The 20 brand archetypes

Anyone who’s delved deep into branding has probably eventually run into the concept of “brand archetypes,” popularized by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson in the book The Hero and The Outlaw.

The basic notion behind brand archetypes is that brands are a basic human social concept, and that the same patterns and ideas tend to repeat themselves over time, such that what we now consider “brands” are roughly equivalent to archetypal characters in literature, religion, folklore, mythology, etc. They’re a way for us to understand ourselves and affiliate with others, and by associating them with those common themes and characters, we can better understand how consumers connect with brands.

We’ve done archetype-based branding exercises with a number of clients based on the Pearson system, and each time there’s been a sense of revelation and excitement about their new understanding of the relationship between their brand and its consumers.

But then it started to suck…

As we continued to use the Pearson system, we came up against certain obstacles. We found some archetypes to be overly general, and thought they should be split up. We found other archetypes that seemed like they were superfluous and should be combined with others. Sometimes we’d be frustrated that the archetype should have been finding didn’t actually exist (according to Pearson’s breakdown).

In short, the 12 Pearson Archetypes weren’t working well for us.

We struggled with this concept for a while. The Pearson system was relatively well established, and used by many other branding agencies, so it seemed to have that in its favor. On the other hand, it was tempting to either switch to another system or start over entirely to get away from some of the concerns that had been nagging us with each project.

Finding new archetypes

Finally we decided: rather than just tweak a system that (for us at least) was broken, the best way to come up with the right system for Forty was to do it from scratch. We had a solid understanding of the conceptual foundation of archetypal branding, and had confidence that we could do this on our own, regardless of what system anyone else was using.

Our first step was to gather raw archetypes from as many sources as we could. We begin reviewing a variety of fields, including literature, religion, mythology, folklore, video games, movies, comics, cartoons, contemporary fiction, role-playing games, etc. We came up with hundreds of common character archetypes that together formed a reasonable cross-section of the universal characters in human culture. (Please note that this was a non-scientific process, so don’t base your doctoral thesis on it or anything.)

Then, we started performing clustering exercises, asking participants to combine these characters into groups to help us determine where the overlaps occurred. Every participant had a different take on it, but in aggregate we were able to find correlation patterns between individual characters that enabled us to isolate the universal archetypes.

The 20 universal brand archetypes

When we spread out the data in the conference room and began the process of isolating universal archetypes, the data seemed to jump off the page. We spent some time trying to figure out how best to identify each archetype with a name that would make sense, but the actual isolation process went pretty quickly.

Based on our own research and process–your mileage may vary–we came up with a set of 20 universal brand archetypes that we feel very comfortable with.

Here they are, with some rough additional explanations:

MAVERICK (Rebel, Outlaw, Rogue)

• Brands: Harley Davidson, Virgin, MTV, Rimmel, Steve Madden, Urban Outfitters, Orbit
• People: Henry David Thoreau, Sid Vicious, George Washington
• Goal/method: To achieve freedom from the establishment through defiance, disobedience, and nonconformity.

EVERYMAN (Good Old Boy, Girl Next Door, Average Joe)

• Brands: Miller High Life, Sonic, Walmart, Lowe’s, Walgreens, Southwest, Visa, Covergirl, Hollister
• People: Jack Black, Homer Simpson, Tom Hanks, Princess Diana
• Goal/method: To bond with others by being humble, hard-working, and friendly

INNOCENT (Saint, Goody-Two-Shoes, Angel)

• Brands: IKEA, Google, Apple, Dove, Lysol, Master Card, Aveda
• People: Mr. Rogers, Gandhi, Boy Scouts, Oprah
• Goal/method: To achieve a simple, pure life by always doing the right thing

ENTERTAINER (Clown, Jester, Performer)

• Brands: Budweiser, Fanta, Jack in the Box, Hulu, Woot.com, Taco Bell, Doritos
• People: Robin Williams, Bob Hope, Jeff Foxworthy
• Goal/method: To make friends (and avoid making enemies) through humor and fun

VILLAIN (Bad Guy, Monster, Vampire)

• Brands: Megadeth, Hot Topic, LA Ink
• People: Marilyn Manson, Darth Vader, Dr. Horrible
• Goal/method: To satisfy internal drives or passions through whatever means necessary

INTELLECTUAL (Sage, Genius, Expert)

• Brands: Ask.com, CNN, Gallup, MIT, Harvard, CIA, Bloomberg
• People: Stephen Hawking, Marie Curie, Ken Jennings
• Goal/method: To find the truth through research, objectivity, and diligence

SENSUALIST (Hedonist, Pleasure Seeker)

• Brands: Victoria’s Secret, BMW, Godiva, Versace, Food Network, Nivea, Sephora
• People: Madonna, Jane Austen, Dracula
• Goal/method: To pursue perfect enjoyment through physical experiences

SERVANT (Martyr, Slave, Monk)

• Brands: Red Cross, Amnesty International, Peace Corps, Humane Society, Police Department
• People: Mother Theresa, Pat Tillman
• Goal/method: To lose yourself through service to others

TRADITIONALIST (Conservative, Old School, Miser)

• Brands: Old Spice, Wendy’s, Procter & Gamble, Wells Fargo, Folger’s, GAP
• People: Norman Rockwell, Ronald Reagan
• Goal/method: To restore the world through a return to old-fashioned values

NURTURER (Mom, Mother Earth, Healer)

• Brands: Campbell’s, Pampers, Volvo, Johnson & Johnson, Loreal, Allstate
• People: June Cleaver, Paula Deen
• Goal/method: To help others feel loved by providing for their needs and wants

CONNECTOR (Networker, Politician, Talker)

• Brands: AT&T, Verizon, Facebook, Linkedin
• People: Oprah, Donald Trump
• Goal/method: To make things happen by knowing the right people

ARTIST (Creative, Creator, Craftsman)

• Brands: hp, Adobe, Lego, Home Depot, Michael’s, Black and Decker, HGTV
• People: Beethoven, Salvador Dali, William Shakespeare, Bob Villa
• Goal/method: To create something of enduring beauty and value

PHILOSOPHER (Sage, Prophet, Guru)

• Brands: Scientology, Calvin Klein, Nikon
• People: Plato, Deepak Chopra, Paulo Coelho
• Goal/method: To help people understand the world by seeing things from a different perspective.

DREAMER (Magician, Sorcerer, Wizard)

• Brands: Disney, Axe, Rock Band
• People: Tim Burton, Carlos Castaneda, Steven Spielberg, Harry Potter
• Goal/method: To help people achieve supernatural experiences by promoting faith and wonder (transformation).

MOTIVATOR (Mentor, Preacher, Promoter)

• Brands: Truth, (RED), Electronic Frontier Foundation, MoveOn.org
• People: Tony Robbins, Barack Obama, Richard Simmons
• Goal/method: To achieve amazing goals by getting people excited about a cause

RULER (King, Leader, Father)

• Brands: Microsoft, Rolex, Gillette, The New York Times, Jack Daniel’s
• People: Steve Jobs, Franklin Roosevelt, Moses
• Goal/method: To lead people to a common destination through confidence, determination, and influence

EXPLORER (Seeker, Wanderer)

• Brands: North Face, Pier One, Jeep, Greyhound, Subaru, Starbucks
• People: Christopher Columbus, Jacques Cousteau, Steve Irwin
• Goal/method: To learn what’s constant in life by always changing your environment

DEFENDER (Knight, Superhero, Warrior)

• Brands: U.S. Army, Greenpeace, Marlboro, Dial, Band aid
• People: Batman, George S. Patton, John Wayne
• Goal/method: To protect others from harm through bravery and service

THRILL-SEEKER (Gambler, Swashbuckler, Adventurer)

• Brands: X Games, Mountain Dew, Chrysler Crossfire, Carnival Cruise Ships, New Zealand, Camelback
• People: Richard Branson, Ben Saunders, Errol Flynn
• Goal/method: To achieve great rewards through great risks

ACHIEVER (Athlete, Hot Shot, Strongman)

• Brands: Nike, Ford, Home Depot, Adidas, Under Armor
• People: Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods
• Goal/method: To prove yourself through amazing physical acts

There’s more coming soon….

These are still very rough, and we’re working on sorting out many of the subtleties, but we wanted to at least get the information out there in case anyone else finds it useful or interesting. We’ll be continuing to explore this concept, so be sure to register for updates at Brand Metaphors to be notified when we’ve got some juicy new information available.