"I don't like talking to people I know, but strangers I have no problem with."
While it's always preferable to have one clear brand archetype for your brand, there will be times when a single brand archetype simply isn't enough. In fact, in some cases, it can be an absolute necessity. Our tip? Limit your archetypes to two and match each archetype up with each of your two primary target audiences.
Case in point: the inimitable Larry David. In his work life, he's the Creator of Seinfeld, yet in his personal life, he's an Outlaw/Ruler. Given both brand archetypes share a penchant for unorthodox methods and motivations, Larry's transition between the two is seamless but noticeable when he engages with various audiences.
Read on to learn why having two archetypes can actually be a big bowl of right...
In spite of Larry David's best efforts and self-proclaimed proclivity for not being "a person who embraces challenges [and] breaks world records running from challenges", it's fair to say that he has the attributes of the classic Creator archetype (Lego, Apple).
When he's not responding to questions with a simple, "pretty (pretty, pretty, prett-ay good)", he's naturally expressive and he certainly has a best in class imagination. If not LD, then who else could possibly have conceived 'a show about nothing' and achieved and sustained the dizzying heights of global success? It took a brilliant mind and intestinal fortitude in spades. In short, he took an idea and turned into a reality. And he did so while being original in thought - or perhaps he just had the guts to express what everybody else was thinking.
This sense of righteousness is not dissimilar to the Outlaw/Ruler archetype (Harley-Davidson, Diesel). In 'Curb Your Enthusiasm', LD does not settle for the status quo and in his own words, he always holds his glass in social situations. It makes him feel comfortable and secure and it means he doesn't 'have to shake hands'. He also has an aversion to conformity. Fellow Curb enthusiasts will know he hates the 'stop and chat'.
Paradoxically, he doesn't have an aversion to complacency, but he doesn't ever shy away from combative situations. One of my favourite scenes - in any contemporary comedy series - features a bluetooth-earpiece-wearing fellow diner sitting on a table adjacent to LD, speaking very loudly. The easily irritated LD takes matters into his own hands by pretending to have an obnoxiously loud conversation with a (non-existent) person sitting opposite him on the table. I often think of this brilliantly tense scene when I'm on public transport. See below to watch the brilliance unfold.
So, is LD more of a Creator or an Outlaw? I'll leave you with this quote and let you be the judge: