Building a Brand Strategy is a little bit like writing a screenplay. While there are a few essential elements — like a problem, a solution, and a field of authentic emotions — there’s no absolute formula that every artist must follow. Creativity and originality are key, after all. But one tool that we use in branding, part and parcel of every great story, is the system of archetypes.
Whether the author is consciously aware of it or not, every great protagonist and every great villain has his/her roots in some primordial archetype. That’s because we, as humans, have an instinctual understanding of these patterns and archetypes. We recognize and know how to relate to these characters on an intuitive, gut level.
Relatability is crucial for drawing in audiences and making a story engaging. Like an effective novel or screenplay, an effective brand must draw on this unconscious reservoir of characters and symbols in order to reinforce that sense of immediacy and emotional investment. Because these days, consumers expect so much more from their brands than just a clever product or a practical service. People want meaning, they want relationships, and they want to feel connected.
Enter the Hero
There’s no archetype that resonates in the psyche more strongly than the Hero. We all recognize this figure, and we know that every great story needs one. And while any archetypal protagonist can take the classic Hero’s Journey, there are certain defining traits that characterize this universally admired personality.
The Hero faces an enormous challenge, and by overcoming it, s/he redeems society at large. In the cosmic struggle of good versus evil, the Hero prevails, rescuing what had been lost and delivering some great treasure. The Hero sometimes pays a hefty price, but we all benefit from the boon which is recovered — in the form of victory, wisdom, or salvation.
Role vs. Archetype
For clarification, it’s important to understand the different ways we use the term “hero”. We often refer to the main character or protagonist of any story as the hero. Forrest Gump was the hero of a story, but archetypically we would classify him as a Fool or an Innocent.
Similarly, the hero of the story might be a detective (Sage), a soldier (Warrior), or a nurse (Caregiver). But in many of the greatest stories, the hero really is the Hero. Consider Gilgamesh and Odysseus, the quintessential Heroes. In more modern times, we have Luke Skywalker or Bilbo Baggins. These are protagonists who set out on a quest of epic importance, with a higher purpose of rescuing the world, or the galaxy, and transforming themselves in the process.
When we discuss Brand Storytelling, we talk about the importance of making your client or customer the hero of your story. That doesn’t mean they are the archetypal Hero, but they are the main character, the central figure who has a problem and must find the solution. As a Brand, it’s your role to guide them — whether as a wise Sage, a nurturing Caregiver, or a rule-breaking Rebel — and lead them across the proverbial bridge.
Hero Brands
When it comes to Branding, Nike embodies the Hero better than anyone, with their “Just Do It” slogan and no-pain-no-gain mentality. Their recent campaign called on citizens, athletes, and spectators to “Stand for something, even if it means losing everything.” If that doesn’t communicate the Heroic call for good to triumph over evil, then nothing does.
Smaller brands can tap into the Hero archetype as well, by inspiring or in some way helping their customers to rise above the ordinary, to give 110 percent, and to make this world a better place in the process.
Health Care Brands as Heroes
Elsewhere, in a previous blog post, we talked about healthcare providers as Caregivers. The Caregiver is a natural archetype that fits the role of any healthcare professional.As such, it’s essential to incorporate at least some degree of Caregiver into your Brand Persona.
But solid Brand Strategy tells us we need to differentiate ourselves from the competitors, not just try and beat them at their own game. To avoid the arms race of empathy and compassion, you need to look at other personality types.
In order to differentiate yourself, it’s a good idea to identify primarily with another archetype. For chiropractors, we find the Hero archetype to be very powerful and appropriate. Going against the tide of mainstream medicine, chiropractors are on a mission to change the landscape of the healthcare industry. And in doing so, they aim to transform the lives of patients and their families.
Chiropractic Heroes
So many patients turn to chiropractic because they’re simply fed up with prescription medications, prolonged treatments, and mediocre results. They’re tired of navigating the field of specialists, who make one uncertain diagnosis after another.
It’s the role and duty of the heroic chiropractor to stand up against these norms and conventions, to shine a light on a new path. Recognizing the foundational significance of a well-adjusted nervous system, they pave the way for a genuine transformation.
And ultimately, this is a message that will resonate with patients and prospective patients. Rather than try to dazzle them with charts, graphs, and peer-reviewed studies from reputable journals, you need to give them hope and make an emotional connection.
Of course, the science is valuable, and the importance of measurable results shouldn’t be understated. But before they’ll even listen to the statistics, they need to feel something, and to see themselves in a larger story that they intuitively recognize and understand.
The Psychology of Branding
Sometimes people hear about psychology and branding and think we’re trying to toy with people’s minds and pull their emotional triggers. But it’s really just about understanding where the clients are coming from and meeting them at that place.
Brand Strategy is not about adopting an artificial personality in order to lure people in. It’s about understanding what your customers feel and need on a deep emotional level. By understanding them, you know how to talk to them effectively, and ultimately provide them with a better service that not only solves their immediate problem but truly improves their physical and emotional state in the process.
Onward and Upward
I hope you enjoyed this quick breakdown of the Hero Archetype. Now think about who your audience is and what their most important archetypes might be. What are their emotional needs, and how can your business or practice best present itself to address those needs?
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