Using Archetypes in Business

It doesn’t take long as a new entreprenuer to hear about the importance of branding. This not only refers to the visual elements of building a brand like your website, logo, colors, etc., but also to the emotional pull which prompts one to make a purchase from one brand versus another when all other things are reasonably equal.

Branding can also refer to archetype systems which are designed to help you better relate to your clients. These archetype systems are helpful because they help customers differentiate between products or services in the same category. Think about the candy you find at the supermarket.

If you’ve spent very long hours in business at all, you’ve no doubt heard about the importance of branding. This not only refers to the visual elements of building a brand like your website, logo, colors, etc., but to the emotional pull which prompts one to make a purchase from one brand versus another when all other things are reasonably equal.

Branding can also refer to archetype systems which are designed to help you better relate to your clients. These archetype systems are helpful because they help customers differentiate between products or services in the same category. Think about the candy you find at the supermarket.

If you have difficulty thinking about brands in this way, think instead about personality quizzes you might have taken – not for your brand, but for yourself. You have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ®, even if you aren’t familiar with the name. This widely popular personality test looks at the way a person uses their perception and judgment. It rates a person’s tendencies towards several different things, such as their introversion versus their extroversion, whether they tend to focus on basic (sensation) information versus interpreting information and adding meaning (intuition), how they make decisions (thinking vs. feeling), and whether they make decisions and stick to them or prefer to remain open to new information and options (judgment vs. perception). If that doesn’t sound familiar, the results are personality types like ‘ISTJ’ and ‘ENFP’. The test is so well-known and widely distributed that many outlets – from magazines to websites – have combined the 16 personality types with pop culture. (That’s right, with a little digging, you can find out which Disney or Harry Potter character you share a personality type with – exciting stuff!)

The use of branding archetypes operates on the same principle. People want to understand themselves and better understand others. The DiSC self-assessment is used exclusively to evaluate behavior to help individuals, teams, businesses, and organizations improve productivity, teamwork and communication. The questions in that inventory are meant to help people better understand themselves and adapt their behaviors with others. When everyone in a team is familiar with their results on this inventory, they are able to minimize conflicts and improve working relationships because everyone is on the same page and knows how to best interact with one another. This inventory has also been known to be used to develop stronger sales strategies and skills by identifying and responding to customer styles.

Using brand archetypes operates on the same wavelength. The fact is, using a brand archetype works, regardless of industry, because it allows companies to tap into the universal human needs which are true of all people. Examples of these needs include things like the need for understanding, the need for belonging, the need for enjoyment, the need for power, and the need for intimacy. What others can you imagine?

Want to Determine YOUR Archetype?

It’s important to know which archetype your brand most aligns with so you can best utilize marketing efforts. Here’s a breakdown of the most common ones:

The Hero

Those who identify with the hero archetype try to prove their worth through courageous and difficult action and exert their mastery in a way that truly makes the world a better place. These archetypes are known for trying to be as strong, competent, and powerful as they are capable of, but they should watch out. They can be seen as arrogant if they aren’t careful, and they shouldn’t try to create an enemy in every situation.

The Magician

Fundamentally, these people/brands want to understand the laws of how the world or universe works. Their goal is to make dreams come true! Their best strategy would be to develop vision and live it. Unfortunately, these people and brands can be viewed as becoming manipulative if they don’t watch how they portray themselves.

The Regular Guy/Girl

These brands and people desire fitting in and being ordinary. These “average Joe” types develop ordinary, solid virtues and do their best to blend in. What they need to do is avoid blending in too much and creating superficial rather than genuine connections.