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The Neighbor Archetype

The Big Idea: Everyone is invited and everyone belongs!

What Does it Mean to Be a Neighbor Brand?

If your business is extremely down to earth, relatable, helpful and friendly, then you are probably the Neighbor. The Neighbor brand emulates unpretentiousness, is relaxed, and accepting of new things.

The Neighbor is easy to get along with, provides reliable customer service, is low key yet fun to hang out with. The Neighbor makes everyone feel understood and included and invokes a warm, comfortable feeling.

Where a Guru archetype instils trust through their knowledge and wisdom, the Neighbor archetype instils a very deep level of trust based on familiarity.

The Neighbor is also known as: The girl/guy next door, everyday girl/guy, friend, everyman, the average Joe.

Sub-Archetypes

Several archetypes can be broken into 2 or more sub-archetypes.  The Neighbor is one of those. The Sub-Archetypes are:

The Neighbor Archetype

The Neighbor

Easy going, unpretentious and laid-back. Exudes a huge amount of trustworthiness.

The Social Networker Archetype

The Social Networker

Never the wall-flower, and liked by everyone. This company makes connections.

The Regular Guy Archetype

Is Your Business Neighborly?

  • Is your business easy to understand?
  • Are you seen as trustworthy because you're just so easy to work with?
  • Do your employees generally like each other?
  • Does your company culture promotes teamwork and listening?
  • Do you have the ability to provide trustworthy, reliable customer service?
  • Are you a master at being unpretentious and easy going?
  • Do you use empathy to relate to employees and customers?

If you said "yes" to any (or a lot) of the above, you just may be a Neighbor!

Strengths

BE the Neighbor

The Neighbor’s biggest strengths are that they are likeable, relatable, unpretentious, practical and they make you feel like you belong. They have a talent for realism, empathy, listening, and a lack of pretense. They just make everyone feel comfortable.

Weaknesses

Chillax ...

The worst thing you could do would be to lose a handle on your brand in an effort to blend in or for the sake of appearances or friendliness. Doing anything that might damage your trustworthiness would be equally bad.

Opportunities

Let's Just Hang Out

If your competition is egotistical, pretentious or difficult to work with, you have a great opportunity to show customers just how reliable and easy going you are. Competitors who constantly use industry jargon (in an effort to appear knowledgeable) are also easy to target.  You should have no frills and no bull.

Threats

WARNING!

To feel left out and not included. To be made to feel unimportant or like an outcast.  To not be trusted for ANY reason whatsoever. 

Examples of Great Neighbor Brands

Watch Some Great Neighbor Ads...