotionally? And If your brand was a person, how would you describe its personality to someone? These are important questions to ask. Your emotional connection with the consumer is integral when trying to establish your brand and identity.
There’s a difference between telling people who you think you are and inviting them into your story.
One great way to accomplish this is to create a “tagline.” A tagline is a concise statement that you can use to clearly explain what you offer or do.
That being said, a tagline is a bit different from a slogan. A slogan is typically a short catchy phrase used in a campaign, whereas a tagline tends to have a longer shelf life. It simply answers the question “What do you do?” or implies how the brand wants the customers to feel
Some of the most popular taglines are Nike’s “Just Do It,” McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It,” and Dunkin’s “America Runs on Dunkin’,” just to name a few. These are all successful taglines because they create a connection with the consumer.
Let’s take Dunkin’ for example. Their tagline makes an instant emotional connection with hardworking Americans who believe they need to be fueled throughout their day. This tagline is also included on or in almost all of their products and merchandise.
L’Oréal also does an impressive job of creating that emotional connection. “Because You’re Worth It” creates an emotional response by making it about the target audience and not the company itself.
Think about what the consumer feels and how you can make them feel appreciated.
Here are a few key suggestions when considering your brand’s tagline.
- Keep it short
- Make it memorable and easy to understand
- Make sure it flows with the name of the business
- Align it with your brand
- Showcase your brand’s key benefit(s)
- Encourage a positive reaction from your target audience.
And if crafting a tagline and subsequent marketing strategy is outside of your primary responsibilities or strengths, then it’s time to call in Mad Men Marketing!
As a full-service marketing agency offering a team of research strategists, creative experts, and social media aficionados, we’re ready and waiting to help you interact with your audience, not interrupt them.
So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact us today by calling 904-355-1766!
Parsing Through the Costs of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Originating as “Macy’s Christmas Day Parade” with live animals in 1924, the modern Macy’s Thanksgiving Day is a cherished hallmark of our country, garnering millions in both views and dollars every year.
Costing anywhere from $10 million to $13 million in production cost on an annual basis, families have a tradition of remaining glued to the TV as they watch wondrous floats followed by dizzying dancers and famous musical artists take spotlight after spotlight.
However, up until this year — when Peacock officially grabbed at the opportunity to be the one and only streaming platform to feature the parade — the event only aired on broadcast television, leaving marketers wondering whether it was worth the cost of sponsorship in a world that has been increasingly concerned with digital consumerism.
Our take on it? Absolutely, it still pays off. Here’s what to keep in mind:
The “Why”
Let’s face it: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is here to stay.
Most would agree that simply partaking in the parade is an honor, offering companies the opportunity to showcase their commitment to American ideals and unity. And what better way to boost your brand reputation than to contribute to a national sense of holiday joy?
But warm and fuzzy sentiments aside, the reason a company might choose to participate as a sponsor of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is simple: for the sheer amount of views they’ll amass.
This year, “NBC’s coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade drew a total of 25.4 million total viewers and a 6.4 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic on Thursday across the live broadcast and encore immediately after,” according to Deadline.
What’s more, with holiday shopping on the horizon for most households, even an ephemeral appearance of your brand’s logo on a float may be all it takes to plant a spending seed in the mind of your potential customers.
The “How Much”
As large companies generate considerable returns on their investment following the Thanksgiving Day Parade, it makes sense that many would clamor to purchase ad space while the renowned parade airs live.
“In 2019, the network generated an estimated $49.2 million in ad revenue from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, while The National Dog Show brought in $11.7 million and the prime-time NFL game … yielded $72.1 million,” as reported by AdWeek. “That’s close to $133 million in ad revenue for the three events.”
And comparing that to the aforementioned $13 million production price tag? Well, yeah, let’s just say that’s not bad at all.
That being said, for those looking to skip the traditional commercial ads and actually be recognized in one of the nation’s most beloved and non-controversial events of all time, businesses may also opt to sponsor the balloons themselves.
In fact, according to CBS News, brand new parade balloons cost sponsors approximately $200,000 each, or nearly $90,000 should they sponsor a returning balloon.
The Bottom Line
Okay, so maybe your business isn’t quite ready to tackle the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hold onto it as a big audacious goal of your own.
And if you’re ready to embark upon the journey that will carry you into the right direction of growth, Mad Men Marketing can help you get there!
After all, here at Mad Men Marketing, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And what better way to grow than to have measurable goals and research experts at your fingertips? From traditional marketing expertise to digital strategy, social media engagement and more, our team is ready and waiting to reach new heights of gratitude and success.
So, if you’re ready to learn more, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!