Alright, let’s chat about Carl Jung.

He was a Swiss psychologist who helped invent a type of therapy called analytical psychology. And his work is still just as relevant and brilliant to use today to help copywriters create better messages.

Jung had this idea about archetypes. They’re basically patterns of behaviour, thoughts, or emotions that are common to all of us. He believed we all have these archetypes stored in our minds because we all have shared experiences and feelings.

Via medium.com

In copywriting, using these archetypes can help you tap into people’s innate beliefs and values. For example, if you’re writing about adventure holidays, you’ll be targeting those with an explorer archetype. Use language that paints an image of them stepping away from their desk and being outside in nature. Scaling mountains and watching the sunset from the top of the world. The archetype allows you to focus on their actual or desired emotions.

In contrast, Jung also talked about the shadow, or the dark side of our personalities. This includes our fears and bad impulses. In copywriting, you can use fear (sparingly) as a tool to motivate people. Picture all the anti-smoking ads you’ve seen. They show and tell how dangerous smoking is to scare people into quitting.

Brand Archetypes

via Marchbranding.com

Today, marketers have expanded on Jung’s work and created specific brand archetypes that are even more helpful when identifying where your audience fits. Some of my clients straddle two archetypes – and that’s fine! Stratterbox is an Everyman Outlaw. I have a desire to connect with others using the words I write but strive to do that in a way that breaks convention.

Another idea Jung had was about symbols. He thought that symbols can be a really powerful way to communicate. For example, a dove demonstrates peace and a lion shows strength. By using symbols that people instantly recognise, copywriters can make their messages more memorable and powerful.

Finally, Jung believed in the idea of the self. He thought that everyone has different parts of their personality and the goal is to bring these parts together. In copywriting, you can use this idea to talk about people’s sense of identity and purpose. When you create a customer avatar for your business, this is what you’re doing.

So there you go! By using Jung’s ideas, copywriters can make their messages more effective by zoning into universal emotions and archetypes. Try it next time you’re writing to your target audience – it’s powerful stuff.