sage - brandonian€¦ · your brand’s emotional connection with your customers will be defined...

Archetype Profile Your Brand Archetype

Insights.

brandonian.com

SAGE

2 ©Brandonian P/L | All concepts presented remain copyright of Brandonian

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Copyright Statement

© Copyright Brandonian Pty Ltd – All IP, ideas,

concepts and supporting materials are the property

of Brandonian Pty Ltd.

CONTENTS

The Methodology How we define your future brand .................3

Meet all the Archetypes ..................................4

How Archetypal Theory is applied ...............4

Motivational Theory ..........................................5

Meet Your Archetype The Sage ..............................................................6

Using Your Archetype Within business ..................................................9

The Sage Trap To research forever and never act .............. 11

Sage Customers What are the characteristics? ....................... 12

Awaken Your Archetype How to present a Sage brand? .................... 13

What’s Next? Tell the world ..................................................... 14

Get some help .................................................. 14

This is your Brand Archetype Profile insights document. It captures the essence of your Brand Archetype and can be used as a basis for building your future brand.

From here you can flesh out your brand strategy further to include all your future business and marketing activities.

We offer workshops to take this to the next level and develop a thorough plan and guidance. For more information, please contact us through brandonian.com/workshopenquiry

Always ask:

“Are our plans being built from our Brand Archetype as defined in this Brand Archetype Profile?”

DISCOVER THE METHODOLOGY

Exploring the direction for your brand is based on a clearly defined

mapping methodology.

HOW WE DEFINE YOUR FUTURE BRAND

We believe marketing is a method and consumer buying behaviour is a science (neuro-marketing). We developed our Brandonian system to combine the two to make marketing a methodology.

Our Brandonian system is based on Swiss psychiatrist Carl

Jung’s theory of ‘archetypes’ or brand characters. Archetypes

allows us to define the soul of your brand and express it in

ways that tap into universal feelings and instincts we all have.

Jung stated we are all born with an understanding as to what

certain characters (archetypes) are. For example, think of a

mother figure (Caregiver). If I asked you to write a page of

descriptors as to what that means to you, you would have no trouble

filling the page and what you would write, would be very similar to

many others.

This is why we align your brand with an archetype. When we start

telling stories and using language in the context of that character, your

customers can easily connect with your brand. It feels right, they know

you get them and you no longer need to compete on price or product

features. For example, Jeep are an Explorer brand. In their marketing

they talk about all the places you can go, and show the owners away

from home, in rugged landscapes escaping and discovering new things.

Ultimately, they are selling freedom, the vehicles just enable that feeling.


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HOW ARCHETYPAL THEORY IS APPLIED

The online test you have just completed was a process of discovery, where

you had to think about what it is you are really selling and what emotional

response you want your customers to experience with your brand.

Simon Sinek said it best when he said,

‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’.

Your brand’s emotional connection with your customers will be defined by your archetype.

You can tell your brand story from your business’s perspective as to why you created what you

have, or you will tell your brand story from a customer-focused perspective, telling them why

they need, or what they can expect from using your product or services.

For example, Mercedes Benz (Ruler) is a business whose main business focus is to produce

cars that are the best and most innovative on the market and continually demonstrate why

in all their marketing. Whereas Alfa Romeo (Lover) are selling with a customer focus, selling

customers an Italian love affair, encouraging new customers to experience the passion of

driving, to hear the engine, feel the leather and so on.

This insights document has been designed to help you, your team and any future employees

understand your archetype so you can attract the right customers and communicate your ‘why’

effectively, so your business can be seen and heard in a crowded market place.


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We spoke about the fact that people don’t buy

what you do, they buy why you do it (Simon Sinek).

So it follows then that if you understand what motivates

an individual, or a collective (like a target market),

then you can strategically communicate and interact

in ways that are designed to trigger and leverage an

underlying motivation and the unconscious drivers

of your customers.

At its core, motivation is a theoretical construct

used to explain behaviour. It represents the reasons

for people’s actions, desires, and needs. Motivation

can also be defined as one’s direction to behaviour, or

what causes a person to want to repeat a behaviour

and vice versa.

Motivational theory can be refined down

to four major human drivers:

1. Belonging (Generosity)

2. Independence (Self Actualisation)

3. Stability (Control)

4. Mastery (Risk)

From your Brand Archetype Insights Test, we

established that the actions your business performs

on a daily basis are the hallmarks of a Sage.

Let us tell you more about what this means for

your brand.

SAGEThe Sage sits in the

right quarter, in the section where independence is the

underlying motivation behind decisions and behaviours

of your brand.

A Sage brand is driven by a need to discover the

truth using intelligence and analysis to better understand

the world around them.

MOTIVATIONAL THEORY


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S

M

B I

Stability

Ind

ep

en

de

nce

Mastery

Be

lon

gin

g

These are the primary tensionsfaced regularly in a person’s thinking

Life requires constantnegotiation along these poles


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The SageThe Sage is thoughtful, with an

independent attitude.

Wish The discovery of truth

Focus To use intelligence and analysis to understand the world

Fear Duped, misled, ignorance

Strategy Seek out information and knowledge; become self-reflective and understand thinking processes

Trap Can study issues forever and never act

Purpose Wisdom, intelligence

‘Knowledge will set you free’

7

Messenger | Oracle | Detective

The SageSages are driven by a desire to understand and know the world around them and in turn, people seek their advice and counsel. They represent wisdom, asceticism and destiny. The Sage’s power is to see and tell the truth. The most obvious example is the scholar, researcher, or teacher. However, it can also be the detective, nightly news anchorperson, or any expert sharing knowledge.

The Sage has faith in the capacity to humankind to learn and grow in ways that allow us to create a better world. Their knowledge helps to ensure mistakes are not repeated. Sages are constantly balancing tradition and stability with the need for growth and change.

The Sage Business:They are often found in universities research labs, think tanks and companies who see themselves as learning systems – that is businesses whose structure and values promote continuous learning. Emphasis is placed on analysis, learning, research and planning.

The Sage Culture:When the Sage is active in the lives of the team, they are keenly interested in learning for its own sake. Freedom and independence are valued as a means of keeping one’s objectivity.

Examples of Sage Brands:We see the Sage in all mystery stories, science fiction (The X-Files – ‘The truth is out there’), thrillers and informative books.

Famous Sages: Deepak Chopra, Confucius, Albert Einstein and Oprah Winfrey.

Sage brands: Google, Stanford University, Philips, HSBC, CNN.

The Sage archetype might be a good identity for your brand if:• It provides expertise or information to your customers

• It encourages customers or clients to think

• The brand is based on a new scientific breakthrough or esoteric knowledge

• The quality of the brand is supported by hard data

• You are differentiating the product from others whose quality or performance is questionable

©Brandonian P/L | All concepts presented remain copyright of Brandonian. DISCOVERING BRANDS

DISCOVERING BRANDS

Discover your brand at brandonian.com@mybrandonian [email protected]


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THE EXPLORERYour Future Brand promises new experiences and challenges us to

give them a go. By trying them, we create the possibility to learn a little

more about ourselves.

the t ruth will set you fr

ee

YOUR ARCHETYPEYour Future Brand is thoughtful,

with an independent attitude.


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MEET YOUR ARCHETYPE

Messenger Oracle Detective

Relating the Sage archetype to the world of today

Messenger – CNN. With tag lines like ‘be the first to know’ their business is to create a place that delivers breaking

news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CNN have a brand promise to bring you the knowledge as soon as they receive it.

It is then up to you to verify the accuracy of the information.

Oracle – The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 19

museums and the National Zoo—shaping the future by preserving our heritage, discovering new knowledge, and

sharing our resources with the world. The institution’s goal is to be an establishment for the increase and diffusion

of knowledge that is trusted worldwide.

Detective – Foodbank is a non-profit organisation which acts as a pantry to the charities and community groups who

feed the hungry. Foodbank is a conduit between the food industry’s surplus food and the welfare sector’s needs. The

brand communication is all about the numbers, number of people they feed, tonnes of food needed and number of

people who struggle to feed themselves. Foodbank first research what is needed and then bridge this gap with food.

Sage brands accumulate knowledge to better understand their world

The Sage holds onto the promise of discovering the truth, having the wisdom and intelligence to provide thoughtful

insight whilst maintaining an independent attitude.

With a thirst for learning, the Sage will seek out information and will then be self reflective in order to digest the

deeper context behind each learning. They understand thinking processes and will use analysis and intelligence to

fulfil their goals.

Individual by nature, they encourage others to seek freedom and independence as a way to keep ones objectivity.

Whether it’s self reflection or knowledge of the external world, the Sage brand knows that it must think for itself and

have it’s own opinion.

This individuality is evident in a deep-seated desire or need for discovering the truth. Sages are good at discovering

the truth from illusion. They do this by digesting all that is written, audible and visible and weighing up all the facts

before communicating their truth.

The actions of a Sage brand often help others to feel wise, confident or clear. The Sage has faith in the ability of

humankind to learn and grow so together they can create a better world.

A Sage will help you to learn and grow whilst providing stability in order to be fulfilled. Whether it’s new experience,

products or services, the Sage will give you guidance and instil a feeling of freedom with the education they have

bestowed upon you.

USING YOUR ARCHETYPE WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS

What does the Sage stand for?

Sage brands use wisdom as a way to help direct a positive outcome or a learning that will prevent the challenge

happening over and over. They balance tradition and stability with a thirst for growth and change, all for the initial

benefit of the individual.

Truth is the ultimate goal and thinking is at the foundation of what drives a Sage brand. Your audience demands a

level of expertise and knowledge that only you can prepare for them. They will seek you out because they trust the

information you will provide will be of the highest quality.

Trust and expertise are interlinked, subconsciously quality is seen as a result of promoted expertise and therefore is

the best way to develop trust and reinforce your brand promise of always delivering the truth.

All Sage brands have an underlying need to advocate for freedom in some way and to do so will practice

non-attachment to deliver a competence that will add value to the challenge being faced.

What is the ideal world for my brand to operate in?

Your ideal world is one of truth and independence, helping your clients realise a greater level of knowledge and

understanding. Clients are attracted to Sage organisations because of their wisdom and ability to provide accurate

information. They are aware that the information comes from a place of great understanding and experience,

beyond anything they are likely to achieve alone.

The client is open to suggestion and constantly seeking validation of the information at their disposal. They are

opposed to anything that’s not substantiated.

The clients you attract will have some level of ‘hunger’ for knowledge or answers, meaning they are eager for the

wisdom they know you will supply. Think about the ways the brand can facilitate the immediate nature with which

most clients expect results without rushing information. Consider providing small pieces of information at first, and

take the time to provide measured responses to avoid undermining your balance of expertise and power.

How to stay motivated, disciplined and focused?

Sage brands stay motivated by continuing to learn. If you think about it, people seek the advice of Sage brands

because of their ability to collate information and experiences to uncover the symbols and signs that inform

challenges. It is this deeper perspective that a Sage actively seeks out that gives them the greatest reward.

For a Sage brand and the individuals that make it up, there is an inner and an outer journey that is always in

play. Individuals are motivated by a desire to understand the outside world as a way to inform and balance the

inside world. With this truth and understanding comes a clarity of thought and an ability for clearer more rational

decision making.

What is the environment you are seeking to improve?

In many ways you are seeking to improve outdated thinking by using your understanding of what has happened

in the past with research and new perspectives in order to influence and direct the future. The analysis, learning,

more research and planning that all help to improve the current business environment in which you are operating.


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SAGE TRAP

To research forever and never act

Each archetype has a shadow side to their character that needs to be understood in

order to become aware, and therefore, prevent a negative brand experience for your team

or customers.

When discovering the truth, it can be easy for a Sage to get lost in the data, investigating

avenues or solutions for a client that not only incur unnecessary costs but means wisdom is

not communicated and nothing can be actioned.

Internally, the trap individuals within a Sage brand could face is delving into eternal research,

believing that they will never truly know everything – and consequently never share the

knowledge they have accumulated with others.

Including too much unnecessary information (or jargon heavy information) into a report could

also dilute the intended message and understanding for the court.

Sage brands could be seen as arrogant instead of wise if trust is not established early on in

the relationship. This also applies to those Sages that exaggerate or talk themselves up only to

diminish the importance of their wisdom and experience.

Finally, it will be important that the experts within a Sage brand are contributing to growth,

learning or fulfilment and avoid manipulation, or using their knowledge and authority to

deliberately manipulate someone for their own benefit.


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SAGE CUSTOMERS

What are the characteristics of Sage ‘type’ customers?

Audiences in which the Sage archetype is dominant (the low hanging fruit for your brand

to market to) all have a common belief that knowledge is powerful, and credible sources

of information are key to building worthwhile knowledge. They are all motivated towards

independence and have a drive to know the answer.

With this in mind, there are two types of mindsets to inspire your ideal audience:

• Private Eye: Hungry for information, the private eye seeks to accumulate as much credible

information as they can in order to solve problems and reach their goals.

• Loyal Advocate: Putting their faith in the credibility of their source, the loyal advocate will

gravitate towards knowledge bases that back up their goals.

“Your goal is not to do business with everyone that wants what you have. Your goal is to do business with

people who believe what you believe.” – Simon Sinek

Private EyeThe Private Eye has a genuine

thirst for knowledge. They want to

know more to help themselves grow.

On their quest for knowledge they look

to those with great wisdom to help

them see more clearly. But, it is not

straight answers they necessarily

seek; they want to be actively involved

in the learning process, to gain a

robust understanding they can apply

to the decisions they make.

Loyal AdvocateThe Loyal Advocate is more

energised by the outcome new

knowledge will give them. This means

they trust authority figures more easily.

They are not gullible in the slightest,

but they remain deeply loyal to those

who have pleased them before.

They have faith in others and trust

their authoritative figures will always

have the right knowledge.


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AWAKEN YOUR ARCHETYPE

How do you present a Sage Brand?

A quality brand perception is built from the expertise of your team

Every touch point should, in some way, help to establish credibility of the brand. You want to be listened to, so

demonstrate knowledge, experience and continued learning where possible.

Never use any hard sell techniques with customers. Instead, offer choice and empower the buying decision by

delivering facts, but never give customers more than three choices. Service should be to a high standard and the

information delivered is fact or science-based. Reinforce your wisdom, your innovative breakthroughs from research

and you will be rewarded with customer loyalty.

Colours are generally greys, blues, beige and whites and simple variations on these.

Use imagery that supports the concepts of knowledge, continued learning and wisdom. Images that incorporate

words, data, technology and the outcomes of what you are really selling work best. You also want a feeling of

approachability and ease of sourcing the information that is targeted to an individual’s needs. For example, images of

open spaces unconsciously suggest the answers are out there.


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WHAT’S NEXT?

1. Digest the information.

Read through this document and take the time to digest the information. We want you to understand and think

about all the content within this document. If you are unclear as to how you would use this information in your

business, then we are here to help.

2. Create a brand update and marketing plan.

Review your next actions, create a plan to implement your Brand Archetype Profile Insights.

3. Do you want help to expand and fully implement your Brand Archetype?

Brandonian’s expert Strategists can workshop your brand with you in greater depth. We will work with you to fully

realise the potential of your new brand by articulating your purpose. By creating a unique message and language

to express your Brand Archetype, you can’t be replicated.

GET SOME HELP

If you are having trouble understanding or awakening your archetype, Brandonian can help. Our Online Test and

this Archetypes Insights document has been designed to get you started and give you something you can work

with to stand out and be heard in the crowd at price everyone can afford.

It is important to note that the process to determine the archetype most suited to your business is a four hour

workshop with your key stakeholders present. We can only partially replicate that through an online quiz.

While any archetype can be used to create a language to consistently communicate with the world, this online quiz

may not have arrived at the archetype best suited to your business. We would recommend further discussions with

one of our strategists.

Our whole purpose and reason for being is to help small business be seen and be heard. We created this test and

archetype system because we kept seeing so many businesses just like yours, with good people in them and a

great product or service, but no one knew about them. We wanted to offer what big businesses with deep pockets

pay big dollars for to give smaller businesses the same competitive advantage.

So if you are having trouble using what you have just discovered, but can see how this thinking can really help your

business to be seen and heard and ultimately grow, we are here to help.

We can help you in many ways, from creating you a set of branded graphics and brand statements to setting up a

number of different templates that you can use straight away and build off.

We can define for you a tagline and a why statement or write some website copy with brand language capturing

your point of difference.

Just get in touch and we can chat about what will help you the most.

To inquire into how to successfully implement your new

Brand Archetype Profile Insights, please contact us

through brandonian.com/workshopenquiry

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