Introducing The Jester Brand Archetype

The Jester brand archetype is here to keep things light and entertaining. It is one of the 12 brand archetypes that we will be discussing.

This Jester brand archetype brings out the child in you by being goofy, funny and spontaneous. Jesters are entertainers, comedians and being banal is a nightmare to them. They want people to loosen up and be happy.

It is not easy to come up with quality content that is both funny yet able to deliver the message. Jesters are masters of re-thinking perspectives and changing mindsets while appealing to the funny bone. They are clever. At its best, the Jester provokes thought through satire and humour and at its worst, it can be seen as immature, shallow or trying-too-hard.

Comedians like Harith Iskander, Stephen Colbert or Tina Fey are clear examples of Jesters. Some brands in the food industry such as Ben & Jerry’s ice cream also reflect the Jester archetype. The confectionery company produce fun and interesting flavours and name them with rhymes and puns e.g. Peanut Buttah, Phish Food and The Tonight Dough.

Media company BuzzFeed is also a dominant Jester brand. They published social and entertainment news that heavily relies on trends, internet memes and viral news, not to mention the use of humourous GIFs, photos, emojis and icons to stay funny and light.

Jester brand archetypes can make ordinary everyday things fun, like what hygiene product Method is doing. They come off as quirky and interesting from the first glance, what with their colourful liquids and unique scents. This had helped them cut through other household cleaning brands’ clutter and get the customer’s attention, thus using their personality to stand out.

Some companies personify the Jester as a sub-archetype, like accounting software ZipBooks. Doing your taxes is always a bore and a chore, but ZipBooks attempts to make it fun and easy for non-accountants running start-ups and small enterprises. They have colourful fonts and graphs and convinces users accounting should not be hard. What makes them a brilliant Jester brand also lies in one of their slogan; ‘It’s accrual world. ZipBooks makes it sweeter’.

How to know if you are a Jester brand?

Jester brand archetypes are quirky and clever. They know that their customers are easily turn off by bland serious issues, so they package it in a different way. Jesters purposely make boring activities like accounting and house chores light and fun to convince people to do them and do them well. Best of all, to have fun while doing it.

You might be a Jester brand if you want to make people happy when using your product or services. You want to be included during their happy times or be associated with their definition of joy and fun. You can also a Jester brand if you make an ordinary process funny or interesting.

To know more about the Jester brand archetype, read The CEO’s Strategy Playbook: The Brand Building Playbook for Business Leaders. Download it free for a limited time and get your own do-it-yourself brand strategy worksheet!