Are You a Hero or an Outlaw? Simple Guide to Master the Brand Archetypes

21 min readAug 28, 2023

Can brands be associated with gender identities? Absolutely. Marlboro takes on a masculine identity, while Chanel embodies femininity. Can brands possess distinct personalities? Indeed. Nike represents heroism, Harley Davidson channels rebellious outlaw vibes, and Disney casts a magical persona, among others.

Great! Then how can we make sure we don’t lose our way when building a brand? The short answer is start with the brand archetypes.

BRAND ARCHETYPES

In marketing and branding, creating a lasting impression is key to standing out from the noise. For this you’ll definitely need a distinct personality for your brand — a character that your audience could instantly connect with. This is where brand archetypes come into play. Derived from the profound theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, brand archetypes leverage ancient, ingrained symbols to define a brand’s values, personality, and essence.

At its core, a brand archetype is like a well-defined character archetype, one that people intuitively understand due to its universal presence in stories and human experiences. By aligning your brand with a specific archetype, you’re essentially giving it a human-like persona that resonates with your target audience.

Brand archetypes offer a captivating and effective approach to branding that speaks directly to the human psyche. By harnessing the power of universally recognized symbols and traits, brands can create deep emotional connections, stand out in a crowded marketplace, and leave an indelible mark on their audience. So, which archetype will you choose to bring your brand’s story to life?

THE INNOCENT

Motto: “Free to be you and me.”
Core desire: to experience paradise
Goal: to be happy
Fear: doing something wrong or bad that will provoke punishment
Strategy: do things right
Trap: can easily be crushed when confronted with harsh reality
Gift: faith and optimism

The Innocent in each of us wants to live in that perfect land where we are “free to be you and me.” The promise of the Innocent is that life does not need to be hard. You are free to be yourself and to live out your best values right now, right here, just by following simple guidelines.

Of all the archetypes, the Innocent has the most levels, because people experience it at both the beginning and the end of the journey. Initially the Innocent has a childlike quality of naiveté and a simple, even unconscious, dependence. At the highest level, the Innocent is the mystic.

Even in a more materialistic and competitive society, the Innocent archetype is associated with simple pleasures, basic values, and a wholesomeness that make it the meaning of choice for natural and other domestic products.

The poet W.H. Auden wrote that people come in two varieties: Utopians, who imagine the perfect world in the future, and Edenists, who, if life is not perfect now, believe it once was in the past. Innocent ads, then, often appeal to nostalgia.

The Innocent archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Provide a relatively simple answer to an identifiable problem;
Associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, nostalgia, or childhood;
Priced moderate to low;
Have functions associated with cleanliness, health, or virtue — and that are infinitely replicable;
Desire to differentiate from a product with a tarnished image.

Let’s watch the perfect Innocent campaign by Dove.

THE SAGE

Motto: “The truth will set you free.”
Core desire: the discovery of truth
Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world
Fear: ignorance
Strategy: become self-reflective and understand thinking processes
Trap: can study issues forever and never act
Gift: wisdom and intelligence

Sages have their own way of finding paradise. Their faith is in the capacity of humankind to learn and grow in ways that allow us to create a better world. In the process, they want to be free to hold their own opinions.

Sage brands promise that they can help you discriminate better and think more effectively. More typically, Sage marketing is dignified and subdued, with an elite air to it. The message is “Not very many people are smart enough to be here.”

The temple of the Sage archetype has to be either the library or the bookstore. The Sage organization typically has a very decentralized structure, emphasizing the development of expertise rather than control. Employees are expected to know what they are doing and therefore are free to make autonomous decisions.

When the Sage is dominant in someone’s character, learning is a compelling motivator. The accompanying fear is of being duped by misinformation and therefore misinterpreting data or a situation. At worst, the Sage is dogmatic, arrogant, and opinionated. At best, he or she becomes a genuinely original thinker and achieves real wisdom.

The Sage archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Provides expertise or information to your customers;
Encourages customers or clients to think;
Based on a new scientific breakthrough or esoteric knowledge;
The quality of the brand is supported by hard data;
Differentiate the product from others whose quality or performance is questionable.

Now, please watch the following video and see my comments later.

If you noticed, even though the Valentine’s Day dedicated video is about love the sage-mindset is evident in every interaction. That’s very crucial moment in terms of understanding the brand archetypes.

THE EXPLORER

Motto: “Don’t Fence Me In.”
Core desire: to find out who you are through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Fear: getting trapped, conforming, inner emptiness, nonbeing
Strategy: seek out and experience new things via journey
Trap: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Gift: autonomy, ambition, ability to be true to one’s own soul

While The Innocent expects to be able to live in paradise, as a right or by virtue of a shift in consciousness, the Explorer goes out seeking a better world. The journey Explorers are experiencing is simultaneously inner and outer, because they are motivated by a deep desire to find what, in the outer world, fits with their inner needs, preferences, and hopes. Unlike the Hero, they don’t wait around for an inciting incident to drive them to action. They are ready, set, go all the time.

Explorers seek authenticity in their lives and are always curious about the world. They want to delve deep into the stories, people and places they encounter to get to the heart of it all.

Today the Explorer can sit at home alone and surf the net, exploring not so much physically, but through a whole world of information. Amazon.com’s name calls up the image of sailing the Amazon River as you actually sit comfortably in your home.

On the other hand, the Explorer can be too independent and reject the support or help of loved ones, which means they sometimes feel isolated and alone. It can be hard for the Explorer to let people in and join them as they blaze a path through life. They struggle in situations where they’re supposed to obey the “rules” or conform to a prescribed identity.

The Explorer archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Help people feel free;
Sturdy on the road, or in dangerous settings or occupations;
Sell product that can be purchased from a catalogue, the Internet, or another alternative source;
Sell product that helps people express their individuality;
Offer product that can be purchased and consumed “on the go”;
Seek to differentiate your brand from a more conformist brand.

THE OUTLAW

Motto: “Rules are meant to be broken.”
Core desire: revenge or revolution
Goal: destroy what is not working for the Outlaw or the society
Fear: being powerless, trivialised, inconsequential
Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock
Trap: to go over to the dark side, criminality
Gift: outrageousness, radical freedom

While the Hero wants to be admired, the Outlaw is satisfied to be feared. At least, fear implies power of some sort.

Both the Hero and the Outlaw feel anger. The Hero takes action when he or she is outraged by injustice. The Outlaw’s anger tends to be provoked by being slighted as a person.

The natural habitat for the Outlaw is places that are hidden and shadowy — out of the way.

Outlaw brands have a complicated role. They can reinforce soulless, cynical behaviors when values are absent. But they can also assist in bringing down an oppressive establishment, help to open and ease social restrictions, or serve as a safety valve that allows people to let off steam, thus protecting the status quo.

While the Explorer also stands at the edges of society, Explorers just want to be free. By contrast, the Outlaw actually wants to disrupt things, shock people, ferment a revolution, get away with something, or just feel the excitement of being a little bit “bad.” The Explorer is lonely and seeks his or her identity. The Outlaw feels helpless and seeks the experience of power, even if only in the ability to shock or defy others.

The Outlaw archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Provide a relatively simple answer to an identifiable problem;
Associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, nostalgia, or childhood;
Priced moderate to low;
Have functions associated with cleanliness, health, or virtue — and that are infinitely replicable;
Produced by a company with straight-arrow core values;
Desire to differentiate from a product with a tarnished image.

The following TV commercial by Diesel must be the teaching material at every marketing academies when explaining the Outlaw archetype.

THE MAGICIAN

Motto: “It can happen!”
Core desire: to know the fundamental laws of how the universe works
Goal: make dreams come true
Fear: unanticipated negative consequences
Strategy: develop vision and live it
Trap: becoming manipulative
Gift: finding win-win outcomes

Magical people often have dreams that other people see as impossible, yet it is the essence of magic to have a vision and then walk right into it. When things go wrong, they look inward to change themselves, then the outer world changes as well. Trusting synchronicity, they expect that if they do their part, the universe will meet them.

The spirit of the Magician is easily evoked when the product has exotic or ancient origins or if it involves some special ritual. The Magician is also a great brand identity for corporate change strategies, miracle drugs, herbal remedies, spas, exotic travel, and, of course, any product or service that directly affects consciousness.

The Magician can be known as the visionary, catalyst, innovator, charismatic leader, mediator, shaman, healer, or medicine man or woman.
When the Magician archetype is active in individuals, they are catalysts for change. To the Magician, consciousness precedes existence. Therefore, if you want to change your world, you begin with changing your own attitudes and behavior. Such people also typically understand at a deep level how consciousness works, so they are able to influence others in highly effective ways and therefore they make very strong in charismatic politicians and business leaders.

The Magician archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

The product or service is transformative;
Its implicit promise is to transform the customer;
It appeals to New Age consumers or cultural creatives;
It helps to expand or extend consciousness;
It is a user-friendly technology;
It has a spiritual or psychological component;
It is a new and very contemporary product;
It is medium to high priced.

THE HERO

Motto: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Desire: Prove one’s worth through courageous and difficult action
Goal: exert mastery in a way that improves the world
Fear: weakness, vulnerability, “wimping out”
Strategy: become as strong and competent as you are capable of being
Trap: arrogance, developing a need for there always to be an enemy
Gifts: competence and courage

Everything seems lost, but then the Hero rides over the hill and saves the day. There are infinite variations on this story, but in every one the Hero triumphs over evil, adversity, or a major challenge, and in so doing, inspires us all.

The natural environment for the Hero is the battlefield, the athletic contest, the streets, the workplace, the political jungle, or anyplace where difficulty or challenges await courageous and energetic action.
The Hero wants to make the world a better place. His or her underlying fear is failing to have what it takes to persevere and prevail. This archetype helps us develop energy, discipline, focus, and determination.

Heroes pride themselves on discipline, focus, and an ability to make tough choices. They are the instinctive protectors of those they see as innocent, fragile, or legitimately unable to help themselves. All others, they prefer to shape up.

At their worst, Heroes become arrogant or bullying, or they drive themselves into an early grave. At their best, they accomplish great things.
Paradoxically, Heroes do not think of themselves as Heroes, because to do so seems presumptuous. More typically, they see themselves as just doing their jobs.

The Hero archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Have an invention or innovation that will have a major impact on the world;
Helps people perform at their upper limit;
Addressing a major social problem and asking people to step up to demand;
Have a clear opponent or competitor they want to beat;
Are the underdog and want to rival the competition;
Their customer base identifies itself as good, moral citizens.

THE LOVER

Motto: “I only have eyes for you.”
Core desire: attain intimacy and experience sensual pleasure
Goal: being in a relationship with people and experiences they love
Fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved
Strategy: become more and more attractive physically and emotionally
Trap: doing anything and everything to attract and please others
Gifts: passion, gratitude, appreciation, commitment

Any brand that implicitly promises beauty and sexual appeal is a Lover brand.

The Lover archetype governs all sorts of human love, from parental love, to friendship, to spiritual love, but it is most important to romantic love.

The Lover archetype also awakens people’s aesthetic appreciation. Suddenly beauty matters — whether it is a natural scene, the ambience of an elegant restaurant, or just the right pair of shoes. Similarly, the senses are heightened, and people take time to savour gourmet food, smell the lilacs, listen to a beautiful melody, and watch the sun go down.

The archetypal plot that grabs attention is deeper than the most frequent commercial message. The archetype does not say that the new hairstyle, outfit, car, or plastic surgery will get you the love of your life. What that archetypal plot says is that it will do so if the change reveals the real beauty of your nature.

The Lover wants a deeper kind of connection — one that is intimate, genuine, and personal. Such forms of connection whether with lovers, friends, or family members — require much greater knowledge, honesty, vulnerability, and passion than the cooler connectivity of the Regular Guy.

The Lover archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Helps people find love or friendship;
Fosters beauty, communication, or closeness between people or is associated with sexuality or romance;
If it is produced or sold by a company with an intimate, elegant organisational culture, as opposed to a massive Ruler hierarchy;
Needs to differentiate itself in a positive way from lower priced brands.

How does the Lover TVC look like? Here is the my most favourite one!

THE JESTER

Motto: “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”
Core desire: live in the moment with full enjoyment
Goal: have a great time and lighten up the world
Fear: boredom or being boring
Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny
Trap: frittering away one’s life
Gift: joy

The Jester archetype includes the clown, the trickster, and anyone at all who loves to play and enjoy life. While it is possible to have fun alone, the Jester calls us to come out and play with one another.

The Jester as rule-breaker has a long, honourable history. Mediaeval kings often had fools who not only lightened up the court, but also told the king truths others would be executed for telling. The Jester, therefore, acted as a kind of safety valve for the kingdom.

Jester ads often cause us to laugh at situations that would ordinarily be sad, not humorous like the comic slipping on a banana peel. The Jester also promises that activities which might ordinarily be seen as tedious or boring can be fun.

Jesters most helpful in dealing with the absurdities of the modern world and with faceless present-day bureaucracies, partly because they take everything lightly and partly because they are happiest when breaking the rules.

Jesters dislike party poopers, people who are overly earnest, and those who are lacking in humour. A downside of the Jester, therefore, can be a tendency to play through life without grappling with issues or thinking things through.

The Jester archetype helps us really live life in the present and allows us to be impulsive and spontaneous.

The Jester archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Helps people belong or feel that they belong;
Helps people have a good time;
With pricing that is moderate to low;
Need to be differentiated from a self-important, overconfident established brand.

THE EVERYMAN

Motto: “All men and women are created equal.”
Core desire: connection with others
Goal: to belong, fit in
Fears: standing out and being exiled or rejected as a result
Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, the common touch, blend in
Trap: give up self to blend in, in exchange for a superficial connection
Gift: realism, empathy, lack of pretense

The Regular Guy demonstrates the virtues of simply being an ordinary person, just like others. The Regular Guy may also be known as the good old boy, everyman, the common man, the realist, the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbor.

There is a complete absence of artifice in this archetype, as there is a kind of levelling tendency. For example, simply asking for a beer at a party (versus, say, an Absolut on the rocks), choosing to invite a client for a run in the park instead of a power lunch, or wearing your Tevas to work even though you are a Silicon Valley millionaire immediately signals that you value the Everyman principle and lets your Regular Guy colours fly.
Regular Guy brands also reassure people that they are OK just as they are.
The Regular Guy is unfailingly frugal, whether or not he or she has money.
The natural meeting place for Regular Guys is neither the home nor the workplace. Historically, people met in public spaces that were conducive to conversation about things of general interest — sports, politics, light gossip, or the weather.

To the Ruler, the logo speaks of status. To the Explorer, the logo may be a statement about identity. To the Regular Guy, the logo is a means of affiliating, a way of demonstrating your connection with others who use that product and identify with its brand meaning.

The Everyman archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Helps people belong or feel that they belong;
Used commonly in everyday life;
With pricing that is moderate to low;
Produced or sold by a company with a down-home organisational culture;
That want to differentiate themselves in a positive way from a higher priced or more elitist brand.

THE CAREGIVER

Motto: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Desire: protect people from harm
Goal: to help others
Fear: selfishness, ingratitude
Strategy: do things for others
Trap: martyrdom of self, entrapment of others
Gift: compassion, generosity

The Caregiver is an altruist, moved by compassion, generosity, and a desire to help others. The Caregiver fears instability and difficulty not so much for him or herself, but for their impact on people who are less fortunate or resilient.

For the Caregivers the meaning in life is giving to others. Therefore, the worst fear is that something will happen to a loved one — and on the Caregiver’s watch.

Many people today identify caregiving relationships as providing experiences so real that, in contrast to more shallow pursuits, they are what make life worth living.

At their worst, these brands skim the surface of the Caregiver stereotype. At their best, they convey the essential qualities of the caregiving relationship:

Empathy: seeing and feeling things from another’s perspective, not just our own
Communication: listening to what they say, what they don’t say, and especially, what they mean
Consistency: wholesale, reliable, unquestioning commitment
Trust: the bedrock of true attachment.

The Caregiver archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Provide support to families (from fast food to minivans) or that are associated with nurturance (such as cookies);
Service in the health care, education, and other caregiving fields (including politics);
Help people stay connected with and care about one another;
Help people care for themselves;
Support non-profit causes and charitable activities.

THE RULER

Motto: ‘‘Power isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.’’
Desire: control
Goal: create a prosperous, successful family, company, or community
Strategy: exert leadership
Fear: chaos, being overthrown
Trap: being bossy, authoritarian
Gift: responsibility, leadership

The Ruler knows that the best thing to do to avoid chaos is to take control. While Innocents assume that others will protect them, the Ruler has no such faith. Gaining and maintaining power is therefore a primary motivation.

To the Ruler, it is the best way to keep oneself and one’s family and friends safe.

Impressive possessions and surroundings are desirable because they provide the trappings of power. Ruler environments are therefore substantial and impressive — think buildings with big columns and plenty of scale. Materials are meant to last and suggest timelessness — like granite or concrete, fine panelling, and heavy draperies.

People with high Ruler archetype tendencies are concerned with issues of image, status, and prestige — not because they are superficial, but because they understand how the way things look can enhance power.
At their best, Rulers are motivated by a desire to help the world. At their worst, they are just domineering or controlling.

The Ruler archetype likes hierarchical organizations because, in them, you know where you stand, your role is clearly defined and tells you what you are supposed to do. You know who reports to you and who your boss is.
The Ruler typically, is extremely responsible and juggling many important responsibilities. Ruler products help them be managed in an expedient way and also reaffirm the customer’s power and status.

The Ruler archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Have a high-status and used by powerful people to enhance their power;
Help people be more organised;
Can offer a lifetime guarantee;
With a regulatory or protective function;
Offer moderate to high price range;
Is relatively stable or a product that promises safety and predictability in a chaotic world.

While undisputedly the top of the food chain, the strongest alpha animal is prone to bad days. The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class with Energizing Comfort Control has the ability to tame any lion.

THE CREATOR

Motto: “If it can be imagined, it can be created.”
Desire: create something of enduring value
Goal: give form to a vision
Fear: having a mediocre vision or execution
Strategy: develop artistic control and skill
Task: create culture, express own vision
Trap: perfectionism, miscreation
Gift: creativity and imagination

Creator brands are inherently nonconformist. The Creator is not about fitting in, but about self-expression. Authentic creation requires an unfettered mind and heart.

Creator spaces include workshops, kitchens, gardens, social clubs, and workplaces — any place creative projects take place.

When the Creator archetype is active in individuals, they often are compelled to create or innovate — anything else and they feel stifled. Authenticity will seem extremely essential to them, as great art and society-changing inventions typically emerge out of the depth of soul or unfettered curiosity of someone who, in many ways, is a cultural pioneer. Indeed, artists typically see themselves as such, creating the world of the future.

Employees frequently make jokes about how every new boss decides to reorganize, yet every Creator knows that structures determine outcomes. If you do not have the right structure, your vision will not be realized.

Creative types love the process of dismantling old structures and creating new ones. At its best, the Creator archetype fosters real innovation and beauty. At its worst, it provides an excuse for irresponsibility and self-involvement.

The Creator archetype provides a good identity for brands that:

Encourage self-expression and helps foster innovation;
In a creative field, like marketing, public relations, the arts, technological innovation;
Seek to differentiate it from a brand that “does it all” for the customer;
When a do-it-yourself element saves the customer money;
Have customers who have enough discretionary time for creativity to flourish.

DISCOVERING A BRAND’S ARCHETYPAL IDENTITY

There are 4+1 steps to discover and preserve a brand archetype:

Finding the brand soul. Who created the brand and why? What within its essence or equity makes it stand out from the competition? How was it first positioned? What was the best or most memorable communication ever created for it?How have customers related to the brand over the years and how do they relate to it now?
Finding the brand substance. Is the brand’s role functional or value expressive for its users? Is use of the brand episodic or routine? Do consumers tend to use the brand exclusively or as their dominant brand, or is the brand part of a portfolio of brands that consumers find equally acceptable? What is consumers’ level of attachment to the brand? Are you trying to attract new users or do you simply want to increase the frequency of use of your brand among those who already use it?
Finding the competitive leverage. Have any brands stumbled into archetypal territory, if so, which archetypes? Are any clearly related to the archetype most suited to your brand? How well are the competitors supporting and living up to their archetypes? At what level are the competitors expressing the archetype? Is everyone in the category expressing the same one or two archetypes? Is there an opportunity for a truly new archetype in the category?
Know your customer. The final stage of the analysis ensures that the archetype is likely to be powerfully relevant and meaningful to your target prospect. While some part of us responds to each and every archetype, particular contexts, situations, or transition points in life make an archetype especially potent.
Staying on course. Once the brand’s archetypal place in the world has been clarified, the process of nourishing that identity — and benefiting from it — must be managed carefully. One metaphor that has been helpful to both brand managers, who make day-to-day decisions for their businesses, and corporate leaders, who are responsible for long range planning, is Margaret Mark’s concept of the brand bank.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

When it comes to dealing with archetypes, there are some other important points worth considering.

Archetypes can evolve over time: Take Apple, for instance. When they launched the iconic “1984” campaign, they were a bit of an Outlaw, shaking up the norms of the personal computer market. However, several years down the line, they positioned themselves more as the Creator archetype with the “think different” campaign perfectly encapsulating this shift. Who’s to say which archetype might fit Apple even better a decade from now?
Archetype is not a 100%-game: Brands and products can blend multiple archetypes. Take Red Bull as an example. It’s like 60% Magician and 40% Hero, combining the enchanting realm of possibilities with the courage to push boundaries.
Brands can have a spectrum of archetypes: Think about Ford. While it’s generally seen as an Everyman, their Ford Explorer model radiates a different vibe, aligning more with the Explorer archetype. It’s perfectly normal for a company to showcase various archetypes through different product lines.
Beyond brands: Archetypes extend beyond brands. They can define an organization, an individual, and even your customers. Imagine knowing your customers resonate with the Hero archetype rather than the Outlaw — how differently would you tailor your communication?
Limits of archetypes: Just a reality check — every theory has its boundaries. Don’t feel confined by these 12 archetypes alone. There’s a world of unexplored archetypes out there in the real world — think Dreamer, Sensei, Linchpin, Artist, and many more.

Now let me know, are you a Hero or an Outlaw?

Source

The article is mostly based on the “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes” by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson