REDESIGNING ARCHETYPES

The way that brand archetypes are commonly portrayed has always seemed a little random. I know that they're a proven tactic to manage a brand, but the descriptions provided read more like characters in a cast, as opposed to something that you'd use to help you build a website or campaign.

Recently, I saw the Myers Briggs personality infographic. Their infographic matched up with an archetype graphic I'd seen before.

I realized that archetypes aren’t necessarily characters, but a representation of the range of personalities within each of us. It wasn’t until then that I discovered that by using archetypes, you can resonate with people in a more authentic way, creating a more personal experience. This gave me the idea to make my own version of archetypes and change the things that I didn’t like, beginning with the word "archetype". I chose the word "persona" because I think it's more descriptive of the way it is used.

THE WHEEL

I arranged the 60 archetypes from Archetypes in Branding: A Toolkit for Creatives and Strategists in a wheel, based on the four base values I saw before: order, freedom, community, and individuality.

THE 5 POINTS

I condensed the descriptions to five points: tone, theme, values, emotion, and opposition. I think more ground can be covered in a pitch or a workshop if the descriptions are short and simple. 

Tone: Usually applied just to writing, tone can also include the visual aspect of the brand.

Theme: The theme is a way to frame the actions of the brand. It's similar to tone, but can also be applied to things like operations, user experience, or product development. 

Values: Values help establish what is most important to the brand. This can shape things like content creation, philanthropy, sponsorship, and again… product development. 

Emotion: Thinking about emotion is a good way to measure the brand interaction. A user experience litmus test, if you will. 

Opposition: Defining opposition allows the brand to further define what it doesn’t stand for, completing a push-pull combination for great positioning.

ADDING CONTEXT

Once a persona is chosen, brand context is added to make an ownable narrative. I think this further helps sell the idea of using a brand persona for people that work within the brand, but may not be warmed up to the idea of using personas. For example, the guardian persona fits well with Franklin Industries’ product, goals, and market position.

The Guardian

• Be wise, selfless and bold
• Defend and protect
• Value tradition
• Inspire nostalgia
• Confront degradation