Archetypes are the Magic Bullet for Brand Social Identity - Tom Troja

Archetypes are the bridge that connects people and brands From Nike as the hero Harley as the outlaw Ivory as the Innocentamp8230 Archetypes work and work well They are based on the wisdom of the ages provide depth and resonance around human character which we all relate withquotWhat we sell is the ability of a 43 year old accountant to dress in black leather ride through small towns and have people be afraid of himquot Harley Davidson Marketing ExecutiveArchetypes provide the missing link between customer motivationamp8230 why they might care about youamp8230 and your product sales Archetypes are what people envision what they feel sense and want They act as the draw between products and customer motivations by providing our cultural storylines and signal the fulfillment of our desiresARCHETYPES EXPRESS THE INNER HUMAN DRAMAArchetypal meaning is what makes brands come alive from an inanimate object They are the heartbeat of the brand as they convey a meaning that makes people feel the brand is alive a part of us somehow Archetypes are what we relate with emotionally how we feel when we have the urge to buyPlato called these patterns and imprints quotelemental formsquot imprints hardwired into our psyche that influence the characters we like in art movies and music Psychiatrist Carl Jung coined the term archetype and noted quotthese are forms and images of a collective nature which occur practically all over the earthquotJoseph Campbell expanding upon the idea that archetypes are quotbasically the expressions of an inner human dramaquot Campbell sat with George Lucas and helped him write the Star Wars Saga loosely based on Campbell39s thinking and his book The Hero With A Thousand facesARCHETYPES ARE THE EMOTIONAL LUBRICANT THAT MOVE PEOPLE Using archetypes in social conversation speaks to our intuitive emotional side allowing the more rational arguments to be heard Archetypal marketing assumes that people39s unfulfilled yearnings might lead them to respond on a deeper level to what is missing in themWhat is missing from that 43yearold accountant Harley is playing to that outlaw in us Nike is appealing to our own hero39s journey as we struggle to stay in shape Ivory to our hope to stay clean and pureThese brands are doing something more they have a relationship with us They make us care about them by making us feel like they care about us This is what archetypes doA friend Michelle Lapierre Senior Director Customer Relationship Marketing for Marriott Rewards states the industries current challenge well quotWe are very good at solving problems taking care of complaints using social butamp8230 at making a good relationship betteramp8230 we haven39t really figured that out yetquotHOW DO WE MAKE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETTERThe best social marketers today are using listening tools trying to stay relevant in what people are asking for and talking about Some of them are using social search key words to highlight the conversation based on what is trending to the top in conversationsWith others the calendar drives brand conversation with a quotbig happy 4th of Julyquot and quotdon39t forget father39s dayquot Many are mixing in contests coupons sweepstakes and polls that dominate the discourseBy themselves nothing is wrong with any of these tactics By themselves they represent nothing different than what your competitor is doing The challenge is to pull them all together with a strong social identity that is naturally yours that speaks with an authentic voice people will embraceThese tactics combine with a powerful archetypal voice across all social conversations social activities and social media to play a harmonic theme based on your core as a brand That speaks with an authentic voice everyone will recognizeWE INTERGARTE SOCIAL ARCHETYPINGamp8482 ACROSS SOCIAL MARKETING My company the Social Symphony has pioneered a process that pulls all the social tactics together through social archetypingamp8482 giving the brand a powerful voice based on your archetypal core that stands out and resonates as real This is not your fathers39 archetyping but one that reflects this new social age of participation and conversationamp8230 the people dominated reality of social marketing People now expect moreWhat we want to happen is combine all these tactics with archetypal voicing that excites people to tell their story aligned with your brand We position you so people feel motivatedamp8230 by their archetypal connection with youamp8230 so they share their story We inspire people to add their narrative to share with friends Archetypal conversations energize people to create that storyHow do you connect with the inner magician the hero and the explorer in all of us Is your core the sage the jester or the lover that connects to the soul of your fans My guess is your 43yearold accountantamp8230 or someone like themamp8230 is waiting for youMost recently as the founder of the Social Symphony Tom has weaved social tactics in concert with CRM 20 social strategies with Colgate Cadillac Kraft Gallo Reebok and others and has spoken about these subjects at iMedia Brand Summit IAB Social MITX and OMMA Social Tom can be reached at TomTrojaTheSocialSymphonycomRead all Tomamp8217s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at the Social SymphonyCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerMediaBizBloggers is an openthought leadership blog platform for media marketing and advertising professionals companies and organizations To contribute contact Jackmediadvisorygroupcom The opinions expressed in MediaBizBloggerscom are not those of Media Advisory Group its employees or other MediaBizBloggerscom contributors Media Advisory Group accepts no responsibility for the views of MediaBizBloggers authors

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