They are the universal themes that dominate human consciousness everywhere on earth: the lens through which we understand ourselves and the other people that we encounter. From the Lover to the Ruler, the Caregiver and the Sage, archetypes are hugely important to our sense of identity and the way that we interpret our motivations, emotions and behaviour. Any individual is likely to identify aspects of most if not all of them, within themselves, at some point in their life. And as a result they are hugely important to brands attempting to connect to audiences on a deeper psychological level. Archetypes are idealised concepts of behaviour and personality that resonate across every culture on earth because they map closely to particular emotional need-states. Through our NeedScope psychological framework for understanding emotion, TNS is able to reveal the deeper emotional needs that each archetype corresponds to – and therefore reveal the most powerful and effective roles that they can play for brands. However, our understanding of the nuances of different cultural contexts provides another form of insight that is just as important to brands’ understanding of the archetypes they use. Archetypes may be universal but the way that they are expressed and the form they take can vary dramatically between different markets. Identifying the characteristics of your chosen archetype in the culture you are targeting is crucial if the brand strategies built around them are to succeed.
It’s a universal archetype that dominates the human consciousness and occupies an emotional space many brands aspire to.
But taking on the Hero role demands a very different approach depending on the market you are operating in.
TNS presents the essential playbook for would-be Heroes, exploring the charismatic power of this hugely important emotional theme, whilst revealing the stark and surprising contrasts in what being a Hero means for different cultures:
- How ‘stalwart and straightforward’ changes to ‘mixed-up and on a mission’ when you cross the Atlantic from the US to the UK
- The essential differences between France’s sensuous rebels and Germany’s finely honed heroes
- The significant contrasts between the Hero’s relationship to authority in India and China
- Staying alert to evolving expressions of the Hero archetype
- The brands that have mastered the different expressions of the Hero – and what you can learn from them
Anjali Puri, Head of Centre of Excellence, TNS Qualitative
Irene Hubertz, Global Director of Brand Strategy, TNS
More: TNS Report: What does it take to be a Hero?