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Episode 60- Marketing the Magician Archetype

Brand Archetypes
Brand Archetypes
Episode 60- Marketing the Magician Archetype
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We had a request from one of our listeners, Zoe, to review Marketing the Magician archetype.  And, if you recall, her company is a line of skincare products.  We waved our magic wand and VOILA! — Here we are.  Are you ready?

If you’ve been listening to the past couple of episodes, we have, so far, reviewed the marketing of:

In each of these, we began by reviewing the big ideas contained in the archetype … And, we’ll do the same here.  EXCEPT, the Magician archetype really only has two big ideas, so our review will be quick and easy. 

The Magician is broken into two sub-archetypes;

  • The first is simply called The Magician – It encompasses magical qualities we talk about in this episode.
  • The second is called The Butterfly and, as the name implies, it covers the big idea of transformation, which we also cover today.

Being MAGICAL:

    • If you have a story to tell about your product/service and you have a mystical quality … or you have some type of process that far beyond the “normal world” … or you tap into some idea or technology that (to the average person) feels like magic … then you could be well-served by this archetype.
    • Pretty much, tapping into an idea that goes a step beyond being able to explain it with logic or easy to grasp facts.
    • Another approach is to create a scenario (usually with storytelling) that requires a bit of other-worldly magic.  If you think about Calgon bath soap, you’ll see a person slipping into the tub and then magically transported to a faraway beach.  Now, nobody ACTUALLY believes that soap can do this…But it conveys, through a clearly magical process, how you might feel when using their product.
    • Generally, you want to create stories that contain a bit of fantastical magic that are entertaining and take us out of our ho-hum, boring lives.  Sometimes we all NEED a little magic in our lives, don’t we? 

Being TRANSFORMATIONAL:

  • The biggest driver behind a consumer making a purchase is they feel the need for some kind of change.  They need to enhance their life … change their appearance … feel more secure … increase their happiness … improve their relationships … change their attitudes … you get the idea.
  • Well, sometimes, making a change in our lives can be affected by buying a product, but other times, it requires that WE change ourselves.  Welcome to the multi-billion dollar world of beauty products. Zoe, I hope you’re listening.

Marketing the Magician Archetype

How do you weave these ideas into your marketing?  The first step is realizing that people want magic in their lives or to experience some kind of change.

To really rock these ideas, you have to take the next step and understand WHY your target audience wants a change.

For example, skincare. A lot of companies will tap directly into and emphasize the obvious benefit that their miracle skin cream reduces fine lines and wrinkles.  Sounds good right? We’ve all heard this a million times. A more astute marketer will take that idea and ask themselves, “WHY do they want to reduce those wrinkles?”  A knee-jerk answer might be because they want to appear more youthful.  Yep, that’s okay. Nothing wrong with that message, but it’s not really emotion-based, is it?  A far better message would be based on the understanding that your consumers want to FEEL more youthful!!

What types of words would you use? 

 Weave the right words into the message that exudes youthfulness. 

Magician words include: dazzle, transform, catalyst, enrich, optimize, shift refine, personalize, renew, variety, and sleek.

Some Phrases: a change for the better, announcing a major breakthrough, bold new product, or brand new product – one of my personal favorites – Right out of tomorrow. The big thing to keep in mind is that you are awe-inspiring, giving them something they can’t just find anywhere and it will be a game-changer.

Need more words? Contact us for our Magician Word Bank for $29.95. 

 

What types of imagery would you use? 

Of course, showing people in your marketing who have a youthful appearance is a no-brainer.  Yes, do that.  But let’s dial that up a notch.

Think about the times in your life where you felt alive … where you felt youthful and energetic.  What age were you? Who were you with? What were you doing? What specific emotions were you feeling and expressing?

A lot of pharmaceutical companies have mastered this, almost to a fault.  Have you ever seen a pharmaceutical commercial that shows a couple doing something (like riding in a sailboat), and the next scene is them doing something else (like walking their dog), and the next scene is yet again something else?  Of course — we’ve all seen these.  BUT, how many times have you seen one of these commercials where, in the end, you not only can’t remember what the name of the product is, but you can’t even really tell what the product even does?

As long as you don’t forget to connect the dots for the viewer, this can be a super effective tactic. 

A strategy that works!

One way to prepare for this type of message, or any marketing strategy really, is to make a list of ALL the emotions your consumer feels (good and bad) and the positive emotions you want them to feel.  Dig deep into this step.  It’s ok if your lists are crammed with lots of nuance and possibilities!

Let’s say the product is a hair conditioner. We might have: fear of balding, fear of having lifeless hair, fear of raggedy split ends, or fear of people not appreciating your luscious gray hair. 

With eczema cream, we might have frustration with scaly skin, fear of unsightly blotches.

Once you create a list of all the emotions, now you can start the process of creating magical stories and scenarios where your consumer has had all this negativity removed from their life (MAGICALLY), and they can start to feel all those positive emotions.  And, yes, you need to list all the positive emotions you’ll be working with as well.


Words of Caution when Marketing the Magician Archetype

Visit The Magician archetype page on our website BrandArchetypes.com to check out the SWOT analysis.  There, you’ll find a breakdown of some of the challenges you might face (weaknesses and threats).  

Some challenges that magician archetypes face are coming across as fake or manipulative. Sleight of and or trickery. Definitely avoid these!  For example, nobody actually gets into a bathtub and expects Calgon to transport them to a beach in Tahiti?  But, if a wrinkle cream company makes a TOO-outrageous claim like, “…permanently removes all wrinkles. You’ll look like you’re 20 again!”  Not only does nobody believe it, but they would also lose all credibility too.

To help illustrate all these ideas, check out the two commercials below. Both of them are for Udemy, a company that provides online courses. 

The first commercial is straight ahead, talking about the courses and what you might expect by taking a course.  

The second commercial starts out the same but then it riffs on how you might feel and what you might accomplish …. “Lead, find, and solve, build, then launch, craft, play and sing …. And to RISE, like you always knew you would.” It also contains the line “You WILL learn to code. To create.”

So, watch both commercials and feel how much more effective the second one is at getting you motivated to take a course.

 

THE WRAP UP

Questions? Call us! If you’re working on being a Magician and have specific questions for us, please reach out to us. We’d love to brainstorm with you and give you our thoughts any marketing ideas and campaigns you’ve come up with. Don’t be shy! We love this stuff! 

Follow us on all the social media @BrandArchetypes. 

Kevin & Amy

Kevin Skarritt and Amy Zander are the co-creators of the Brand Archetypes podcast and co-authors of the book by the same name. Explore the world of Brand Archetypes and find out how they can transform your company!

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