Every time I kick off a new TV show, I play a little detective game: Can I identify each character’s archetype in the show?

Who's the heroine that’s going to save the day? Who’s the badass, blazing their own path?

Sometimes, these character archetypes are crystal-clear from the pilot episode. Other times, you can't tell until the story picks up or enters the Second Act. Sometimes, the villain becomes the heroine!

Much like in business, the Second Act is when the characters really start to discover themselves. It’s when they reveal a more ‘true’, unexpected side to their personality.

Maybe you’ve entered the Second Act of your career. But you’re not sure what character you’re playing on your audience’s screen (and in their lives). The magic just isn’t working anymore.

And so they don’t buy. Or they tune you out. Call you a distraction and be done with it.

If you’re wondering how to seize their attention and stay consistent, it’s time to rediscover your Brand Archetype.

What are brand archetypes?

Much like real people, business brands can (and do) change personality. In real life marketing, brands use archetypes to shape the way their audience perceives them.

Archetypes help you make sure your audience ‘feels’ or ‘experiences’ your brand’s personality in a certain, consistent way.

But here’s what no one tells you: It’s possible your business NEEDS to switch up its brand archetype midway through growing your business.

And it’s also possible your brand has already shifted without you intending it to.

If your brand started out as a Mischief Maker archetype, it’s totally within the realm of the possible for that to change down the line as YOU change.

Maybe your convictions have gotten stronger and you’re leaning more into your personal punk phase in public. Now your brand acts more like the Badass archetype.

Or you’ve claimed your deep expertise and you’re bringing more Sage vibes to the table.

Don’t worry, this is totally normal. Here are signs it’s time to discover your brand archetype so your branding is firmly rooted in intention.

3 signs it’s times to re-align with your brand archetype (or discover your new one)

You’ve changed your offers

As a business owner, you naturally discover which offers you find most fun to deliver. And which ones you find a bit meh.

You know (and track) which offers are the money-makers. And which ones land a bit flat sales-wise.

All this is part-and-parcel of running a business. As you transform your offers, the branding you need to support those offers will evolve, too.

For example…

Maybe when you started out, you excelled in offering super high-touch services that made your audience feel loved on - with a luxurious Lover meets Nurturer brand archetype vibe.

And now your priorities have changed and you’re parenting a little one at home, so your offers have shifted to consulting and speaking opps. Without even realising it, you’ve moved into a more Sage brand speaking and content marketing style (with a touch of Magician).

It’s absolutely possible (even likely) that your business will grow in a direction you didn’t anticipate. When this happens, it’s a good idea to check your brand archetypes to make sure it all still aligns.

Your audience has changed

Maybe you’re serving different folks than you did at the start of your business. Maybe you’re attracting clients you didn’t expect and you want to double down on a more lucrative niche. Maybe your niche is changing and the folks you serve need something more from you now.

Bottom line: If your audience’s beliefs, values and characteristics have changed even a little, it's worth re-evaluating your brand archetype to make sure it aligns well with their needs, before confusion and dissonance can creep in.

You didn’t get your brand archetype right the first time

Sometimes the brand archetype that fits you best isn’t the one you assume it is on first blush.

Yep, sometimes you can get ‘mistyped’.

Or float around with a disjointed brand because you didn’t realise the power of a brand archetype until much, much later.

The good news? Discovering (or re-discovering) your brand and archetype go hand-in-hand. They’re not something you do once, set and forget.

In fact, returning to your brand archetype as your business grows can be wildly helpful for figuring out exactly what your brand means to people. Right now.