THE JESTER
If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution
The Jester seeks a sense of belonging and pursues that by expressing themselves through humor. They are driven by their appreciation for life and believe that you should live in the moment and not take life too seriously. They have an unorthodox perspective which allows them to take a more light-hearted approach to things, however this sometimes leads them to being perceived as disrespectful and frivolous when certain situations are not to be taken lightly.
This archetype is also called the Clown, Comedian, Entertainer, Fool, Joker, Performer, Practical Joker, Prankster, Provocateur, Punster, Shapeshifter, or Trickster.
The 12 Brand Archetypes were developed and articulated in "The Hero and The Outlaw" by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson
JESTER MARKETING OPPORTUNITY
The Jester is a promising archetype to provide identity for brands:
Whose use helps people belong or feel that they belong
Whose function helps people have a good time
With pricing that is moderate to low
Produced and/or sold by a company with a fun-loving, freewheeling organizational culture
That need to be differentiated from a self-important, overconfident established brand
MARKETING APPROACH | Seeing the value in having a good time and relaying that message to others allows others to be more spontaneous in their own lives
TONE | Amusing, Energetic, Entertaining, Enthusiastic, Exciting, Expressive, Fun-Loving, Humorous, Loud, Optimistic, Playful, and Uplifting
VALUE PROPOSITION | Help people have a good time
CUSTOMER FEAR | Exile, orphaning, abandonment, engulfment
JESTER MINDSET & TRAITS
GOAL | To enjoy life by bringing humor to the world
STRATEGY | Promotes a carefree, spontaneous, and enjoyable lifestyle by using satire to shed light on more pressing subjects
MOTIVATION | Belonging & Enjoyment
CALL | Boredom, Restlessness
CORE DESIRE | To live in the moment with full enjoyment
GIFT | Joy
CHAMPIONS | Amusement, Devil’s Advocate, Humor, Entertainment, Joy, Optimism, Satire, and Spontaneity
SUPER POWERS | Bringing out the best in people with their upbeat and comical attitudes towards life
SHADOW | Self-indulgence, irresponsibility, mean-spirited pranks
TRAP | Not being taken seriously due to their tendency to look at every situation frivolously and waste time
FEARS | Being considered boring or being bored themselves
TURN-OFFS | Boredom, Depression, Dictators, Discipline, Loneliness, Negativity, and Solemnity
LEVELS OF THE JESTER
LEVEL 1 Life as a game, fun
LEVEL 2 Cleverness used to trick others, get out of trouble, and find ways around obstacles, transformation
LEVEL 3 Life experienced in the moment, one day at a time
SIMILAR BRAND ARCHETYPES
SOURCES
Mark, Margaret, Pearson, Carol, (2001). The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes Hardcover - (Amazon Affiliate Link) pages 13, 18, 196-197, 202, 204
The authors developed the 12 Brand Archetypes as a tool for marketing in 1995 and explained their methodology and ideas in their seminal book. Some of the content on this page are ideas cited directly to maintain correctness and some have been paraphrased where possible.