Don't Know Who Your Buyers Are? How to use Brand Archetypes and Start Reading your Customers' Mind As a B2B Start-Up
- Vivien
- May 9, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Generic writing wisdom often tells us to write to the “one person” – your ideal customer.
The idea is to get into their head, understand the problem they’re solving, and figure out what would attract them to you.
But things aren’t that simple when you’re a B2B startup, still discovering who your ideal customer really is.
One technique that can help is to define your own brand narrative, which will not only attract like-minded companies but also make it easier to define your tone of voice and brand character.
Archetypes have existed in storytelling for thousands of years, creating familiarity between audiences and characters. Fundamentally, an archetype is a stereotypical character derived from human experience. Psychologist Carl Jung described archetypes as “universal symbols and images that derive from the unconscious mind.”
Brand archetypes. were later applied to brand management by Mark and Pearson (2001), providing a framework that shaped business identity, tone, and voice.
They helped your target audience perceive your brand as relatable to their values and personality, guiding your messaging and positioning.
The idea is to use a “stereotypical” archetype to write content that resonates with a broad spectrum of prospects. This helps you identify who is naturally attracted to your brand, even before narrowing down to your ideal client.
When most people think of brand archetypes, they picture B2C icons: Nike the Hero, Harley-Davidson the Rebel, Apple the Creator. But B2B brands have archetypes too.
In fact, archetypes may be more important in B2B, where communication is full of grey sameness: specs, feature lists, procurement checklists, compliance jargon, and “industry-leading” claims.
B2B Archetypes break through that noise. They give your brand a recognisable voice and consistent story that sticks, especially when decision committees are full of different perspectives.
Here are the 12 Brand Archetypes matched to B2B and how you can use your communication to create a connection.
Category One: Structure and Stability
These Archetypes help their target audience feel safe and secure.
1. Caregiver: The Supportive Enabler
Driven by the desire to protect, care, nurture, and help others
Their Villain: Customers failing, stakeholders feeling unsupported, unmet needs.
What Your Customers want: Success, loyalty, trust, and strong relationships.
Example line they love: “We’re here to ensure you succeed every step of the way.”
Example brand: Duck Duck Go, Salesforce, DHL, Okta
Your Copy Strategy: Talk about your values and mission
2. The Creator: The Builder of Possibility
Driven by the desire to innovate and create something valuable and long-lasting.
Their Villain: Limitations, lack of originality, blocked creativity.
What Your Customers want: Innovation, self-expression, tools to bring ideas to life.
Example line they love: “Turn your ideas into reality—no boundaries, no limits.”
Example brand: Notion, Adobe, Canva, Autodesk
Your Copy Strategy: Share your creations. Encourage your customers to embrace their creativity and express their individuality. Focus on Originality, individualism, imagination, and uniqueness.
3. Ruler: The Authority
Has a dominant personality. They adhere to rules and expect others to follow. They are confident and proud of their expertise and leadership skills. They are seen as stable and reliable.
Their Villain: Chaos, lack of control, inefficiency.
What Your Customers want: Order, dominance, predictable success, governance.
Example line they love: “Here’s how to maintain control and scale without risk.”
Example brand: Microsoft, Oracle
Your Copy Strategy: Create exclusivity and showcase your expertise and history
Category Two: Belonging and Enjoyment
These archetypes provide a sense of belonging and community.
4. The Every Person: The Accessible Partner
Driven by a core desire for community and belonging. They are relatable and approachable
Common Villain: Exclusion, Alienation, complexity, elitism.
What Your Customers want: Inclusion, approachability, solutions that “just work.”
Example line they love: “This tool is for everyone—easy, simple, reliable.”
Example brand: Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify
Your Copy Strategy: Focus on your Down-to-earth, Dependable, Realistic, and Inclusive side
5. The Jester: The Playful Innovator
Their main goal is to make people laugh. They bring light-heartedness and playfulness
Their Villain: Boredom,
Boring work, overly rigid processes, disengaged teams, Negativity, Seriousness, bland.
What Your Customers want: Joy, simplicity, engagement, and a touch of fun.
Example line they love: “Work doesn’t have to be so serious—let’s make it easier (and more fun).”
Example brand: Mailchimp, Slack, GoDaddy
Your Copy Strategy: Enjoy life and have fun. Be playful and send messages of Positivity
6. The Lover: The Connector
This one's a bit trickier and more often is a hybrid of other archetypes, pairing well with Creators
Motivated by desire and passion. Brands are often emotional and physically appealing to their audience.
Common Villains: Rejection, Loneliness, Unloved, Disconnection, lack of engagement.
What Your Customers want: Emotional connection, loyalty, memorable experiences.
Example line they love: “Bring people together in a way that truly matters.”
Example brand: Canva, Zoom, Figma,
Your Copy Strategy: Be desirable and welcoming - Create a community.
Category Three: Leveling Up and Tackling Uncertainty
These archetypes can't help but help their audiences. Their audiences want to achieve more and leave a mark in their industry.
7. Hero: The Champion of Big Challenges
Driven by a strong sense to make a difference and seeks to overcome injustices and problems.Brave, determined, strong, and bold.
Their Villain: Weakness, Incapability, Injustice, Cowardice, Incompetence, Mediocrity, failure to deliver, wasted potential.
What Your Customers want: To solve critical problems, empower teams, and achieve ambitious goals.
Example line they love: “Here’s how we’ll tackle the world’s toughest challenges together.”
Example brand: Siemens, IBM, Stripe
Your Copy Strategy: Use words that empower, motivate, and encourage your audience to overcome their obstacles
8. The Rebel: The Disruptor
Seeks to disrupt their industry and challenge the status quo. They take risks and see themselves as free thinkers. They are not trying to appeal to everyone
Their Villains: Conformity, Repetition, Rigidity, Status Quo, and Complacency.
What Your Customers want: Radical change, disruption, challenging conventions.
Example line they love: “Break the rules and redefine the industry standard.”
Example brand: Lemonade Insurance, Monzo, Robinhood
Your Copy Strategy: Help your audience break the Rules
9. The Magician: The Transformer
Often Idealistic and desires to take their audience on a mystical journey
Their Villain: Repetition, Boring Daily routines, Inefficiency, wasted potential, missed opportunity.
What Your Customers want: Transformation, breakthrough results, turning chaos into clarity.
Example line they love: “Here’s how we make the impossible, possible.”
Example brand: Slack (transforming workflows), Loom, Broadlume
Your Copy Strategy: Turn your customers' dreams into reality. Create memorable moments, share your vision with a clear transformation pathway
Category Four: Independence and Fulfillment
These archetypes seek independence and fulfillment for their audience.
10. The Innocent: The Idealist
Brands with an Innocent archetype are positive and optimistic and have a core desire to provide happiness.
They rely on honesty and promote good values and simplicity.
Their Villains: Confusion, Deceit, Unfairness, Injustice, Pollution, and unethical behaviour.
What Your Customers want: Simplicity, sustainability, transparency, and doing good.
Example line they love: “A cleaner, greener solution that works for everyone.”
Example brand: Ørsted, Gusto, Octopus Energy
Your Copy Strategy: Promote your virtues and community, and global spirit. Embrace wellness and honesty. Be transparent with your failures and successes.
11. The Explorer: The Trailblazer
Driven by the desire for freedom and independence. They are Adventurous, daring, and brave.
Their Villain: Conformity, Confinement
Stagnation, being boxed in, and conventional thinking.
What Your Customers want: Freedom to experiment, new discoveries, uncharted opportunities.
Example line they love: “Break the mold and explore a new way of working.”
Example brand: Gong, SpaceX
Your Copy Strategy: Encourage your customers to seek new experiences, push their limits, and explore the unknown. Challenge them to take action. Show the transformation and freedom
12. The Sage: The Trusted Advisor
Life-long learners, thought leaders, seekers of knowledge and wisdom. They empower others to pursue valuable information and share it.
Their Villain: Misinformation, Ignorance, Inaccuracy, and poor decision-making.
What Your Customers want: Clarity, insight, wisdom that guides strategy.
Example line they love: “Here’s what the data actually tells us—and how you should act.”
Example brand: TED, McKinsey, Accenture,
Your Copy Strategy: Educate and inform your audience. Use your expertise to influence others to gain wisdom and provide teachable moments
Understanding B2B brand archetypes isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s a lens for strategy, storytelling, and connection. When used correctly, archetypes don’t just make your brand “sound nice.” They influence how different stakeholders feel about choosing you.
Some of the most effective brands layer archetypes across the customer journey.
Each layer can serve a different purpose: a Hero on your website to help visitors identify their challenges, a Jester in ads to grab attention, or a Caregiver in internal newsletters to foster community and loyalty.
By mapping your brand—and your ideal customers—to these archetypes, you gain clarity on how to speak, what to promise, and where to focus your energy.
Archetypes guide not only external messaging but also internal alignment, ensuring teams, campaigns, and strategies convey a consistent, recognisable identity.
In short, archetypes transform your B2B communication from a collection of features and facts into a story others want to be part of.
In complex buying environments, this is how you move from being just another vendor to a trusted partner that your audience chooses again and again.
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I train B2B comms leaders and teams to use Human-Designed Communication to craft clear, persuasive internal and external content that engages your audience and drives action.
