What are the archetypes? Where do they come from? And why are they of value to your organisation? If you want to be attractive as a brand, you can’t ignore a bit of psychology. It is not without reason that research shows that brands which resemble one of the 12 archetypes are many times more successful. These organisations exist longer and have more loyal customers. But why? We are happy to tell you!
What are Jung’s 12 archetypes?
Misschien heb je er weleens van gehoord, misschien ook niet. Wanneer je bouwt aan een merk, dan ga je altijd terug naar de kern. Je vraagt jezelf af waarom je doet wat je doet. De volgende vraag die je stelt is hoe die waarom zichtbaar wordt. Daarna is het van belang om die herkenbaarheid zichtbaar te houden voor de lange termijn. Om dit zichtbaar te maken worden de 12 brand archetypen van de Zwitserse psycholoog Carl Jung gebruikt. De brand archetypen worden ingezet om organisaties en merken te karakteriseren.
Maybe you have heard of it, maybe you have not. When you build a brand, you always go back to the core. You ask yourself why you do what you do. The next question you ask is how that why becomes visible. After that, it is important to keep that visibility for the long term. To make this visible, the 12 brand archetypes of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung are used. The brand archetypes are used to characterise organisations and brands.
Why characterise your brand?
The fact is that people make decisions based on emotions. We do this because we want to belong and feel safe. Sometimes we choose security, other times we choose adventure. Some people are real jokers and want to get the message across in a humorous way, while others want to get the message across in a magical way. By linking an archetype to your organisation, it is clear how your organisation wants to profile itself, both internally and externally. The archetypes provide insight into customer needs, what moves people and what motivates them. Subsequently, you can direct your communication in this way, so that you really attract customers who fit your brand. You can then match your corporate identity and web design to this. In this way, your customers will remain loyal for longer.
Our favourites Brand Archetypes
Although there are many different characters, Jung defined 12 primary archetypes. Each type has its own values, characteristics and meanings. In fact, they are like people. They stand for something, have dreams and have certain standards. If we had to choose two favourites, we would go for the Magician and the Jester.
The Magician, a.k.a. the Wizard
De Magician wordt ook wel de tovenaar genoemd. Hij gelooft niet in beperkingen en wil altijd het onmogelijke mogelijk maken. Met zijn toverstaf vindt hij altijd een weg en maakt hij dromen waar. Het omzetten van negativiteit naar positiviteit doet hij graag en ziet hij als hogere doel. Een Magician zorgt voor geluksmomenten. Merken die het archetype Magician hebben zijn Roll Royce, Efteling, Red Bull, Disnep en Axe.
The Jester, aka the Joker
The Jester goes for fun and laughter and is also called the comedian among the archetypes. Under the motto ‘you only live once’, he takes on challenges. With enough humour, he brings the message across in a playful way. One of the most important characteristics of the Joker is that he breaks taboos. He is the perfect match for expressions that are on the edge. Moreover, he is engaging, diplomatic and honest. Brands that have the Jester as their archetype are Ben&Jerry’s, Amstel, M&M’s and Nintendo.
What is your Brand Archetype?
It is important to remember that you do not choose an archetype just because you like the sound of it. The archetype that is your organisation should perfectly match your brand personality. We recommend using an external party to do this. If you research this from within the organisation, you will miss some crucial parts, because you are simply in the organisation and cannot look from the so-called helicopter view. However, you can ask colleagues where they see the organisation.
