go from confusion
to clarity
Attract your ideal audience
EMOTIONAL aPPEAL
Some brands have a feel-good-appeal while others make you want to get on your bike and ride. Some feel safe while others are funny. Each appeals to people who have core emotional needs. Some people might have an underlying desire to feel safe and connected to people. Others feel a deep need for independence. Some are attracted to a feeling of structure and control. Others get their sense of self-worth by having the best of everything.
build a brand that attracts
In the real estate industry, the competitive landscape is different than many other businesses. Agents can have hundreds or thousands of local competitors. Brokerages need to appeal to dual customer avatars, branding to appeal to buyers and sellers but also to attract agents for recruiting and retention. Consultants and service providers need to be able to differentiate what they do in an incredibly crowded competitive landscape. Tech and solutions providers have to position themselves to appeal to a B2B audience who are often not especially tech savvy, who are flooded with options, and who have short attention spans.
If you’re trying to attract everyone, you aren’t attracting anyone in particular.
When we shift the brand from trying to appeal to everyone, things become much more clear. Aim the brand identity, style, voice, and strategy instead to appeal to the people who not only need what you do, but also want how you do it and what your work style is.
Better yet, build an audience of people who trust you before they need what you’re selling.
How? By using a brand archetype to appeal to those inner human needs instead of what they happen to be buying right now.
what are brand archetypes?
As humans we are hard wired to react to story, and recognizing character patterns is just as innate. Our ancient ancestors shared story long before the written word as a way to bind the community together, to explain the world around them, and to pass on tribal knowledge. Stories of past heroes, of myth, of tradition, and of knowledge were critical to our collective survival. From Greek and Roman mythology, Viking sagas, and Hollywood today, stories pass from generation to generation.
Stories can make us have a literally physical reaction and they shape our behavior. They make us feel fear, stress, joy, or relief. Joke all you want about people crying at Hallmark or the Budweiser puppy commercials, but marketing and branding can tug at our feelings. Some brands evoke joy and inclusivity, while others instill a drive to break free. People who need to feel empowered love a hero brand, while those who crave social connection are naturally drawn to the Girl or Guy Nextdoor brand.
You can craft a brand that’s true to your ideal archetype, making it both attractive and releateable to the people who are most likely to love what you do and how you do it. The right brand “character” is the one that fits your business and your audience the best. It must reflect your work style, your culture, and your core beliefs.
finding the
motivators
While some people have a deep need for connection or stability, others seek mastery or independence. The 12 brand archetypes fall into 4 quadrants based on what each provides and who they attract.
Which fits your business best?
the patterns we all know
Archetypes are the common “characters” that allow us to recognize the patterns and to connect to a story line that we recognize. Dumbledore in Harry Potter or Yoda in Star Wars as the Sages who guide our hero protagonists toward their destinies. There are the heroes, of course. Harry Potter and Luke Sykwalker each face a seemingly unsurmountable challenge, leave behind the world they know and are initiated into something special where they go through a series of trials, eventually overcoming in triumph. They fight self-doubt but have the determination or overcome the obstacles in their way. Mrs Weasley is the caretaker who provides a safe harbor in times of trouble. Think about the stories that you know. Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games is the hero, Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada is the Ruler, the Lovers are Romeo and Juliet as well as Rick in Casablanca.
Archetypes in branding are incredibly powerful.
the twelve
archetypes
go from confusion
to clarity
