Craving intimacy? Seeking pleasure in your relationships? Looking for sensual experiences in your life? Chances are you are aligned to The Lover archetype (and you have it bad!)
Passionate, intimate, soulful and sensual, The Lover is taking aim with Cupid’s arrow and is targeting to create love. But they are also seeking it in return…!
Let’s not mince words. The language of The Lover archetype artfully employs seduction pure and simple. It’s about creating physical, emotional and sensory appeal. And this appeal is potent! The Lover Archetype can often overwhelm the senses (let alone any rational argument).
Marilyn Munroe is the ultimate example of The Lover. Men wanted her, and women wanted to be her. Regarding creating desire, Marilyn took ‘sex symbol’ to a whole new level.
The Lover as a Brand
Brands are aligned with The Lover when they help make that person more attractive, enjoy intimacy, or create or enhance relationships. At the heart of these brand’s communication is seduction. Not only do they create the desire in their target audience but – importantly – they give permission to engage!
This archetype promises passion. Not surprisingly, the brands that adopt this persona are often linked to luxury, or sensual pleasure such as perfume, cosmetics, food and fashion.
There are several different aspects of The Lover to consider. All express love and demonstrate seduction in a slightly different way.
The Romantics
Tiffany & Co. is one of the world’s most recognised jewellery brands. Entrenched in our social culture in film and song, Tiffany & Co leverages the powerful juju of important romantic occasions or events to enhance their brand.
Having thousands of retail outlets around the world Tiffany & Co. could rightly be considered a ‘retail chain’. However, it still feels intimate and exclusive helped by creating a distinct branded experience through their purchase – and subsequent giving – occasions, and the tremendous equity constructed around their brand.
Pleasure Seekers
Pleasure seekers seduce by creating a unique, intoxicating experience. Alfa Romeo is an automotive brand that is unlikely ever to be purchased from a purely rational perspective. On paper, Alfas are regularly outgunned by their American, Asian and German competition.
However, there is an intangible attribute that ensures that Alfa Romeo always finds its own distinct audience. It is a flamboyant – almost reckless – passion that embodies both a specific ascetic design and an engaging experience for the driver. The result is a distinct marque and a unique driving experience that combines in a car brand that people are passionate about.
The French call it ‘panache’. In Italian, it is simply ‘Alfa Romeo’.
Romantic Partners
There are business partners, tennis partners and then there are Romantic Partners. Romantic Partners team up because they complement each other perfectly and, if nature has its way, make beautiful babies together.
So what happens when software and accountants get together? They create Beautiful Accounting Software that people actually love to use! Xero has successfully positioned itself as a ‘lover’ brand in a category that is not renowned to get your pulse racing!
A ‘lover’ proposition is a category that has been devoid of such a thing for years allows Xero a unique and distinct position in the marketplace. And their customers love them for it!
Love Me, Too!
Lover brands are – by definition – highly valued by their passionate customers. Much of this love, however, is often experienced ‘in the moment’.
Once the cold, hard light of day exposes the offering (and passion and blood pressure are reduced), the proposition may not fare so well under a more rational evaluation.
The Lover archetype can make for a powerful brand (and brand experience), but you need to make sure the timing is right!