The Innocent Brand Archetype
A long time coming, I’m finally picking up the brand archetype series again. If you haven’t read the intro, you can find it here. And if you’re wondering what book I’m talking about, I’m reading The Hero and The Outlaw.
I’ll be honest, learning about this archetype took me way longer than expected. I could regurgitate what I read in the book but I want to offer a perspective, not just rehash the book. Anyways, once I explain the basics of The Innocent, I’ll explain why it tripped me up at first.
First things first, let’s talk about the primary motivation of The Innocent: the yearning for paradise, fulfillment, utopia, and happiness.
The Innocent rests on the intrinsic belief of a promise of a more perfect world. Where suffering and hardship are few (or nonexistent) and life is easy. Though it shares primary motivations with The Explorer, The Innocent expects paradise to exist here and now, not somewhere they have to go searching for it. There’s a sense of naiveté that comes with The Innocent.
Brands that align with The Innocent might provide a product or service that presents as a simple pleasure or wholesomeness. Their product or brand identity might be easily associated with moral goodness, cleanliness, or virtue. As a brand, they may have more traditional values. If not traditional, at least basic and simple ones.
Where I got tripped up is where my own perspective on perfection clashes with one of the archetypal view of The Innocent.
Personally, I like some grit. I cuss a lot. I think perfection and purity are a bit of a waste of time. I also don’t really believe in the traditional view of “right and wrong” when it comes to how we should be living our lives. I think a lot of the morals of the past are misguided. If you can guess, I’m not much of an innocent.
I got back on board when W.H. Auden stepped in with his perspective on two different “kinds” of paradise-seekers: Edenists and utopians. I’m far more of a utopian than an Edenist. A utopian believes that paradise can exist in the future. An Edenist believes we ned to return to a past version of paradise. I’m on board for the future utopia!
So here’s where communicating as an Innocent-aligned brand comes into play, regardless of your utopian vs. Edenist mindset:
It’s all about tapping into that “perfect” view of life, whatever that means to the audience.
This is why consumer research is so important. Not only are these consumers looking for paradise, they may have a specific vision of what that looks like. For brands like Coke, it’s harmony, happiness, and joy. For brands like Young Living, it’s being all-natural and peaceful. For brands like Dove, it’s purity and cleanliness.
As with so many other things in life, archetypes are another reminder of the nuance in all things. What may attract one innocent isn’t exactly what attracts another and it’s up to you (or me) to determine exactly what that looks like for your brand.
Because I’m a music nerd, the song that kept playing in my head while thinking about this archetype was “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys. It just seems like a fit, no? Here’s a nice video of the ole’ Beach Boys still killing it, if you need a fix.
Now for the goods! So, you think your brand might align primarily with The Innocent.
There are always exceptions but in a general sense, here are my recommendations.
Here’s what I’d do from a strategy perspective:
Isolate the problem that your customers/clients are having as it relates to their view of an ideal world.
Find the right adjectives to define your variety of the Innocent: pure, simple, natural, futuristic, clean, beautiful, cheerful, harmonious, perfect, spotless, calm, kind.
Focus on ease. If your brand experience doesn’t leave your customers feeling good, it’s not doing its job.
Build a loyal customer base. Innocents value predictability and can be deeply loyal.
Make your values clear. They’re important to your consumers.
And here’s what I’d do from a visual perspective:
Focus on whites and light colors, so long as your market is adults.
Stick with centered, simple, pleasing layouts that aren’t too risky.
Use thinly-weighted typefaces (but not so thin that you can’t read them).
Give design elements room to breathe.
Next up: The Explorer. This one was far easier for me to digest so I promise it won’t be such a wait.
