The Hero’s main motivation is to prove their worth, and their greatest fears are failure and showing weakness. Whether on the battleground, ball field, or political stage, the Hero is determined to leave a mark on the world, and it seems like often at the risk of great sacrifice.

A Hero brand archetype promote themselves as good quality and superior to their competitors. As a result, the marketing of a Hero brand will often use powerful images and strong colors to communicate this.

The worst thing that could happen to a Hero business would be for the rival competitor to be rated higher or be proven to be better quality. On their positive side they are brave, determined and skillful but at their worst they can be aggressive or arrogant.

For the full profile on the hero brand archetype please click here.

The caregiver is driven by their needs to protect and care for others. Caregiver businesses offer protection, safety and support for their customers. They have an innate capacity for nurturing. The worst thing that could happen to a caregiver business would be for their products to be perceived as harmful or exploitative.

Usually caregiver brands have the view of the brand archetype supporting families or serving public sectors for example healthcare and education. The caregiver aims to make people take care of themselves. Almost all baby care brands are based on this archetype, which not coincidentally, also functions under a different name – the Mother.

Caregiver customers want to be recognised for their efforts with the brand without being patronised and forced. Aggressive or over the top adverts are a huge turn off, whilst emotionally driven adverts often strike the right chords.

Read the full profile, including Advert examples for the Caregiver here.

The Creator brand archetype is a visionary, non-conformist and authentic. The Creator has the desire to craft something meaningful and special. They love new ideas and make things happen. The Creator gets deep satisfaction from both the process and the outcome of creating something that did not previously exist and therefore a natural fit for many marketing, design, and technology brands.

Being mainly driven by their core desire to produce and create exceptional and enduring works and inventions, they are most afraid of anything mediocre. Everything has to be perfect. And this very desire for perfection can lead to their downfall. At their very best they are imaginative, expressive and innovative – at their worst they are self-indulgent, melodramatic and narcissistic.

Also known as the inventor, artist, writer, and entrepreneur, this archetype desires freedom of expression and doesn’t like to feel stifled.

Customers of the Creator shun advertising but may enjoy experimental or novel ads. They can be difficult to appeal to sometimes, but successful brands will develop a devout and very loyal fan base, for example apple.

Read the full profile including advert examples for the Creator here.

The Explorer brand archetype craves adventure and wants to just discover the world for themselves. They are independent, ambitious and spiritual but on the negative, they can be restless, aimless and a bit flaky. The Explorer stays current with trends and encourages individual initiative to help people grow. Adventure is a means of enlightenment, and the Explorer is focused on self-discovery and self-sufficiency. They create products that promote individuality, excitement, and a way to experience new things.

Customers of the Explorer embrace brands that promote freedom and discovery, especially those that let the customer embark on a journey with them. Explorer ads wont be domestic-focused, they usually are about nature and taking a risk.

Find out more on the full profile of the Explorer here.

The Innocent brand archetype has a desire to just be free and happy and keep life simple. They fear doing things wrong and being punished for it. They are often successful at ignoring and moving through barriers that would sometimes stop others, as they have the core talents of being optimistic and hopeful. The Innocent world is one of complete optimism some would say, where everything is straightforward and there are no hidden agendas or double meanings.

It is a place where life can be simple. Innocent brands represent good, clean fun. This archetype can be a great brand personality for brands associated with health, cleanliness and natural products.

The Innocent archetype tends to see the good in every situation, keeping faith and hope in their ideals and aiming to motivate others to also believe that everything will work out the way it should eventually.

The customer of an Innocent brand prefers straight talking, gimmick free advertising and they are naturally drawn to optimistic brands. Advertising that is very heavy or guilt inducing is likely to drive them away.

Find out more about the Innocent on the full profile here.

The Jester lives in the moment and just enjoy life. They fear boredom above everything. A Jester brand archetype tends to give out the impression that they live on the wild side and use outrageous imagery to often tease their customers affectionately. The Jester business is a clever one. Finding success through brainstorming and lateral thinking, the Jester makes sure their team is having fun while they’re at it. They motivate people to see the value of play and by allowing people to connect with their fun inner child — impulsive and unrestrained, not afraid to bend rules, not afraid to stand out, and comfortable in their own skin.

The worst thing that could happen to a Jester brand would be to get embroiled in a bitter lawsuit or be seen as strict or boring. On a positive note, they are carefree and different but at their worst Jester brands can be cruel and irresponsible.

The Jester does not seek to solve a problem. Its main purpose on the journey is the journey itself. The outcome rarely matters to the Jester and in some cases they may become a bit of the devils advocate in the interest of spicing things up a little bit. The Jester doesn’t reminisce or plan for the future, they have the ability to think outside the box, which leads to innovative ideas.

This means the Jester is a master at brainstorming, reframing concepts, and presenting new perspectives to people and other brands archetypes.

For more information, advert examples and characters of the Jester Please click here.

The Lover is about creating relationships and evoking emotions. No man is an island – the lover brand archetype wants to make people feel special and meet this need. The lover sees the world in the perspective… what has love got to do with the journey we call life? Everything. Lover brands like to celebrate the physical joys of being human, fostering intimacy and bliss in their consumers.

The lover is passionate and represents anything that pleasures the senses – beautiful things, indulgent foods, enticing scents.

At their best the Lover brand archetype will be magnetic and committed, however at their worst they can be seen as people pleasers, obsessive and shallow.

Lover customers value the aesthetic appearance of goods and services. They are likely to be drawn to premium brands that will make them seem more attractive to others.

Lover brands will promise Passion

Promoting themselves as glamorous with an emphasis on sensual pleasures. Ads will typically focus on how the product feels for the customer. If lover brands were to come across as cheap their air of mystique would be ruined.

For the full profile and advert examples, please click here.

The magician wants to understand the universe and their position in the world, but they fear any unintended negative consequences of their exploration. Magician brand archetypes will promote themselves as the gate to transformative experience and they will focus on individuals rather than the group, they will also usually flatter the customer and tell them to trust their own instincts. Magicians seek to understand how things work, and as a result, change lives for the better. Alternate names such as the healer and the visionary bring out this element more strongly, and help us to see that it is not an archetype solely concerned with mystical experiences.

On a positive, the magician brand will be driven, charismatic and healing but on a bad day can be dishonest, disconnected or sometimes manipulative to its customers.

Serving as a catalyst for change and turning the worlds problems into opportunities, the magician empowers its customers and intends on serving a win/win solution for all involved in a situation. Magician business’ thrive off innovation and see possibility, and through their inventiveness, they set off a chain reaction.

To read more information about the magician and to get advert examples, please click here.

The rebel brand archetype is an expert in developing truly radical ideas, services and products. Some rebel brands can be seen as revolutionary and these are the ones that must be careful about coming across too reckless and shaking things up endlessly.

Craving revenge, the rebels greatest fear is powerlessness. They expose what isn’t working in the world and then overturn it in their own way. Action-orientated, they will bring fresh perspectives, new outlooks and inspirational changes.

At their best they are brave, adaptable and free-spirited and they will position themselves as an alternative to the mainstream, making an effort to stand out. Rebel brands that are successful usually will have a cult like following of all the people who have lost faith in traditional choices and are attracted by the Rebel’s energy.

Rebel brands will promise Revolution

They wont stick to industry conventions, they introduce a new attitude and let their customers know that it’s acceptable not to be a sheep in society.

Find out more about the rebel including advert examples by clicking here.

Brands in the Regular Guy archetype aim to be on the same level as the consumer, treating them as equals and expressing traits of unpretentiousness and humbleness in their brand.
The regular guy appreciates the quality and dependability in their brand. They prefer the familiar to the strange, and will therefore invest in brands that they trust. They have fears of being alone, and will go to great lengths to not stand out, but instead will attempt to fit in to achieve a feeling of belonging with the collective.

Their simple values and a need for belonging help them develop common and wholesome virtues that endow them with a realistic perspective of the world. For the regular guy, it’s about getting the job done and properly.

Regular guy businesses take pride in their own down-to-earth ethos. Their image is honest and trustworthy. The worst thing that could happen to the regular guy business would be for them to look greedy. The Regular guy is also know as the Good old boy, Everyman, Person next door, Regular Jane, the Common man, Realist, Working stiff, Solid citizen, Good neighbour and Silent majority. For the regular guy, all women and men are created equal, and this gives them an empathy and lack of pretense couple with a very realistic view of the world.

Please click here for more information on the Regular guy, including advert examples.

The Ruler brand archetype is driven by their strong power and control. Ruler brands are known for speaking authoritatively and often spreading the idea that they are the leaders in their field. They are the head teacher, the monarch, the boss and the President, top banana and infused with a sense of wealth and success. Seen as ‘masculine’, rulers will be solid and polished to their consumers.

Making order out of chaos, they will use power to create positive outcomes, however they must be careful about dominating others or becoming overly hierarchical or political.

Ruler customers are naturally dominant and will not be patronised or ‘dumbed down’ when it comes to advertising. They value the advertising that reinforces their emotions of feeling power and authority. The best of the best.

To find out more information about the Ruler archetype and for advert examples, please click here.

The Sage brand archetype seeks the truth and wants to find the good and the wisdom in all situations. Sage brands will promise learning and teaching knowledge and therefore will often make use of their higher levels of vocabulary or symbolic imagery. Guided by truth seeking, the Sage is most fulfilled by finding answers to the most challenging questions. Whilst demonstrating intelligence, knowledge and keen problem-solving skills, Google is probably the most significant Sage of our time.

On a good day, the sage will be wise, open-minded and articulate. However, at their worst they can be seen as self-absorbed or cold to some.

The Sage is the best brand archetype at developing significant expertise such as gathering information in almost any situation so that it is useful to others. A Sage brand will trust their customers to be able to grasp difficult ideas and understand intellectual in-jokes. Sage brands should watch out for being too patronising though.

Please click here for more information about the Sage, including advert examples.