This is where archetypes make their case. Modern branding draws on a book titled
“The Hero and the Outlaw”, a 2001 marketing book authored by Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson, which in turn draws from Jungian archetypes. The premise is simple: as creatures of story, we’re all subconsciously attuned to character patterns in storytelling that signal meaning and speak to our core desires.
Each archetype,
in turn, represents a specific emotional benefit attached to a shared promise or fulfillment. For example, the Rebel speaks to a desire to leave a mark in the world, offering liberation. (Harley Davidson is a classic example of a Rebel brand, with a deep and cult-like following.) While some call it pseudo-science, the fact remains: brands who strategically correspond to these subconscious cues
are successful, across industries, and across cultures.
On the surface, archetypes might feel abstract or philosophical, but when applied with tact and taste, they become one of the sharpest strategic tools you have. Archetypes harness the power of emotional heuristics (the mental shortcuts we use every day to make decisions in a split second), making them a tool with a two-in-one effect: intentionally positioning for distinction against your competitive set, and signaling a deeper, more resonant story to your ideal audience. At Moxie Sozo, we walk through a view of your competitive set around the archetype wheel during our strategic process for this exact reason, to identify whitespace in the stories being told in your category.
Archetypes also introduce an important element in brand storytelling: tension. We’re captivated by
eccentric characters, scheming villains, impossible odds, fated lovers, or a twist that we didn’t see coming. That’s also the beauty of archetypes: they’re technically endless, and at Moxie Sozo we love to pair the foundational twelve into a custom archetype that speaks directly to who you are as a brand. No one adores a shallow protagonist or a predictable plot; in fact, we actively avoid them. In the same way, no one is inspired by – or loyal to – a perfectly sterile, vanilla brand. Both scream inauthenticity. A lack of distinction, character, or an intentional POV is a sign that your brand is simply a commodity cosplaying as something more. The
strongest, most
resilient, and most
profitable brands understand that in order to thrive, they must play the long game, winning
customers' hearts and minds, not just
extracting their quarterly sales. And they do this by telling a story about who they are, and who they’re helping their customer
become.
Standing Out Starts with Moxie
