The Secret to Personal Brand Success
Each of us has a favorite blogger, musician, actor, or politician. Today, the category of “favorite businessman” has been added to the long list of personal brands from show business and politics, as millions of people know and follow Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson. The question is, why are all these people so different, yet so interesting to watch? The answer is simple: a well-crafted personal brand. Today, we’re talking about a crucial part of personal branding — personality archetypes.
The word “Archetype” comes from ancient Greek and means “original pattern.” The concept of the archetype was first developed by the famous psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung. In his works, he described personality archetypes in detail. Jung initially identified the Ego, as well as the Persona and the Shadow. All people’s archetypes originated from instincts. Among the main ones, Jung identified the Self, Persona, Shadow, Anima and Animus, and Ego. He considered these archetypes as fundamental.
Initially, writers based their works on Jung’s theory, so it’s common to find literary characters that fit into one of Jung’s archetypes. The theory of archetypes allowed them to develop interesting and relatable characters for books and novels. Later, movie and game authors began using archetypes — recognizable images worldwide. You might have noticed that some characters in your favorite movies are similar. That’s because, in creating characters, scriptwriters follow the same principles of archetypes. That’s why we can empathize with Arthur Fleck (Joker), find Frank Abagnale’s actions in “Catch Me If You Can” intriguing even though he’s a con artist, adore Sherlock Holmes despite him being a sociopath, and why many of us shed a tear when Jack Dawson drowned in the ocean.
We easily sympathize with characters that clearly correspond to a certain archetype. We understand their motivation and actions. And if you think the use of archetypes ends with cinema and literature, take a closer look at contemporary political figures, bloggers, and actors. Although it often seems that what they do is spontaneous, in reality, famous people often can’t afford unthought actions. While some personalities we know may indeed make the right moves unintentionally, more often, it’s a well-thought-out personal brand.
Since Jung’s time, the list of main archetypes has undergone significant changes. Each of us also fits a certain archetype, sometimes even more than one. I, like most, belong to the “hero” archetype. Because a hero is about achieving goals, constant movement, and improvement. The hero overcomes difficulties, makes mistakes, changes, and always moves forward despite everything.
The secret to personal brand success lies in a well-structured character archetype that matches the expectations and values of its audience. So, if you want to build a truly successful brand, start with the question, “Which archetype do you belong to?”
My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katekolody/
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