What is your Brand Personality? Choosing a Brand Archetype

When it comes to choosing your brand archetype, it's important to consider your company's values, goals, and target audience. You want to choose an archetype that not only embodies your brand but also resonates with your audience. Once you have chosen your archetype, focus on aligning your messaging, branding, and marketing efforts with the characteristics of your chosen archetype to create a cohesive and compelling brand identity.

Here are the details of the 12 archetypes to consider.

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN MIND & SOUL

The Innocent

**Simple, pure, optimistic, and honest**
Represents simplicity, purity, trust and optimism. They value honesty and transparency, and their messaging is often direct and straightforward. Their goal is to experience paradise.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Coca-Cola, Dove, Aveeno, The Honest Company
**BRAND VOICE:** Honest, Optimistic, Simplified

The Explorer

**Adventurous, independent, and seeks new experiences**
Represents adventure and independence. They value new experiences and discovery, and their messaging is often focused on pushing boundaries and exploring the unknown.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** The North Face, Jeep
**BRAND VOICE:** Guiding, Fearless, Daring

The Sage

**Wise, knowledgeable, and analytical**.
Represents wisdom and knowledge. They value analysis and critical thinking, and their messaging is often thoughtful and insightful.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Google, The Economist, BBC
**BRAND VOICE:** Knowledgeable, trustworthy, assured

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN LEGACY

The Hero

**Courageous, determined, and inspiring**
Represents courage and determination. They value strength and perseverance, and their messaging is often focused on overcoming challenges and achieving success. They never quit.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Nike, FedEx, Adidas, Gatorade
**BRAND VOICE:** Honest, Brave, Grit

The Rebel

**Bad-ass, unconventional, and challenges authority**
Represents rebellion and nonconformity. They value freedom and individuality, and their messaging is often provocative and challenging.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Harley Davidson, Vice, Vans, Virgin
**BRAND VOICE:** Rebellious, Risk-taking, Disruptive

The Magician

**Visionary, transformative, and spiritual**
Represents transformation and spirituality. They value vision and imagination, and their messaging is often focused on the power of the mind and the ability to create change.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Disney, Dyson, Tesla
**BRAND VOICE:** Mystical, Informed, Encouraging

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN CONNECTION

The Everyperson

**Genuine, honest, and trustworthy**
Represents genuineness and authenticity. They value honesty and simplicity, and their messaging is often relatable and down-to-earth.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Ikea, Target, McDonalds
**BRAND VOICE:** Authentic, Friendly, Simple

The Lover

**Passionate, romantic, and sensual**
Represents passion and sensuality. They value emotional connection and intimacy, and their messaging is often romantic and seductive.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, Baileys
**BRAND VOICE:** Sensual, Intimate, Soothing

The Jester

**Playful, humorous, and irreverent**
Represents playfulness and humor. They value fun and lightheartedness, and their messaging is often entertaining and irreverent.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Dollar Shave Club, Skittles, Old Spice
**BRAND VOICE:** Playful, Fun, Happy

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN STRUCTURE

The Creator

**Imaginative, innovative, and artistic**
Represents imagination and innovation. They value creativity and self-expression, and their messaging is often focused on the power of ideas and the ability to bring them to life.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Apple, Lego, Adobe
**BRAND VOICE:** Inspirational, authentic, provocative

The Ruler

**Powerful, influential, and confident**
Represents power and authority. They value control and influence, and their messaging is often focused on leadership and dominance.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** Rolex, Mercedes Benz, American Express
**BRAND VOICE:** Commanding, Articulate, Respected

The Caregiver

**Compassionate, nurturing, and helpful**
Represents compassion and support. They value empathy and nurturing, and their messaging is often focused on helping others and making a difference.
**EXAMPLE BRANDS:** UNICEF, Johnson & Johnson, Habitat for Humanity, Toms
**BRAND VOICE:** Caring, Reassuring, Positive

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My audience feels/wants: Often brands will focus too much on who they are vs. what their customer wants. Here we want you to keep your brand in mind, but really think about your customer. What do they feel or want?

Which archetypes represent the desire you want to evoke + how I will deliver that to them: Look through the archetypes and find one that stands out. Can’t pick just one? You can select up to three but only if needed!

Prioritize your archetypes: If you have chosen more than one, you will need to prioritize. It’s impossible to communicate all in one - that’s what you might refer to as a “multiple personality” and as you can imagine, it would be confusing when the message hits the customer. We recommend 80/20 or 70/20/10 splits.

Create your brand personality: Based on what you have chosen begin to create a personality. In some cases, if you have chosen just one, the archetype can be your personality. If you are combining, you’ll want to modify your description to encompass all. Below are some examples.

What is your Brand Personality? Choosing a Brand Archetype

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN MIND & SOUL

The Innocent

Simple, pure, optimistic, and honest

Represents simplicity, purity, trust and optimism. They value honesty and transparency, and their messaging is often direct and straightforward. Their goal is to experience paradise.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Coca-Cola, Dove, Aveeno, The Honest Company

BRAND VOICE: Honest, Optimistic, Simplified

The Explorer

Adventurous, independent, and seeks new experiences

Represents adventure and independence. They value new experiences and discovery, and their messaging is often focused on pushing boundaries and exploring the unknown.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: The North Face, Jeep

BRAND VOICE: Guiding, Fearless, Daring

The Sage

Wise, knowledgeable, and analytical.

Represents wisdom and knowledge. They value analysis and critical thinking, and their messaging is often thoughtful and insightful.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Google, The Economist, BBC

BRAND VOICE: Knowledgeable, trustworthy, assured

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN LEGACY

The Hero

Courageous, determined, and inspiring

Represents courage and determination. They value strength and perseverance, and their messaging is often focused on overcoming challenges and achieving success. They never quit.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Nike, FedEx, Adidas, Gatorade

BRAND VOICE: Honest, Brave, Grit

The Rebel

Bad-ass, unconventional, and challenges authority

Represents rebellion and nonconformity. They value freedom and individuality, and their messaging is often provocative and challenging.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Harley Davidson, Vice, Vans, Virgin

BRAND VOICE: Rebellious, Risk-taking, Disruptive

The Magician

Visionary, transformative, and spiritual

Represents transformation and spirituality. They value vision and imagination, and their messaging is often focused on the power of the mind and the ability to create change.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Disney, Dyson, Tesla

BRAND VOICE: Mystical, Informed, Encouraging

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN CONNECTION

The Everyperson

Genuine, honest, and trustworthy

Represents genuineness and authenticity. They value honesty and simplicity, and their messaging is often relatable and down-to-earth.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Ikea, Target, McDonalds

BRAND VOICE: Authentic, Friendly, Simple

The Lover

Passionate, romantic, and sensual

Represents passion and sensuality. They value emotional connection and intimacy, and their messaging is often romantic and seductive.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Victoria’s Secret, Chanel, Baileys

BRAND VOICE: Sensual, Intimate, Soothing

The Jester

Playful, humorous, and irreverent

Represents playfulness and humor. They value fun and lightheartedness, and their messaging is often entertaining and irreverent.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Dollar Shave Club, Skittles, Old Spice

BRAND VOICE: Playful, Fun, Happy

ARCHETYPES ROOTED IN STRUCTURE

The Creator

Imaginative, innovative, and artistic

Represents imagination and innovation. They value creativity and self-expression, and their messaging is often focused on the power of ideas and the ability to bring them to life.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Apple, Lego, Adobe

BRAND VOICE: Inspirational, authentic, provocative

The Ruler

Powerful, influential, and confident

Represents power and authority. They value control and influence, and their messaging is often focused on leadership and dominance.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: Rolex, Mercedes Benz, American Express

BRAND VOICE: Commanding, Articulate, Respected

The Caregiver

Compassionate, nurturing, and helpful

Represents compassion and support. They value empathy and nurturing, and their messaging is often focused on helping others and making a difference.

EXAMPLE BRANDS: UNICEF, Johnson & Johnson, Habitat for Humanity, Toms

BRAND VOICE: Caring, Reassuring, Positive

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