How thinking in terms of archetypal characters and stories can help create potent brands which resonate deeply and form lasting emotional connections . (If you would like me to present this or similar to your organisation, please feel free to get in contact)

1. An introduction to
Brand Archetyping:
harnessing the power of stories and
archetypes to create legendary brands
What is your story...
]…who is your brand?
[
[©Jon Howard]

2. http://justglasssite.com/glass-pics/glass-bottles-10.jpg
THE KEY QUESTION:
Even with a great product, why are
many brands so dull and uninspiring?
[©Jon Howard]

3. http://www.seebyseeing.net/s/1-by-the-bee-gees
“It’s only words, but words are all
I have to steal your heart away”
(The Bee Gees)
[©Jon Howard]

4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/alittlesparc/6110493314/
Interchangeable adjectives, often uninspiring,
always open to misinterpretation, and generally
taken from the same dictionary as our competitors
Tasty
Versatile
Healthy
Convenient
[©Jon Howard]

5. http://www.edupics.com/photo-grand-canyon-i8982.html
The Grand Canyon: big, deep, brown, rocky
But complex, emotive concepts are difficult to capture verbally
[©Jon Howard]

6. http://heartoftheschool.edublogs.org/files/2011/11/boy-reading-vxvaji.jpg
An alternative approach
Or why there is power in
thinking of brands as stories
[©Jon Howard]

7. http://www.daniel-wong.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/campfire.jpg
It is how we understand the world, explain
our place in it and communicate this to others
From camp fire to water cooler, story has
always been central to what makes us human
[©Jon Howard]

8. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bourke/2825741887/
Every conversation is both a story we
are telling and a story we are part of
[©Jon Howard]

9. http://www.investorschronicle.co.uk/2011/09/21/shares/news-and-analysis/supermarkets-on-special-offer-
IAm8aNIk7NttooFpgg0oAN/article.html
The things we buy, the clothes we
wear, the music we listen to, what
we eat and drink, our chosen career,
are all vital components of the story
we are telling about ourselves
[©Jon Howard]

10. PETER: “I don’t know any stories.
None of the lost boys knows any stories”
WENDY: how perfectly awful”
And without a story our
lives can seem empty
[©Jon Howard]

11. A story we tell to give voice to the
emotions which drive us: our hopes
and fears, dreams and desires
[©Jon Howard]

12. http://historicalwallpapers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/carl-jung-1875-1961.html
Freud and Jung saw humanity’s needs and
motivations as universal and eternal archetypes,
transcending culture, geography and time
[©Jon Howard]

13. Why some stories and characters
resonate so powerfully and repeat so
frequently: they are archetypal
manifestations of our common needs
[©Jon Howard]

14. http://www.109.dk/nickchanger/uploads/images/original/the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces.jpg
The Hero’s Journey is our own journey
[©Jon Howard]

15. “The great stories consist of common elements
found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams
and movies. As soon as you enter their world,
you become aware of recurring character types
and relationships that are amazingly consistent”
(Chris Vogler, “The Writer’s Journey:
Mythic Structures for Storytellers”)
[©Jon Howard]

16. “All this has happened before,
and all of it will happen again”
[©Jon Howard]

17. “All this has happened before,
and all of it will happen again”
[©Jon Howard]

18. In 1893, nearly 400 different
versions of the Cinderella
story were identified from
around the world
(Marian Roalfe Cox)
[©Jon Howard]

19. Connection at a primal level:
it could be someone like you
(UK X-Factor winner)
[©Jon Howard]

20. Explains our love of
star-crossed lovers
“Titanic intentionally incorporates universals of
human experience and emotion that are timeless
and familiar because they reflect our basic
emotional fabric. By dealing in archetypes, the
film touches people in all cultures and of all ages”
(James Cameron on Titanic)
[©Jon Howard]

21. [©Jon Howard]

22. [©Jon Howard]

23. [©Jon Howard]

24. Fated but possibly doomed relationships have an
emotional power that can be exploited…
(a connection with someone we all want…but fear losing)
[©Jon Howard]

25. Kurosawa
Shakespeare Hammett Dostoyevsky
Hidden Fortress
Star Wars
Seven Samurai
Magnificent Seven
Yojimbo
Fistful of dollars
Ford
[©Jon Howard]

26. http://uniballblog.com/2011/10/steve-jobs-follow-your-heart/
So building potent brands is not
just about having good storytellers
(though it always helps!)
[©Jon Howard]

27. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12905355@N05/6629255509/
It’s about being a great story
(ideally one built on archetypal foundations)
[©Jon Howard]

28. “A brand is a metaphorical story that connects with something
very deep – a fundamental human appreciation of mythology.
Companies that manifest this sensibility…invoke something
very powerful” (Scott Bedbury, ex-head of marketing at Nike and Starbucks)
[©Jon Howard]

29. Archetypal stories are a language
we all instinctively understand
On our side against
the powers that be
[©Jon Howard]

30. http://acontinuouslean.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/life_hells_angels_044.jpg
“What we sell is the ability for a 43 year old
accountant to dress in black leather, ride through
small towns and have people be afraid of him”
(Harley Davidson marketing exec - apocryphal)
They help us tell our own story more
effectively (to others and to ourselves)
[©Jon Howard]

31. They are a tonal and
stylistic palette…
…and a blueprint for the
experience to be lived out
[©Jon Howard]

32. http://hedvigmurray.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/img_0010.jpg
They are an easy to follow roadmap for every aspect
of the brand, how it behaves and what it does
[©Jon Howard]

33. http://www.carsbase.com/photo/Caterpillar-793_mp330_pic_60094.jpg
They help make sense of complexity and contradiction,
evolving over time without losing the plot
[©Jon Howard]

34. http://murphyod.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/whisper.jpg
They provide a narrative framework
that frees your story to be retold
Brand management =
Direction, curation
and orchestration
[©Jon Howard]

35. http://www.stylepark.com/db-images/cms/article/img/v283170_958_992_800-1.jpg
And they create something uniquely yours,
because only you can tell your story
[©Jon Howard]

36. http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikerunning_news-en_US/2009/06/01/who-was-bill-bowerman
Remembering that if you have a story, tell it:
don't invent a new one (it will be less compelling)
[©Jon Howard]

37. http://www.flickr.com/photos/manusarubbi/6831687227/[©Jon Howard]

38. There is now a way
to find out…
So what are your stories and
who are your brands?
[©Jon Howard]

39. A MAP TO FOLLOW:
Brand Archetyping™
[©Jon Howard]

40. http://edgeoftheframe.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/oscar_final_predictions_2012.jpg
stories that deliver genuine and lasting engagement
because they are built on archetypal foundations
which resonate powerfully with people’s emotions
enabling them to tell their own story more effectively
Helping you ‘author’ compelling, brand defining stories
[©Jon Howard]

41. http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/1/14/Got_A_Bad_feeling.jpg
Any story is only as good as its lead character, so at the heart
of Brand Archetyping is the search to find out who you are
Analysis suggests there are twelve character types
that consistently recur in stories: the basis for
discussing and defining brand character
[©Jon Howard]

42. InnocentLover
Jester
Ruler
Magician
Caregiver
Champion
Guide
Outlaw
Creator
Explorer
[©Jon Howard]

43. [©Jon Howard]

44. [©Jon Howard]

45. [©Jon Howard]

46. WORKS AS A STANDALONE
EXERCISE OR AS INPUT INTO…
Archetype Assessor™
(key brand stakeholders rate a brand’s
promise to indicate its character)
Brand Archetyping™
(one day workshop deep dives into a
brand’s character and the story it is part of)
InnocentLover
Jester
Ruler
Magician
Caregiver
Champion
Guide
Outlaw
Creator
Explorer
What the process looks like
[©Jon Howard]

47. TOP 10 PROMISE STATEMENT ARCHETYPE
Concern for your happiness and wellbeing Caregiver
Attention to the details that make something special Ruler
A more varied and fulfilling life Explorer
To ensure you are comfortable and contented Caregiver
A sense of community and rootedness
To look after your every need Caregiver
A voyage of self discovery Explorer
To make sure everything is just right for you Caregiver
The best available so it won’t let you down Ruler
An unpretentious common touch Magician
(Holiday brand)[©Jon Howard]

48. (media brand)
1.3 1.9
1.3
3.1
8.1
1.3
5.0
8.8
3.1
7.5
2.5
0.0
InnocentLover
Jester
Ruler
Magician
Caregiver
Champion
Guide
Outlaw
Creator
Explorer
Archetype Map
[©Jon Howard]

49. 11
17
0
0
5
9
18
17
3
12
0
9
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
INNOCENT EVERYMAN CAREGIVER CHAMPION EXPLORER LOVER CREATOR OUTLAW MAGICIAN RULER GUIDE JESTER
(spirit brand)
Archetype Spectrum
[©Jon Howard]

50. Certainty
2.5
Responsibility
2.8
Experience
4.1
Authenticity
7.5
Power
3.4
Enlightenment
5.0
Archetype Drivers
(clothing brand)[©Jon Howard]

51. 0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
52.4
15.9
31.7
Power & Enlightenment
Experience & Authenticity
Certainty & Responsibility
(petcare brand)
Archetype Need Hierarchy
[©Jon Howard]

52. 1.3
2.9
2.7
6.9
ORDER
INNER
CHANGE
OUTER
Archetype Polarity
(confectionary brand)[©Jon Howard]

53. Some final thoughts on bringing the archetypes to life
[©Jon Howard]

54. http://www.flickr.com/photos/legominha/4855435630/
Clichéd, superficial and culturally specific
Don’t confuse archetypes with stereotypes
[©Jon Howard]

55. Use examples people understand to help define your brand
(and how this fits with the story of those the brand speaks to)
[©Jon Howard]

56. Odysseus
Nemesis
Daedalus
Luke Skywalker
Bat Man
Steve Jobs
Use examples people understand to help define your brand
(and how this fits with the story of those the brand speaks to)
[©Jon Howard]

57. Some final thoughts on bringing the archetypes to life
Magician
An opportunity to explore the nuances of your character
[©Jon Howard]

58. …to embrace the texture and tension that define them
The most potent stories and characters
have edges, margins and grey areas
Magician
Sage Jester
Caregiver Champion
[©Jon Howard]

59. http://wallpaperswide.com/jack_daniels-wallpapers.html
A story of authenticity in two dimensions (Creator & Outlaw):
Hand crafted in Lynchburg to be drunk by hardcore rockers
[©Jon Howard]

60. http://interactive.wxxi.org/files/images/highlights/Marple_0.JPG
…to look for differentiation beyond the generics
Miss Marple is the ‘archetypal’ granny detective
(Innocent + Guide), but it’s the hint of Jester
and even Outlaw that makes her distinctive
[©Jon Howard]

61. Body Shop: a generic Lover but also a fighter
(it’s the Champion which defines the brand)
[©Jon Howard]

62. …to consider how brand and consumer stories interact
Harrison (the brand) uses
his power as Ruler and
Magician to transform
Hepburn (the consumer)
The same story ‘promise’ as
X Factor and the same role
in it as Simon Cowell
‘rags to riches’
[©Jon Howard]

63. What story is your
consumer a part of?
[©Jon Howard]

64. Ordinary
World
Call to
Adventure
Ordeal
Reward
Resurrection
and Return
Mentors Guardians
Allies Enemies
Where the brand fits into the
Hero’s Journey people are on
Overcoming the Monster
Rags to Riches
The Quest
Voyage & Return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth
There are also
archetypal storylines…
…and we can experience the
same plots in our own lives
[©Jon Howard]

65. SITUATIONS
 Birth, death, rebirth
SYMBOLS
 Circle, triangle
NATURE
 Sun, moon, wind, fire, flood, lion, dove
COLOURS
 Green, red, white
PLACES
 Paradise, heaven, the cave
(create an archetypal world for your brand to live in)
…and how to integrate this within execution
[©Jon Howard]

66. BRANDING DEVICE
“Put a tiger in
your tank”
METAPHOR OF
FUNCTIONAL BENEFIT
Courage and
bravery
MEANING IN (CHINESE)
MYTHOLOGY
Sometimes you are saying things
without even realising it
[©Jon Howard]

67. Transforms the every day
into something wonderful
Transforming
Authoritative
Enriching
Imaginative
Solution-focused
Practical
Surprising
Archetype Wheel
(condiment brand)
ARCHETYPE
STORY
PERSONIFICATION
BEHAVIOUR
Magician
CORE:
SECONDARY:
Innocent
[©Jon Howard]

68. http://www.flickr.com/photos/manusarubbi/6831687227/
And remember: like actual stories, the most
interesting brands are in constant script
development not carved in tablets of stone
[©Jon Howard]

69. (or a new beginning ?)[©Jon Howard]

70. [©Jon Howard]

71. EMAIL: jon@quietstorm.co.uk
Thank you!
(AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO
PRESENT ON ARCHETYPES TO YOUR
ORGANISATION, OR RUN A BRAND
ARCHETYPING SESSION, DON’T
HESITATE TO GET IN CONTACT )
[©Jon Howard]