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Writer's pictureCatherine Carr
Nov 223 min read

Trying on Brand Archetypes with Messaging Concepts

Sometimes when I take a team through a brand archetype exercise, we align on one archetype right away, but it’s more typical to end up with a short list of candidates that are intriguing for different reasons. At this stage, going deeper on the detail behind each archetype is super important, because the labels themselves are really just thumbnail sketches. (See a step-by-step process for getting to your shortlist here.)


I love thinking through the implications and opportunities for a particular brand through the lens of an archetype’s core desires, goals, fears, strategies, traps, gifts, and progression, but not everyone thinks like a brand strategist, and sometimes teams need sample messaging to really get a sense of how each one might come to life.


That’s exactly what we did for BBVA as we quickly explored concepts for a new purpose (working across teams, languages, time zones, under time pressure). We used archetypal grounding to inform three distinct concepts based on the Explorer, the Innocent, and the Creator. Here are some excerpts.


MESSAGING CONCEPT 1: BBVA AS THE EXPLORER


This concept is grounded in the Explorer archetype, which inspires people to be true to their individuality and to experience a better, more fulfilling life. Important themes are autonomy, self-expression, and trying new things. 


Alt text: Also known as The pioneer, the adventurer, the seeker Core desire Freedom to find out who you are by experiencing the world Goal Experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life Strategy Journey, seek out and experience new things, escape from entrapment and boredom Gifts Autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul Fears Being trapped, conforming, inner emptiness Traps Aimless wandering, becoming a misfit, being so alienated you can’t find any way to fit in Progression Alienation, dissatisfaction, restlessness >> Hitting the open road, exploring the world >> Seeking your individuality, becoming fulfilled >> Expressing individuality or uniqueness Brand fit Helps people feel free | Nonconformist or pioneering | Can be used on the road or on the go | Helps people express individuality, ability to tailor to unique needs | Differentiating from more conformist brand
A deep dive on the Explorer brand archetype

Explorer works beautifully with a pioneering spirit and an on-the-go customer experience, and it’s a powerful way to differentiate from competitors who could be perceived as conservative, conformist, or just boring. It could easily incorporate a rich variety of cultural experiences and touchstones drawn from BBVA’s heritage and global presence.


For BBVA, Explorer would be expressed in a way that encompasses a broad range of exploration -- not just exotic, aspirational, far-reaching destinations, but fulfilling experiences and personal passions that feel attainable, close to home, rooted in families, friendships, and communities. The focus would be on enriching all aspects of your life, from the day-to-day to someday.


Alt text: Powering the pursuit of passions—today, tomorrow, always You have passions that inspire you, whether that means enjoying a futbol match with your kids, visiting Machu Picchu, or retiring to the cottage of your dreams. We share your enthusiasm. We sponsor La Liga. We built La Vela. We fill our offices with art and design. Our mission is to empower you to follow your passions today, tomorrow, and in the future. It’s about more than speed and convenience. It’s about freeing up space for you to pursue what you love. Space in which you no longer worry about money. Space for you to dream. You have your passions. Ours is to help make them happen.
Explorer-inspired messaging concept for BBVA

 

MESSAGING CONCEPT 2: BBVA AS THE INNOCENT


This concept is grounded in the Innocent archetype, which strips things away to their purest essence and has an ethos of optimism, renewal, and freshness. The Innocent is grounded in strong core values and doing things the right way, and as a result can be very powerful for restoring faith and differentiating from a product or service with a tarnished image. Simple (which had been recently acquired by BBVA)  is a strong example of the Innocent archetype in practice.


Alt text: Also known as The utopian, optimist, mystic, dreamer Core desire To experience paradise Goal To be happy Strategy Do things right Gifts Faith and optimism Fears Doing something wrong/bad that will provoke punishment Traps Denial, repression Progression Desire for purity, goodness, and simplicity >> Childlike simplicity, naive, dependent, obedient, trusting, idyllic >> Renewal, positive, reinventing, reframing, cleansing >> Mystical sense of oneness; innocence comes from values and integrity vs. outer experience Brand fit Product/service provides relatively simple answer to an identifiable problem | Associated with goodness, morality, simplicity, cleanliness, health, or virtue | Infinitely replicable | Straight-arrow core values | Differentiating from brand with tarnished image
A deep dive on the Innocent brand archetype

For BBVA, the opportunity with this direction is to infuse the larger organization with the ethos of Simple, and to be a breath of fresh air in an industry that truly needs it. In a post-economic- crisis landscape of shattered customer trust and loyalty, this concept would build upon the integrity and responsibility that are authentic to the company. 


A BBVA expression of this archetype would underscore the freshness and simplicity at the core of the Innocent archetype with the credibility and trustworthiness essential for long-lasting customer trust.


Alt text: Making it easy for people to focus on what matters most Banks are not exactly known for being simple, but we’re here to change that. We know that money is a common source of stress, and we believe that simplicity is the shortest path to peace of mind. We will clear away unnecessary details, steps, hurdles, stresses, and layers, re-imagining every aspect of our business with the goal of fresh simplicity that earns our customers’ loyalty and makes them smile. Simple pleasures, simple interactions, simple steps that shorten the distance to bigger goals. We are here to make it easier for people to focus on what matters most. It’s that simple.
Innocent-inspired messaging concept for BBVA

MESSAGING CONCEPT 3: BBVA AS THE CREATOR


This concept is grounded in the Creator archetype, which celebrates vision, imagination, and innovation with the goal of creating enduring value. At an individual level, Creator offers people choices and inspiration as they work toward expressing their personal vision. At its fullest expression, a Creator organization creates structures that deeply influence culture and society. The Creator archetype is a powerful opportunity to differentiate from brands with uninspired design, a commoditized feel, or a “one-size-fits-all” approach to products and features.

Alt text: Also known as The innovator, the inventor Core desire Create something of enduring value Goal Give form to a vision Strategy Develop artistic control and skill Gifts Creativity and imagination Fears Uncontrolled chaos Traps Perfectionism, miscreation, overly dramatizing your life Progression Daydreams, flashes of inspiration >> Being creative or innovative in imitative ways >> Giving form to your own vision >> Creating structures that influence culture and society Brand fit Product/service encourages self-expression | Helps foster innovation | Artistic in design | Differentiating from brands that “do it all,” leaving little room for choice
A deep dive on the Creator brand archetype

For BBVA, the Creator archetype would operate at two levels—helping people create the life they dream of through their day-to-day interactions with money, and celebrating the authentic commitment to inspired design, support of the arts, and visible cultural contributions that are all core to BBVA. Inspiration would flow both ways—the organization can both inspire and draw inspiration from its richly diverse community of employees and customers.


Alt text: Empowering people to create the life they aspire to Why should banks be boring? We believe they don’t have to be, and that in fact they can inspire people and help them feel more creative, more empowered. After all, the things we spend our money on -- the financial choices we make, both small and large -- shape the contours of our lives, giving them form, color, and dimension. They are in many ways the truest expression of our values. At BBVA, we celebrate creativity at every scale. From the smallest details to the cultural organizations we support around the globe, our aim is to enrich people’s lives with more inspiration, more beauty, and more of what they most value, throughout their lives.
Creator-inspired messaging concept for BBVA

We didn’t end up using this exact language, but the messaging concept exercise helped us get where we needed to be quickly. Which archetype did they choose? Check it out here.




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