the hero and the outlaw: a discussion of archetypes

The hero and the outlaw

!Edward Boches

What is a brand?

A brand is not a mark or a logo.

The expectations, behaviors and and beliefs

associated with a company that

inspire choice, preference, loyalty and advocacy.

It is the outcome of a

company’s culture, actions, products, services, messages

and customers themselves.

And the stories we craft to share a brand’s products,

philosophy and higher purpose.

Products performance athletic apparel and footwear

programs and technology that support the athlete, messages that encourage and inspire

enable confidence and individual achievementPurpose

Philosophy

Brand!

Tagline!

Advertising!

Creative!

Customer

Product/characteristics/personality/behavior

Summation

Messages, stories, experiences, content

Attention, relevance, fresh, news, conversation

Role, social, interaction, content, share

Brands, and their stories, do have to get conveyed

in a way that represents what the brand

stands for and connects it to its consumers and community.

archetypes

Imprints, hard-wired into our psyches, influence the characters

we love in art, literature, the great religions of the world,

and contemporary films.

!

Plato called these imprints “elemental forms” and saw them as

structures that formeda template for material reality.

!

Psychiatrist C.G. Jung called them “archetypes.”

Source: The Hero and the Outlaw

12 “characters” that we inherently know, understand, recognize

(from the most basic stories), respond to, and find ourselves reflected.

Creator Caregiver!

Ruler!Jester!

Regular Guy/Gal!Lover!Hero!

Outlaw !Magician Innocent!Explorer!

Sage

Creator Caregiver!

Ruler!Jester!

Regular Guy/Gal!Lover!Hero!

Outlaw !Magician Innocent!Explorer!

Sage

Craft something new Care for others Exert control Have fun You’re OK Find and give love Act with courage Break the rules Transform Retain or renew faith Stay independent Understand world

Creator Caregiver!

Ruler!Jester!

Regular Guy/Gal!Lover!Hero!

Outlaw !Magician Innocent!Explorer!

Sage

Craft something new Care for others Exert control Have fun You’re OK Find and give love Act with courage Break the rules Transform Retain or renew faith Stay independent Understand world

Williams Sonoma, Shinola Johnson and Johnson, Dove American Express, Ralph Lauren Zappos, Ford Fiesta Walmart. Budweiser Hallmark, deBeers Nike, Gatorade Harley Davidson, Apple Viagra, Pixar Ivory, McDonald’s Jeep, Explorer Google, NY Times

ShinolaDos Equis deBeers Budweiser

P&G

IBMGoogle

Apple

ETrade

CreatorExplorer Lover Regular guy

Caregiver

SageSage

Outlaw

Magician

Archetypes are about meaning, not borrowing meaning but

becoming a consistent and enduring expression of meaning

in beliefs, products, actions and messages.

Identify a brand’s soul!!

culture, creation stories, original purpose

Find a brand’s substance!!

physical, contemporary, product truth

Determine a brand’s competitive leverage!!

given category opportunities.

finest engineered car in the world !

democratization of computers !

free the world’s information !

inspire performance !

restore american manufacturing

mercedes benz!

apple!

google!

nike !

shinola

ruler !

outlaw (1984) > hero !

sage !

hero !

creator

mercedes benz!

apple!

google!

nike!

shinola

Identify and connect with the primary !

motivations that drive consumer behavior and preference.

proctor and gamble!

american greetings

appreciation !

guilt

The role of advertising is to tell the story !

truthfully and to make sure it resonates.

!One hundred twenty seven years ago the founder of Mercedes Benz

wrote something on a sheet of paper and placed it in his factory for all to see. !

Words meant to inspire, !

provoke, !

and push. !

And the company he founded has followed them ever since. !

Four simple words. !

But the meaning has never been lost. !

The challenge always accepted. !

And the calling, forever answered. !

Introducing the all new 2014 S Class. !

Our entire automotive philosophy set in motion. Again. !

Mercedes Benz. The best or nothing.

Sources: !

The Hero and the Outlaw!!

by !

Margaret Mark, Carol Pearson