Do you ever wonder why different brands have unique personality traits and qualities attached to their name?
There is a specific reason why and that’s because each brand has an archetype that they represent. Brand archetypes as we learned in our readings for week 5, is a representation of a brand as a persona and they are all based on human psychology and the values we connect with. There are 12 archetypes and brands choose one in order to help the company build a valuable relationship with their customers, and so they can also build a sense of familiarity with that specific brand.
Photo Credit: Persona Design
Although a brand can only have one archetype, their brand voice is what helps them get the message across and informs customers about what the company stands for. A brand voice can be built through many mediums such as social media. Each platform may look different as the audience and engagement may vary, but if you notice, they all consist of the similar type of messaging that reflects back on their overall personality. It’s important to remember that although the brand voice is consistent, the brand’s tone of voice can change depending on the situation. For example, brands create different campaigns and ads and you may notice that each one of them may have different choice of words used to convey the message and a different communication style that may look different from how they typically communicate with their audience. This is common as brands adapt their communication style and ensure that it’s appropriate for that specific situation.
Now let’s go back to the topic of brand voice. As our guest speaker of the week, Kayla Stuckart said in her interview, in order to first determine your brand’s voice on social media platforms, you need to be consistent with your brand application. This means keeping your style guide and aesthetics of your page consistent so customers can familiarize themselves with the company. Another tip she shared was to build a specific content strategy that works for your company. In order to do that effectively, you have to be mindful of your company’s vision, mission, and brand guidelines when posting content. The main goal is to build a long-lasting human connection through storytelling, while also putting out the corporate message to your audience so they know clearly what the brand believes in.
Photo Credit: Canto
Let’s do a quick at a case study. The brand Reebok’s archetype is “The Hero”. Similar to Nike, their brand voice is focused on overcoming weakness and achieving greatness. Although this is their overall messaging, their tone of voice sometimes changes depending on the ads or the campaigns they create. For example, in 2003, Reebok released a Super Bowl commercial called “Official Linebacker” featuring Terry Tate and it was meant to be a funny clip creating awareness on their brand. Immediately, it looks like a type of commercial a “Jester” would produce as they are known for comedy and being light-hearted with their content. However, it was just in that situation that their brand’s tone of voice changed into something humorous rather than their usual voice of empowerment. This is an example out of many out there showing how brands can easily change up their tone of voice while also keeping their archetype and key messaging consistent.
Photo Credit: Reebok
As I mentioned every brand has their own personality and brand voice so next time you come in contact with your favorite brand, I encourage you to stop and think about their archetype and their key messaging to their audience. You’d be surprised with what you come up with!
Author: Brintha Manoharan (1176883)
Date: October 23rd, 2023