If your Core Story defines what you stand for, your Archetype & Personality defines how you show up in the world.

Humans are wired to recognize patterns in characters. From myths to movies to modern brands, we instantly “get” someone (or something) when they act consistently like a familiar archetype. That’s why Nike feels like The Hero, Harley-Davidson feels like The Rebel, and Salesforce feels like The Sage.

For startups, identifying your brand archetype does three important things:

1. Keeps voice consistent across the team. Whether it’s a sales rep writing emails, a marketer running ads, or a founder tweeting, everyone knows the “role” they’re playing.
2. Makes you easier to remember. Customers don’t just store features in memory, they store personalities. If your brand feels like a character, you stick.
3. Shapes tone, humor, and attitude. Archetype = the emotional backdrop. A caregiver brand can be warm and empathetic; a rebel brand can be bold and cheeky.

The 12 Classic Archetypes (with Brand Examples)

The 12 archetypes come from the work of psychologist Carl Jung, who observed that humans instinctively recognize recurring character patterns in stories and symbols across cultures. When a company adopts an archetype, it taps into those pre-existing mental shortcuts. Customers don’t have to work hard to “get” you. Your brand already feels familiar, because it plays a role they recognize.

How It Informs Tone & Language

• The Hero → motivational, action-oriented, short punchy sentences.
• The Sage → thoughtful, structured, often teaching with analogies and frameworks.
• The Jester → playful, surprising turns of phrase, puns, casual asides.
• The Explorer → adventurous, open-ended language (“discover,” “uncover,” “what’s next”).
• The Caregiver → reassuring, soft edges, “you’re safe here” undertone.

This isn’t just about marketing copy. It influences everything:

• Headlines (“Smash your goals” vs. “Find your path”)
• Error states (“Oops, something went wrong” vs. “Looks like we hit a bump—let’s fix this together”)
• Customer support emails (“We’ll sort this out right away” vs. “np. we’ve got your back”)

When every touchpoint shares the same voiceprint, your brand feels trustworthy and whole.

Common Pitfalls

• Inconsistency. If you sound like a sage on your website but a jester on Twitter, you confuse memory and dilute salience.
• Projection. Founders often pick the archetype they like, not the one customers resonate with. This is about what works in the market, not personal taste.
• Forgetting the edges. Your archetype should guide everything, not just ads—support docs, contracts, even microcopy.

Exercise: Find Your Archetype

• Imagine your brand as a person. How would friends describe them?
  • Serious or playful?
  • Loud or calm?
  • Teacher or challenger?
• Check competitor voices. If everyone else in your category is a “sage,” does leaning into “rebel” or “jester” give you distinction?
• Do a We Are / We Are Not list. Example: We are bold, playful, and human. We are not corporate, stiff, or overly technical.

Takeaway: Your archetype is the filter that ensures everything you publish “sounds like you.” It’s the glue between your story and the way people actually experience it.

Most startups shouldn’t overcomplicate this. Just identify the one or two dominant archetypes that best reflect how you want customers to experience you. You likely already have a gut feeling about how you want your brand perceived. Are you Smart Water? Perrier? Liquid Death? They all sell water, but their “personalities” couldn’t be more different.

You’ve finished this section. Input your archetype in your Story System here.