Theory about archetypes represents a more deterministic and predetermined
perspective on the drivers of human behaviour than the personality construct
presented in this chapter because it bases the drivers of human consumption on
universal predetermined behavioural patterns latent in all human beings.
The personality approach 131Box 7.2 Archetypes and brand personality
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist. He pioneered the theory about
archetypes based on extensive psychological studies in the early 1900s. Jung
built the theoretical notions of archetypes on an idea that all human beings
share a collective unconscious. This collective unconscious defines us at a
psychological level like DNA codes define us at a microscopic physical level.
The collective unconscious is the root of our communication and consists of
psychological codes that transcend time. The collective unconscious is,
according to Jung, ‘“identical in all men and thus constitutes a common
psychic substrate of suprapersonal nature which is present in every one of us”.
This collective unconscious act as a communal well in the mind filled with
psychic content that we all share’ (‘The archetypes and the collective uncon-
scious’, pp. 3–41 in K. Wertime, Building Brandsand Believers, 2002, p. 60)
Archetypes are believed to be the basic mechanisms and source codes that
enable people to communicate and connect at a rudimentary subconscious
level. These codes are believed to be static, universal and deeply rooted in the
human psyche. Jung further believed that the unconscious level of the human
psyche is an active agent in people’s lives and a significant factor that shapes
everyday actions. Archetypes are expressions of the patterns of fundamental
psychic content that we all share and are related to instinctively. They cover
a range of basic elements in the human psyche like evil, happiness, heroic
and maternal feelings. In religion and culture archetypical expressions have
been used for millennia to express universal truths.
In brand management, archetypical patterns can, according to Mark and
Pearson (2001), provide fundamental, timeless and universal reference
points, by using symbols and images tapping into the unconscious. In that
way brand managers can ensure brands achieve symbolic significance for
all consumers because they address the archetypical level of unconscious
patterns that we all share. Mark and Pearson’s framework for working with
archetypes in brand management consists of twelve archetypical personal-
ities. These twelve archetypes are believed to be able to fulfil different,
subconscious, archetypical needs for consumer:
Basic archetypical need- Stability and control, and need to feel safe
- Belonging and enjoyment and a need to love and feel part af a community
- Risk and mastery and a need to achieve and perform well
- Independence and fulfilment and a need to find harmony and happiness