Series E
Archetypes
Lover
Have you ever wondered why some brands are downright irresistible, leaving you yearning for more? This episode dives headfirst into the world of branding through the lens of the lover archetype, uncovering the secrets that make brands like Chanel, Gucci and Virgin not just popular, but unforgettable. We explore the rich narratives of desire, sensuality and indulgence that are embedded in this archetype, demonstrating the power of temptation and the celebration of beauty and charm.
Transcript
Michael Campion: Here we examine the archetype of the Lover.
Bob Sheard: Temptation is about not denying yourself. It's really the effect of temptation and desire. We find that in the place of decadence, we find it in the ritual of being unrestrained, we find it at the time of ecstasy, and all of those things are embodied in the Lover brand meaning code. And the Lover brand meaning code is based on having rational values of not being inhibited. It's about being uninhibited. It's about celebrating beauty, it's about celebrating charm. Those are underpinned by the emotional values of sensuality, of spontaneity, of indulging in all the pleasures of pleasure. It's standing for self-indulgence and it's standing against self-denial. So these are very, very, very rich properties of this role. The role in culture is Satine, it's Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, it's Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, it's Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, it's Rose in Titanic and it's Jacob Palmer in Crazy Stupid Love. These are all based around the narratives of want, especially when something's forbidden or when it's lost. It's about being irresistible, it's about being alive to sensual joy and it's about feasting on joy. This is a role that's about being desired and desiring at the same time. It exists in brands like Chanel, Lacoste, Galaxy, Häagen-Dazs and Virgin, who, too, all strive to communicate the narratives of forbidden want, irresistibility, the senses and feasting. Love it.
Michael Campion: It was Oscar Wilde, wasn't it, who said I can resist everything except temptation. I think from memory.
Bob Sheard: And work is the scourge of the drinking classes. Yes, another favourite.
Michael Campion: Who do you think in the marketplace, in the wider marketplace, really expresses this Lover archetype to the max.
Bob Sheard: We've worked with it when we worked with River Island, I think that the brand that epitomised this the most was Gucci. I say was Gucci because it was Gucci when Tom Ford was the creative director of Gucci. It was like Lover on propane. It was a phenomenal exposition of it. Probably couldn't get away with that these days, but it was the 90s and early 2000s. Very much Gucci of that time.
