Brand archetype
A familiar character template, such as Sage, Outlaw, or Creator, used to keep the brand's motives, voice, and visuals pulling together.
See it
What it is
A brand archetype is a familiar character pattern used as a shortcut for motivation, tone, and imagery: Sage seeks understanding, Outlaw breaks rules, Creator makes something enduring. The 12-archetype brand framework was popularized by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson in their 2001 book The Hero and the Outlaw.
Reach for one when a team needs a shared story engine, especially at the start of positioning or campaign work. Pick the archetype from the brand's motive and behavior, then translate it into choices about language, casting, composition, pace, and subject matter.
Gotcha: the wheel is a prompt, not a personality test or a law of psychology. Declaring 'we are the Hero' does no work by itself, and copying the same cinematic poses as every other Hero brand makes you less distinctive. Use the template to generate behavior, then keep the specific choices only your brand can own.
Ask AI for it
Apply the Mark and Pearson 12-archetype framework to [BRAND] using [POSITIONING], [AUDIENCE NEED], [FOUNDER STORY], and [EXISTING CAMPAIGNS]. Choose one primary archetype and, only if evidence supports it, one secondary archetype. State the motive, fear, promise, voice rules, visual cues, story conflicts, and cliches to avoid. Build a FigJam board with evidence beside every choice, then write one campaign concept and one rejected concept that prove the archetype changes the work rather than merely naming it.