Brand Archetype: The Activist
The Activist: The 1st of our 60 brand archetypes (If you intend to stick through till the end of this series, I truly applaud your mental endurance).
You may recall from our previous article, Introducing the 60 Archetpyes of Branding, that brand archetypes serve as guidance tools for both businesses and individuals to help better understand the traits that reflect them and more effectively position themselves in the market.
Each archetype presents a degree of distinction from the previous in the traits that define it and those that are defined by its traits. The Activist is no exception to rule.
Defined by its intentional efforts to affect social, environmental, economic or political change, the Activist serves as a champion of various causes, seeking to persuade people to wake up and change their behaviour.
Whether this applies to you as an individual, or portrays the behaviour of a certain organisation, those identified with the Activist archetype are often motivated by wanting to do some good in the world and to drastically transform the conventional order.
This archetype has increasingly become more common in the 21st century, with the rise of global activism supported through a globally connected world. But don't be quick to mistake activism for being activist. The two concepts, while not mutually exclusive, are not entirely correlated. A brand can engage in activism without being defined by it (E.g. Nike or Ben & Jerry's).
Brands and people defined by the Activist archetype are driven to push change, and will utilise their resources and skills to put in place steps to achieve those results. Regardless of the motivation behind the activism (environmental, social, political etc), those characterised by the activist archetype put strong emphasis on the power of the collective. What distinguishes the successful within this category from the rest pack, is the ability to unite and rally the necessary to the cause in question, through impactful communication methods.
Picture the crowds of people and flying flags at Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring revolution in Egypt (2011), the Umbrella movement of resistance in Hong Kong (2014) or the Catalan Independence movement in Catalonia, Spain (2019). The Activists are constantly surrounded by resistance and by nature, are resilient to setbacks and obstacles that stand in the way of them fighting for their cause. Unwavering in their values, the Activist does not kowtow to the status quo nor accept what is simply 'the way things are', when a present situation does not meet their vision of the ideal. Once again, what separates the successful from the rest within this archetype is the ability to conjure new ways and ideas to bring about change.
As you can likely tell from the everything discussed, the Activist is not one to shy from confrontation or attention. The organisations and individuals that are classified under this archetype display are unapologetically loud in fighting for a cause. In today's digital age, that includes using their online presence to wage arguments and start conversations, even at risk of controversy.
So with all that being said, are you the activist?
Up next: The Adventurer
Examples (From Left to Right):
Greenpeace. Rainforest Action Network. Susan B. Anthony. Sea Shepherd. OccupyWallStreet.
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