We know we need various strategies, processes, social media platforms and business collateral to stand out from the rest. It’s not just about putting your logo on a white 90mm x 55 mm bit of card.
It’s about the total brand experience.
Brand experience is conceptualised as sensations, feelings, cognitions and behavioural responses. These responses are triggered from a brand’s identity and design. Your brand experience is everywhere; from your Facebook page, packaging, logo, office entrance, internal communications and of course your client service. A brand experience is far more than just designing a logo and training staff.
So you want to fine tune your brand experience – where do you possibly start? As Julie Andrews once said, “start at the beginning, it’s a very good place to start”.
Let me introduce you to Archetypes.
[ahr-ki-tahyp] noun
1. The original pattern of model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form, a prototype.
2. A collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought and image which universally presents individual psyches.
We are creatures of habit and identify with things we see and interact with frequently. Creating a brand experience is certainly a process. The challenge is to create brand experiences that not only educate your target audience about the brand, but will resinate with them and be memorable.
Still don’t get it?
What is the first brand name that comes to mind when you read: Fast food? Safe car? Chocolate? If you answered McDonalds, Volvo and Cadbury, you win 10 points! These brands have been developed to give a very consistent message to their particular target audience. How do they do this? They all live and breathe their brand archetype. There are 12 main brand archetypes.
Each archetype represents different beliefs, values and tones that set the foundation for a brand.
1. The Sage
2. The Innocent
3. The Explorer
4. The Ruler
5. The Creator
6. The Caregiver
7. The Magician
8. The Hero
9. The Outlaw
10. The Lover
11. The Jester
12. The Regular
So the next time you look at your logo, ask yourself if you know the beliefs, values and tones behind it and the brand it represents. To find out more about brand archetypes and the process, contact us!
