Brand archetypes: what they are and how to use them in your digital product
How to connect with and captivate your audience using the power of archetypes in your digital products.
Have you heard of archetypes?
In psychology, it's a concept that defines behavioral profiles. In short, patterns used to establish personalities. Outside psychology, they can be used to strengthen how customers perceive companies, brands, and even digital products.
If you haven't defined your business's archetype yet, this article will help you understand how to use archetypes in your digital product and what sets each archetype apart:
We'll also explain why you should tie an archetype to your digital product.
How do you use an archetype in your digital product?
You can fit your digital product into an archetype at many points, from your choice of colors, fonts, expressions, and symbols. In short, every detail can express the image you've chosen.
To do that, however, you need to understand a few points, such as: the function of the digital product, the market it fits into, its target audience and their consumption habits, as well as their needs. Once you understand these questions, we can place it in one (or more) of the 12 archetypes and work its traits as strengths.
This will help your product not only reach a better-targeted audience but also build a community around it. Here are some tips to help you fit your digital product into the ideal archetype:
Sage
This archetype is all about knowledge, the pursuit of continuous learning, and constant growth. Its personality is that of someone who knows what they're doing and seeks the truth through data and facts.
In business, the Sage is always inviting everyone to think, pushing others to make well-calculated, accurate decisions based on logical reasoning, that is, with clear evidence. It's widely used for education-related purposes.
Brands that use the sage archetype include Google, Oprah Winfrey, Harvard University, The New York Times, and CNN.
Magician
In short, the Magician archetype works very well for those who seek constant transformation, where change is part of the digital product's core principles. The Magician's transformation of reality brings a personality ahead of its time, capable of creating almost unbelievable experiences. The Magician's great purpose is to encourage change, making room for "outside the box" ideas.
Adjectives linked to this archetype include mystery, innovation, and plenty of magic in general.
Brands that use the magician archetype include Red Bull, Absolut, Disney, and Axe.
Explorer
The explorer is the typical archetype of someone who loves new adventures, discovering things, and broadening horizons. That's why it's deeply tied to the new, to different perspectives and, almost always, to people looking for challenges and different solutions. Freedom is an essential part of the conversation.
If you want to work with this archetype, the ideal is to look for services and audiences with the same aspirations and ways of acting, or people with similar values and the same priority: autonomy. For digital products, a strong online brand presence becomes an important step toward this free-spirited, dreamy archetype.
Brands that use the explorer archetype include Jeep, The North Face, and GoPro.
Creator
Rolls up its sleeves, creates, and changes the world. In short, that's the Creator archetype. It's closely tied to occupations involving entrepreneurship, the arts, and innovation. If your digital product focuses on activities centered on self-expression, this is the ideal model.
Because it wants to leave its mark on the world, the Creator's legacy is directly proportional to the creativity it puts out there. That's why it always values unique creations. Digital products tied to this archetype tend to carry a lot of emotional value and win audience loyalty almost immediately.
Brands that use the creator archetype include Apple, Lego, and Faber-Castell
Hero
Strength, courage, and action-oriented adjectives sum up this archetype. It's fearless and uses great mastery to pave the way for winners. It's disciplined and focused on solving urgent problems and injustices; at the end of the day, it wants to save the world. It's also directly tied to overcoming challenges, breaking rules, and actively transforming people's lives, with an emphasis on productivity.
In the digital product market, you need to connect directly with what motivates your customers and the results they want to achieve. In other words, position yourself as an inspiring, motivating brand.
Brands that use the hero archetype include Nike, Gatorade, and Adidas.
Rebel
This archetype has a very disruptive personality. Defiant, it's a way of working the business side in a more exclusive way, creating a sense of urgency tied to novelty.
Here, the digital product needs to be an idea that breaks away from the ordinary and defies expectations with brilliance, knowing that there will be consequences, good or bad. It's a great archetype for anyone looking to revolutionize more formal markets in a one-of-a-kind way.
Brands that use the rebel archetype include Harley-Davidson, Rolling Stone magazine, Chilli Beans, MTV, and Nubank.
Lover
Looking for exclusivity and differentiation in products and services? Then the Lover archetype is the right path. Connected to elements of intimacy and boldness, it evokes the desire to be in a relationship with someone who loves you faithfully.
To bring out this archetype, the digital product needs to stand out as something rare, exclusive, and personalized.
Investing in this profile supports higher pricing, setting your product apart even more in the market.
Brands that use the lover archetype include Chanel, Victoria's Secret, and L'Oréal.
Jester
Also known as the “Fool,” the Jester archetype makes humor the foundation for reaching its target audience and working the traits that set it apart. The idea is to make the most of every moment and brighten others' lives with its wit and achievements.
The connection with this archetype comes through fun. It isn't intimidated at all by market changes and goes out to create new paths. To use this archetype in a digital product, you need to understand that the message is both accessible and disruptive.
Since it's easy to access, your product should be “consumed” on a large scale and contribute to the consumer's fun and entertainment. If you want to talk about something more serious, steer clear of the Jester.
Brands that use the jester archetype include M&M’s, Snickers, Pringles, and Pepsi.
Caregiver
Is your digital product tied to healthcare, or does it take a more human approach and help others? Then here's your archetype: the Caregiver. With clear values of altruism and generosity, connection with the audience in this archetype is closely tied to the emotional side. It therefore involves directly identifying with other people's vulnerability in order to act as true support.
The Caregiver archetype is ideal for digital products in healthcare, education, nonprofits, or those whose positioning is built on warmth and care. The focus is on people, inspiring them to fight for the cause and not just for the product itself, while giving your audience a sense of safety, consistency, kindness, and generosity.
Brands that use the caregiver archetype include UNICEF, Honest Company, and Johnson & Johnson.
The Everyman
It may seem simplistic, but this is the archetype most brands resemble. What sets it apart is precisely its ability to “blend in” with society, drawing strength from closeness and understanding everyday life and what its audience needs and wants.
The Everyman archetype suits digital products that are used every day, have a lower price, and create a sense of belonging to a group or community. The idea that everyone is equal fits brands that don't need or want to single out a specific audience, because they know the product works for everyone. This humanizes the brand and builds trust and closeness.
Brands that use the everyman archetype include Havaianas and Bombril.
The Innocent
This archetype is all about spontaneity. The idea is to keep the digital product grounded in reality, without miracle promises, always delivering your message transparently. For the Innocent archetype, happiness comes above all. It also brings back a sense of fantasy, something very common in childhood, “appealing” to the awakening of the inner child.
A digital product that uses this archetype must be committed to finding the ideal solution to consumers' problems, showing goodness and authenticity in its behavior. This builds audience loyalty. In short, it's an archetype that “fights” for the customer's well-being.
Brands that use the innocent archetype include Coca-Cola, Dove, and McDonald's.
Ruler
The archetype with the most authoritative tone offers not only power and status but also opulence. It's the epitome of someone working actively with security, stability, and organization, and it's usually a market leader. Predictability is what sets it apart from the competition.
A digital product tied to the Ruler archetype seeks to create something memorable and successful that thrives in line with the expectations it sets. Other key elements are security and luxury. These archetypes are usually tied to brands and products that convey class and sophistication, as well as exclusivity.
Brands that use the ruler archetype include Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolex.
Why tie an archetype to my digital product?
When we talk about products and services, especially online, we see that people increasingly want a connection with what they consume. Broadly speaking, the archetype acts as that direct link.
Like people and brands, digital products also have their own identities and traits that create a connection with the audience. That's why archetypes are the ideal way to work these unique traits strategically, always putting consumers' needs and desires first.
Learn more about this and other ideas for creating digital products that will be a big hit in the market. Follow Cademí on social media: Instagram and LinkedIn.
