A few weeks ago, we discussed Brand Archetypes and identified a few recognizable brand names that exemplify their respective archetypes pretty clearly. Today we’re going to dive a bit deeper and talk about why using archetypes and storytelling is an effective selling tool and framework for brand building.

“I can really relate to that…”

It may sound comical to think about yourself “relating” to something like a company's brand, and that’s exactly the point of using archetypes. Archetypes and storytelling humanize your business. Embodying a character connects and breathes life into the disparate tangibles we associate with a brand such as a logo, colors, tagline, and product. These marketing elements come together to describe an image, say that of the Rebel, the Caretaker, etc. Consumers can more readily associate a feeling with your brand like, “This makes me feel safe” or “This makes me feel smart.”

No, the feelings may not hit them so literally. People are simultaneously more and less complex than they seem. Remember that the archetypes stem from Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious, these images and associations are so ingrained into our thought processes, we’re not always cognizant of them.

In other words, consumers may gravitate towards brands that express a clear archetype because of our innate predisposition to those images and characters.