Archetypes have been used in marketing for a long time.

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But they can also be translated into concrete tools for the development of (video) content. This allows you to approach briefings on content in a strategically responsible way, but at the same time very practically as a creator. This way, you can make your content work seriously for your brand and you can go further than the umpteenth tie-in on Father's Day or a nice wink to the weekend.

Archetypes: The Basics
Archetypes come from psychology (Jung) and are also used to map brand roles. There are 12 archetypes: from the Wise to the Temptress, from the Primal Mother to the Fool. Archetypes are universal 'primal roles' that we (unconsciously) phone number list recognize. You see these roles in almost all stories. Whether it concerns Greek myths or the latest Star Wars. We have a collective memory of these characters and also expect them to interact and communicate with us in a certain way. These archetypes can be plotted against two axes. An axis from matter to energy. And an axis from reason to emotion. (see figure)


Schematic representation of Jung's 12 archetypes

The opportunity lies in developing distinctive formats and domains that bring the role of your brand to life in a relevant way. Think for example of the “Companion”, such as Coolblue that uses friendly employee videos to show in a light-hearted way what you can do with products from the webshop. Or “The Primal Mother”, such as Unox with real user-generated photos and events of iconic Unox moments (ice skating, local New Year's dive). All good examples of how content really works for your brand. I share two more international examples below. Somewhat less well-known, but therefore fun to look a bit further than the usual suspects of brands that are always mentioned as top performers anyway.