Connecting with your target audience is more than your tagline or messaging. It is your image, tone, and story that makes you relatable. Your audience expects a specific set of values and specific personality when interacting with your business. While audience analysis can get fairly in-depth, it’s easy to forget that despite our different experiences, preferences, and goals, our customers and clients are human; social media is a network of humans and websites are created and consumed by humans.
So why, do businesses often speak robotically, causing them to come off as sterile, generic or worse, insincere?
Just like humans, every brand has a personality that you want your audience to relate to. How people relate to your business and whatever emotional attachment they assign to their experience is based on your business’s brand personality. Some are sophisticated and exotic, while others may be rugged and tough. No matter the traits, it’s important to clearly define your brand personality and share it with your entire company. Identifying your brand personality allows you to communicate more effectively and make a real connection with your audience; reaching them on a personal, relatable, human level.
11 Brand Personalities
Use your personality to set your tone of engagement with your target audience. How can you determine what your brand’s personality is? Here’s one way! Brand personalities can be classified as archetypes. Carl Jung Jung, a psychologist, defined 12 master archetypes that symbolize basic human motivations. Regardless of culture, language, or creed these personality types are “themes of humanity.”
If you are still defining or reflecting on who you are as a brand and who your audience is, consider using these 11 master Archetypes to identify your brand personality and let your human show!
The Creator
Creative, authentic, and self-expressive. They have the desire to create something of value and form a vision.
The Hero
Brave, overcoming challenges and diversity, and risks great sacrifice. They rise to the challenge and seek to protect and inspire others.
The Outlaw
Provokes anger, offense, fear, and loves uncomfortable situations. They make people overcome the status quo and evoke change.
The Lover
Parental, friendly, spiritual, and even romantic. They are passionate about relationships and expressing gratitude.
The Everyman
Irresistibly likable, demonstrates the “All American Ideals”. Works hard and is honest. They embrace common sense values and like being around like-minded people.
The Sage
Guided by truth and knowledge. They use intelligence and analysis to understand the world around them. They seek truth as the path to make this world a better place.
The Ruler
Motivated by power, control and procedures. They are attracted to the finer thing in life and want to help others achieve prosperity and security.
The Caregiver
Places a high value on taking care of others and protecting them. They are oftentimes associated with self-sacrifice and maternal traits. They are selfless and make sure others are cared for.
The Magician
Dreams through knowledge and fundamental law. They are transformative and believe that there is something greater out there.
The Innocent
Associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, nostalgia, and being wholesome. They focus on the simple pleasures of life.
The Jester
Loves to live life to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it. They live in the here and now, which leads to innovation and new perspectives. They use comedy to express themselves.
Brand archetype theory is not meant to be viewed as “the end all be all” in solving your engagement problems. Rather, it provides a strategy to help determine how you can best communicate your brand to your target audience. Although it is important to be you and let your brand personality fly, you want to make sure you consider your audience in the process. Critically evaluate what personality characteristics will speak to your target audience and those that would push them away. Defining who you are as a brand and communicating that to your audience will create a genuine connection and lasting relationship.
Need help defining your brand? Contact us today at hello@lumstudio.com to learn about our branding services, brand identity packages, and more.