Module 40 — Personality & Archetype
Frameworks: Mark & Pearson 12 brand archetypes · J. Aaker 5 brand personality dimensions (sincerity / excitement / competence / sophistication / ruggedness)
Goal: Establish the brand's character — how it would behave if it were a person. Personality governs tone, visual register, and what feels "on brand" versus "wrong". A sharp archetype makes a hundred small decisions automatic.
Raw
"If the brand were a person, how would they walk into a room?"
Archetype instinct (which of the 12 resonates immediately, and why?)
Creator · Caregiver · Ruler · Jester · Regular Person · Lover · Hero · Outlaw · Magician · Innocent · Sage · Explorer
Three adjectives the founder uses most naturally to describe the brand's character
One brand or public figure the founder admires but the brand should NOT become (and specifically what to avoid)
One brand or public figure whose personality register the brand aspires to
How should the brand make clients feel? (not think — feel)
Synthesis
Primary archetype + shadow
| Primary archetype | (name + 1-line why) |
| Secondary / shadow | (what the primary archetype risks becoming; what keeps it honest) |
J. Aaker personality scores (1–5, 5 = strongly applies)
| Dimension | Score | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Sincerity (warm, honest, down-to-earth) | ||
| Excitement (daring, spirited, imaginative) | ||
| Competence (reliable, intelligent, successful) | ||
| Sophistication (upper-class, charming) | ||
| Ruggedness (outdoorsy, tough) |
Personality in action (3 behavioural guidelines derived from the archetype)
What the brand must never sound or look like (the anti-personality)