dragonfly
03-03-2004, 01:39 PM
I got a survey in today’s mail from a local nonprofit environmental group. In these “times of changing political and economic conditions,” an accompanying letter said, the group wants to be “as effective as possible, and my “input is critical.”
OK, OK. The survey started out reasonably enough, asking my general impression of the group and what I thought its main program areas should be. But the questions became increasingly strange and psychological.
One asked what “emotion words” describe how I feel “when success in this area is attained.” Another instructed me to choose from a list of a dozen values the two “most important” ones, a task that entails deeming of lesser importance such things as credibility, responsibility, responsiveness, reliability, dependability, consistency, focus, political astuteness, etc.
Now wait a minute – shouldn’t an environmental organization with integrity manifest ALL of these qualities? What’s up with this ranking game? It seems to me that it’s exactly this kind of crazy hierarchical and reductive thinking that got us into this environmental mess to begin with.
In short, the survey blew my mind. I could not complete it.
My head reeling, I tossed it aside. Out falls a return envelope addressed to a place called BrandSolutions Inc. in Seattle. My curiosity piqued, I got onto the Internet to check out their Web site.
As its name implies, the firm specializes in “branding,” which it defines as “the proprietary visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image that you associate with a company or a product."
“When you think Volvo, you might think safety,” the company’s Web site says. “When you think Nike, you might think of Michael Jordan or ‘Just Do It.’ When you think IBM, you might think ‘Big Blue.’ The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes your product selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from the product.”
I was feeling disconcerted that an environmental group would spend time and money pondering its “brand” identity, since the whole enterprise implies an acceptance of commercial values that in my opinion have no place in the political sphere where this group operates. And then I found this on the BrandSolutions Web site.
Just goes to show – Carl Jung may get ripped in the pages of the New York Times, but he’s embraced in America’s corporate suites.
From http://www.brand.com/frame20_02.htm
Brand Archetypes
Archetypes are personified symbols that allow the conscious mind to identify with, or access, subconscious desires, meanings and truths. Archetypes represent our aspirations, not just in a material sense, but in a more mystical or spiritual sense. Archetypes instill meaning into brands and are naturally genuine and authentic. BrandSolutions has been including brand archetypes as a part of all client work for over one year. Once we uncover their brand archetype through our brand archetype indicator test, clients immediately understand and love their brand archetype – now they know how their organization should act and behave.
Why do we persist in having myths and archetypes? What is their purpose? Carl Jung, who developed the idea of archetypes, had this to say about them:
All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes. This is particularly true of religious ideas, but the central concepts of science, philosophy, and ethics are no exception to this rule. In their present form they are variants of archetypal ideas, created by consciously applying and adapting these ideas to reality. For it is the function of consciousness not only to recognize and assimilate the external world through the gateway of the senses, but to translate into visible reality the world within us.
Thus, according to Jung, it is the archetypes that help us understand visible reality. Because archetypes speak in the language of our mind itself, archetypes are the most efficient “language” to use when building the foundation for a strong brand. Brand archetypes go beyond merely stating product features and benefits to connect with the customer in a deep and profoundly meaningful way.
As the excellent book, The Hero and The Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson outlines, 12 archetypes are very applicable to brand building. Here is an outline of the 12 brand archetypes, including some of their primary attributes:
The Innocent:
* Wholesome, pure
* Forgiving, trusting, honest
* Happy, optimistic, enjoy simple pleasures
The Explorer:
* Searcher, seeker, adventurous, restless, desire excitement
* Independent, self-directed, self-sufficient
* Value freedom
The Sage:
* Thinker, philosopher, reflective
* Expert, advisor, teacher
* Confident, in-control, self-contained, credible
The Hero:
* Warrior, competitive, aggressive, winner
* Principled, idealist, challenge “wrongs,” improve the world
* Proud, brave, courageous, sacrifice for greater good
The Outlaw:
* Rebellious, shocking, outrageous, disruptive
* Feared, powerful
* Countercultural, revolutionary, liberated
The Magician:
* Shaman, healer, spiritual, holistic, intuitive
* Value magical moments and special rituals
* Catalyst for change, charismatic
The Regular Guy/Gal:
* Not pretentious, straight shooter, people-oriented
* Reliable, dependable, practical, down to earth
* Value routines, predictability, the status quo, tradition
The Lover:
* Seek True Love, intimacy, sensuality
* Passionate, sexy, seductive, erotic
* Seek pleasure, to indulge, follow emotions
The Jester:
* Clown, jester, trickster
* Playful, take things lightly, create a little fun/chaos
* Impulsive, spontaneous, lives in the moment
The Caregiver:
* Altruistic, selfless
* Nurturing, compassionate, empathetic
* Supportive, generous
The Creator:
* Innovative, imaginative, artistic
* Experimental, willing to take risks
* Ambitious, desire to turn ideas into reality
The Ruler:
* Manager, organizer, take charge attitude
* Efficient, productive
* Confident, responsible, role model
Now, let’s look at some of the strongest brands in the world today. Using Business Week’s most recent ranking of the “Best Global Brands,” we hypothesize the following archetypes for each of the top ten brands on the list. Do you agree?
1. Coca-Cola - The Innocent
2. Microsoft - The Ruler
3. IBM - The Sage (but with a Jester component, in a conscious effort by IBM to counter the perception of stuffiness – old Charlie Chaplin ads, current humorous ad campaign)
4. GE - The Caregiver or Ruler
5. Nokia - The Explorer
6. Intel - The Sage
7. Disney - The Innocent
8. Ford - The Hero and The Explorer (trucks and cars are “Heroes,” SUV’s are “Explorers”)
9. McDonald’s - The Innocent
10. AT&T - The Caregiver
If you would like to find out more about brand archetypes, and how our brand archetype development process can help your brand, please give us a call.
OK, OK. The survey started out reasonably enough, asking my general impression of the group and what I thought its main program areas should be. But the questions became increasingly strange and psychological.
One asked what “emotion words” describe how I feel “when success in this area is attained.” Another instructed me to choose from a list of a dozen values the two “most important” ones, a task that entails deeming of lesser importance such things as credibility, responsibility, responsiveness, reliability, dependability, consistency, focus, political astuteness, etc.
Now wait a minute – shouldn’t an environmental organization with integrity manifest ALL of these qualities? What’s up with this ranking game? It seems to me that it’s exactly this kind of crazy hierarchical and reductive thinking that got us into this environmental mess to begin with.
In short, the survey blew my mind. I could not complete it.
My head reeling, I tossed it aside. Out falls a return envelope addressed to a place called BrandSolutions Inc. in Seattle. My curiosity piqued, I got onto the Internet to check out their Web site.
As its name implies, the firm specializes in “branding,” which it defines as “the proprietary visual, emotional, rational, and cultural image that you associate with a company or a product."
“When you think Volvo, you might think safety,” the company’s Web site says. “When you think Nike, you might think of Michael Jordan or ‘Just Do It.’ When you think IBM, you might think ‘Big Blue.’ The fact that you remember the brand name and have positive associations with that brand makes your product selection easier and enhances the value and satisfaction you get from the product.”
I was feeling disconcerted that an environmental group would spend time and money pondering its “brand” identity, since the whole enterprise implies an acceptance of commercial values that in my opinion have no place in the political sphere where this group operates. And then I found this on the BrandSolutions Web site.
Just goes to show – Carl Jung may get ripped in the pages of the New York Times, but he’s embraced in America’s corporate suites.
From http://www.brand.com/frame20_02.htm
Brand Archetypes
Archetypes are personified symbols that allow the conscious mind to identify with, or access, subconscious desires, meanings and truths. Archetypes represent our aspirations, not just in a material sense, but in a more mystical or spiritual sense. Archetypes instill meaning into brands and are naturally genuine and authentic. BrandSolutions has been including brand archetypes as a part of all client work for over one year. Once we uncover their brand archetype through our brand archetype indicator test, clients immediately understand and love their brand archetype – now they know how their organization should act and behave.
Why do we persist in having myths and archetypes? What is their purpose? Carl Jung, who developed the idea of archetypes, had this to say about them:
All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes. This is particularly true of religious ideas, but the central concepts of science, philosophy, and ethics are no exception to this rule. In their present form they are variants of archetypal ideas, created by consciously applying and adapting these ideas to reality. For it is the function of consciousness not only to recognize and assimilate the external world through the gateway of the senses, but to translate into visible reality the world within us.
Thus, according to Jung, it is the archetypes that help us understand visible reality. Because archetypes speak in the language of our mind itself, archetypes are the most efficient “language” to use when building the foundation for a strong brand. Brand archetypes go beyond merely stating product features and benefits to connect with the customer in a deep and profoundly meaningful way.
As the excellent book, The Hero and The Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson outlines, 12 archetypes are very applicable to brand building. Here is an outline of the 12 brand archetypes, including some of their primary attributes:
The Innocent:
* Wholesome, pure
* Forgiving, trusting, honest
* Happy, optimistic, enjoy simple pleasures
The Explorer:
* Searcher, seeker, adventurous, restless, desire excitement
* Independent, self-directed, self-sufficient
* Value freedom
The Sage:
* Thinker, philosopher, reflective
* Expert, advisor, teacher
* Confident, in-control, self-contained, credible
The Hero:
* Warrior, competitive, aggressive, winner
* Principled, idealist, challenge “wrongs,” improve the world
* Proud, brave, courageous, sacrifice for greater good
The Outlaw:
* Rebellious, shocking, outrageous, disruptive
* Feared, powerful
* Countercultural, revolutionary, liberated
The Magician:
* Shaman, healer, spiritual, holistic, intuitive
* Value magical moments and special rituals
* Catalyst for change, charismatic
The Regular Guy/Gal:
* Not pretentious, straight shooter, people-oriented
* Reliable, dependable, practical, down to earth
* Value routines, predictability, the status quo, tradition
The Lover:
* Seek True Love, intimacy, sensuality
* Passionate, sexy, seductive, erotic
* Seek pleasure, to indulge, follow emotions
The Jester:
* Clown, jester, trickster
* Playful, take things lightly, create a little fun/chaos
* Impulsive, spontaneous, lives in the moment
The Caregiver:
* Altruistic, selfless
* Nurturing, compassionate, empathetic
* Supportive, generous
The Creator:
* Innovative, imaginative, artistic
* Experimental, willing to take risks
* Ambitious, desire to turn ideas into reality
The Ruler:
* Manager, organizer, take charge attitude
* Efficient, productive
* Confident, responsible, role model
Now, let’s look at some of the strongest brands in the world today. Using Business Week’s most recent ranking of the “Best Global Brands,” we hypothesize the following archetypes for each of the top ten brands on the list. Do you agree?
1. Coca-Cola - The Innocent
2. Microsoft - The Ruler
3. IBM - The Sage (but with a Jester component, in a conscious effort by IBM to counter the perception of stuffiness – old Charlie Chaplin ads, current humorous ad campaign)
4. GE - The Caregiver or Ruler
5. Nokia - The Explorer
6. Intel - The Sage
7. Disney - The Innocent
8. Ford - The Hero and The Explorer (trucks and cars are “Heroes,” SUV’s are “Explorers”)
9. McDonald’s - The Innocent
10. AT&T - The Caregiver
If you would like to find out more about brand archetypes, and how our brand archetype development process can help your brand, please give us a call.