What’s Your Archetype?
Everyone is obsessed with building a brand nowadays, and they are right to be, but how is it done? The first step in building a strong brand is to have a strong identity, however this is easier said than done. Archetypes are a simple but powerful tool that can help you develop your artist identity and brand.
In the lead up to the release of the Popstars Handbook I am going to be introducing you to some of the topics that will be covered in the book, the first being the archetypes system, just so you can see how important the book could be to the development of your music career.
Now if you read most of my posts you will see I go on about this a lot, artists identity is one of the most important areas for a potential pop star to get right. I would go on to say that if you do not get this area correct, you could find that if you actually manage to be some what successful at all, your success will be short lived.
The ability to stand out in a crowded marketplace is vital to your success, we know how much marketed mud is out there, I am sure you do not want to be past over for someone less talented than you. Unfortunately this is so often the case, many artists are ignored for reasons they cannot comprehend, I am here to tell you one of the most significant reasons for this is the artist identity or lack of.
So how do you define your identity?
First by realising that your identity is not what you do it is who you are, when I say who you are I do not mean your name.
Most artists define themselves by what they do, in fact most people do in life generally, their work is everything and there is nothing else, for artists who intend on being pop stars this is not enough, especially not now with the increased competition that the online revolution had delivered. If you say to someone I am a R&B singer, how many other R&B singers around the world do you think you have to compete with?
Pop Stars surpass the norm, we all know that the song is all important, but when you reach a certain level fans will buy albums before they have heard a single song. WHY? It is because they believe in the individual, the artists brand is a stronger selling point than the music. If you ask a true Lady Gaga fan whether they need to hear her new album before they buy it, I am sure they will tell you no. They already trust in brand Gaga and the first step in developing your brand is developing and presenting a consistent identity.
So where do archetypes come in?
Archetypes are considered human types in their purest form, these personality types are descriptive labels and behaviour patterns that are understood the world over and define the way we all live. There are quite a few archetypes, some would call them stereotypes, but for your music career we will be using 12 of the main archetypes developed by Dr. Carol S Pearson based on the works of Carl Jung.
These 12 archetypes are used throughout the business world everyday to sell you stuff from cars to ice cream, such as Haagen Dazs which is the Lover archetype. This archetype is used to provoke romantic, sensual or indulgent emotions, which you generally find presented in their promotional campaigns, which in turn encourages you to buy so you can use in romantic situations, or to enjoy by yourself. Haagen Dazs is generally not bought for a family dinner, or to be shared with your friends, I know I do not like to share it.
If you look at this archetype in music you find that just as Haagen Dazs is presented as indulgent, romantic and sensual, a singer such as Enrique Iglesias is presented in a similar way. Most people are aware of the Latin Lover archetype, when you hear or see the word you automatically have a picture of what this person will be like. This is the power of an archetype, it allows people to know immediately what to expect, it encourages a higher devotion than liking the music, people who love a certain type of behaviour, attitude or feeling will automatically know that you are their type of artist, which gives you the opportunity to build your brand.
Over the following weeks I will be covering these 12 archetypes and I will use examples of successful artists and how archetypes have helped in the development of their careers. Stay tuned this stuff will be so valuable to your development and look out for the Popstars Handbook out this spring.
