I have been doing a lot of branding projects and really been diving into Carl Jung’s 12 brand archetypes. There are a lot of frameworks for branding, but I’ve really found these archetypes to be a helpful way to look at your company and competitors from a strategic standpoint, and guide the direction for your messaging, look and feel.

An archetype is a template for a kind of personality for your brand. Personification can really help bring a brand to life. How should your brand look? Sound? Act? As well as how that personality is different from your competitors. Thinking of your brand in terms of a person makes everything a bit more clear.

So how do you know where you and your competitors fall? The first thing you have to know is how your customers see you and your competitors. How do they perceive you, how do they think about you, what do they look to you for. Another thing you can do to gauge your positioning is to study your competitor’s websites. What kind of language do they use? Do they claim to be the market leader? The partner? The successful underdog? How a brand talks about themself is a big indicator of the direction they are going. If your competitor doesn’t seem to have a common theme or thread, that tells you something too :)

Now, let’s look at the 12 archetypes:

The Hero

I feel like every brand WANTS to be the Hero, but not many actually are the Hero. The people’s champion, the change maker. They are bold, confident, and want to make a difference in the world.

Example: Nike

The Magician

The Magician is a dreamer. They have big ambitions, new ideas, they’re imaginative, they’re idealistic. They want to bring visions to life.

Example: Disney

The Outlaw

The Outlaw is the rebel of the group. They break rules, pave their own way and don’t care if people outside their group don’t like it. Fight the man, man.

Example: Harley-Davidson

The Explorer

The adventurous souls, the Explorers are all about experiences and discovery. They tend to be independent and individualistic, not always willing to conform to the norm.

Example: Patagonia

The Sage

The Sage is the source of knowledge. They are intelligent, thoughtful, and insightful. People turn to the Sage as their source of truth.

Example: Google

The Innocent

The Innocent strives to do good. They are moral, honest and optimistic, they often engage in causes and have strong values they believe in.

Example: Dove

The Creator

The Creator wants to enable people to be imaginative, creative, and inventive. They focus on products and services with enduring value that allow for individual expression.

Example: Crayola

The Ruler

The Ruler is all about control. They are the true market leader, the role model for all the other companies in their industry.

Example: Walmart

The Caregiver

Protecting others is the main goal of the Caregiver. They are nurturing, compassionate, caring and selfless. The Caregiver is a great partner in any business.

Example: Campbell’s Soup

The Everyman

The Everyman is all about belonging, being part of the group. The Everyman reiterates that they are just like their customers, they connect with them.

Example: Home Depot

The Jester

The funny guy of the group, the Jester has a sense of humor and wants to bring laughter to the world. They are light-hearted and fun.

Example: Old Spice

The Lover

The Lover is more intimate, passionate and warm. There is often a romantic component with the Lover. The brand usually evokes lust or passion.

Example: Godiva

Now what do we make of all this?

I want to reiterate that no archetype is better than the other. There is a place for everyone in the spectrum and your brand ultimately has to be an authentic representation of what you are. Many brands try to be the ruler or the hero, which could be true but is often not. The good thing is, when your competitors fight over a couple of archetypes and positions, it leaves huge gaps that your company can fill, where you can stand out.

One more fun thing I was thinking about with this is to consider what archetype your personal brand is. For me, I think I am the Magician. I have high ambitions, I have big goals and I go for them to make them a reality. I am idealistic, I often hear how not possible things are that I don’t see issues with, and sometimes don’t understand the obstacles others see.

So which one are you?