Learn the 12 brand archetypes and why you need to pick one for your brand. Is your brand a magician, or a lover? An outlaw, or an explorer? Building around an archetype can make your brand more memorable.

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A brand is a character.
When you cast your brand as a person,
you can turn customers into fans and
transactions into relationships.

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All great
stories
have
great
character
s.
Brand storytelling is a huge trend in
business and branding, and all great
storytellers know they need memorable
characters to really captivate an audience.
Sol Marketing works with companies to
cultivate brand archetypes that connect
with people and tell a story that inspires
and motivates. We created these
illustrations to bring to life the 12 brand
archetypes. Understanding your brand
archetype defines the role you brand plays
in your customers' stories.

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Which
archetype
fits your
brand the
best?
Check out the following
pages to find out.
"The most successful brands are
strategic and intentional about
what
they stand for, who they are—and
who they are for. The most
enduring brands connect
emotionally with people at an
unconscious level. The 12 classic
archetypes represent iconic
characters everyone can relate
to—the characters that populate
our collective unconscious.”
Deb Gabor, Sol Marketing CEO
and author of "Branding is Sex:
Get Your Customers Laid
and Sell the Hell Out of Anything”

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The Magician wants to understand the
fundamental laws of the universe
Goal: Make dreams come true
Greatest fear: Unintended negative consequences
Strategy: Develop a vision and live by it
Challenge: Becoming manipulative
Gift: Finding win-win solutions
Magician brands:
Disney, Tesla, Sol Marketing

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The Sage wants to find the truth
Goal: Use intelligence and analysis to
understand the world
Greatest fear: Being dupe, misled or ignorant
Strategy: Seeking out information, knowledge
and self-reflection
Challenge: Analysis paralysis
Gift: Wisdom, intelligence
Sage brands:
Harvard University, Berkshire Hathaway

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The Innocent wants to get to paradise
Goal: To be happy
Greatest fear: To be punished for doing
something bad or wrong
Strategy: To do things right
Challenge: Boring for all their naïve innocence
Gift: Faith and optimism
Innocent brands:
Orville Redenbacher Popcorn, Charmin

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The Outlaw wants revolution
Goal: To overturn what isn’t working
Greatest fear: To be powerless or ineffectual
Strategy: Disrupt, destroy or shock
Challenge: Crossing over to the dark side
Gift: Outrageousness, radical freedom
Outlaw brands:
Apple, Harley Davidson

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The Jester want to live in the moment
with full enjoyment
Goal: To have a great time and lighten up the world
Greatest fear: Being bored or boring others
Strategy: Play, make jokes, be funny
Challenge: Frivolity, wasting time
Gift: Joy
Jester brands:
Mentos, Old Spice

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The Lover wants intimacy
Goal: being in a relationship with the people
Greatest fear: Being alone, unwanted, unloved
Strategy: Become more and more physically
attractive
Challenge: Outward-directed desire to please
others at risk of losing own identity
Gift: Passion, gratitude, appreciation, commitment
Lover brands:
Godiva Chocolate, Dove Soaps

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The Explorer wants freedom
Goal: A better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Greatest fear: Getting trapped, conformity,
inner emptiness
Strategy: Seeking out new things
Challenge: Aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Gift: Autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul
Explorer brands:
Subaru, REI

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The Ruler wants control
Goal: A prosperous, successful family or
community
Greatest fear: Chaos, being overthrown
Strategy: Exercise power
Challenge: Being authoritarian, unable to delegate
Gift: Responsibility, leadership
Ruler brands:
Mercedes Benz, Rolex

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The Caregiver wants to protect
and care for others
Goal: To help others
Greatest fear: Selfishness and ingratitude
Strategy: Doing things for others
Challenge: Martyrdom and being exploited
Gift: Compassion, generosity
Caregiver brands:
Johnson & Johnson, Volvo

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The Hero wants to prove worth
through courageous acts
Goal: Expert mastery that improves the world
Greatest fear: Weakness, vulnerability
Strategy: Be as strong and competent as possible
Challenge: Arrogance, always needing another
battle to fight
Gift: Competence and courage
Hero brands:
U.S. Army, GoPro

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The Regular Guy/Girl wants to connect
Goal: To belong
Greatest fear: To be left out or stand out
Strategy: Develop ordinary, solid virtues, be down
to earth, the common touch
Challenge: Losing one’s own self to blend in
Gift: Realism, empathy, lack of pretense
Regular Guy/Girl brands:
Folgers, Chevrolet

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The Creator wants to make things
of enduring value
Goal: To realize a vision
Greatest fear: Mediocre vision or execution
Strategy: Develop artistic control and skill
Challenge: Perfectionism, bad solution
Gift: Creativity and imagination
Creator brands:
Lego Pixar

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(512) 445-4807
info@solmarketing.com
@Sol_Marketing
4807 Spicewood Springs Rd
Building 2, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78759
Want to learn more?
Establishing your brand archetype
is a key step in creating a brand that
resonates, is authentic and connects
with people.
Find out how you can do that and more
with Sol Marketing.