Is your brand as innocent as it seems?
What does it mean to be innocent? Does it simply mean that you’re not guilty? Oh, no, it’s so much more than that.
As your business’s brand archetype, being Innocent (now with a capital “I”) means that your business is about wonder and honesty. Maybe your products and services help your customer feel happiness and belonging.
Maybe through you, they find joy in the simpler things; their glasses are always half full. Or maybe it’s not about the glasses, rose-colored or not. Maybe your archetype is just a shade different…
There are five personas that make up the Innocent archetypal family, and while they share many aspects of imagination and motivation, they also have big differences.
For example, while the Innocent archetype, one of the twelve core archetypes in the full group of sixty, is all about being wholesome and pure, its real strength is that it’s not weighed down by preconceptions, suspicion or hidden agendas. What, then, do the other personas represent?
The Other Archetypes in the Innocent Family…
As facets of the Innocent, these archetypes exemplify different types of hopes and dreams.
The Child is playful, as brands that are eternally youthful are.
The Child is curious and fascinated with the world. Everything is possible with imagination, energy, humor and a positive attitude. But don’t think this archetype is a pushover. There is an inner strength and toughness here that is powerful.
FAO Schwarz as the Child.
It may seem obvious to choose an iconic toy-store brand as the Child example. But when FAO Schwarz touts themselves as “a world of imagination, adventure and wonder for everyone,” then yes, they are the poster child for…Child.
Offering toys, experiences and events, this is the brand that promotes “an adventure larger-than-life that sparks the imagination in all of us every time you step through our doors.” That is playful, imaginative, and positive all wrapped up in a big, happy bow.
The Dreamer’s imagination is on hyperdrive.
Living in that fantasy world and honing that inner vision, the Dreamer is filled with clever ideas and can inspire others to tap into their own imaginations.
For this archetype, it is more about the pursuit and expression of the dream than it is about making ideas a reality.
LEGO as the Dreamer.
What could be more inspirational than a brand that invites children to shape their own worlds with LEGO bricks? Whether it’s pure imagination or dream expression, LEGO believes that the “play” they initiate starts to release a child’s potential from the moment they pick up their first brick. In fact, the name of the company is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt,” meaning “play well.”
Fun fact: In Latin, the name also means “I put together,” something the founder didn’t know at the time.
The LEGO “system” that stimulates imagination and provides the tools to express ideas is the perfect expression itself of the dreamer archetype.
The Idealist believes in a better way.
As a catalyst for positive change, the Idealist confidently works to inspire others, infusing them with the belief that achieving harmony, peace, social justice and spiritual growth is possible.
This archetype is committed to authenticity, and delights in sniffing out myths and assumptions that hinder growth.
Twitch as the Idealist.
Belief in the possibility of positive change? That would be Twitch.
Cooperation and collaboration? Yep, Twitch. This video platform is all about empowerment and connection, and it’s where millions of people come together live every day to chat, interact, and make their own entertainment.
This brand flat out invites people to “build new stuff,” to “share your dream,” and to “bring your passions; we’ll help you build a community around them.”
Twitch essentially believed in and created a better world, then invited everyone to the party to work together to improve it even more.
The Muse is fulfilled by fulfilling others.
That’s right, this archetype inspires creativity and optimism, shining light where it is dark, and is the channel/way/conduit by which someone becomes better/deeper/stronger than before.
Adobe as the Muse.
“Creativity for all.” It’s very clear that the Adobe brand is to inspire creativity. To motivate “what if” thinking. To optimistically offer the tools by which ideas can be explored. As the Muse, Adobe finds purpose in supporting, inspiring, loving and encouraging artists to express their talent. They also bring a sense of the magical, energizing artists to reach beyond what they thought their limits were. In that way, the artist becomes better—dare we say deeper?—than they were before.
Just how innocent are you?
We hope you were intrigued by this discussion of the Innocent archetypal family and the important nuances among the personas.
👉 Dive into archetypes and how to use them to empower your brand.
Ready to explore your brand archetypes and understand how to use them to build your business?
Red Chalk would love to chat! Schedule a consultation and let’s put the power of brand archetypes to work creating a desirable brand.
If you want to explore the world of archetypes and how they are used in brand management, we highly recommend the book Archetypes in Branding: A Toolkit for Creatives and Strategists, written by Margaret Hartwell and Joshua C. Chen.
