The hero and the outlaw. Building extraordinary brands through the power of archetypes

Some brands are so extraordinary that they become larger-than-life, symbolic of entire cultures, and used and admired by consumers the world over. But in spite of all the books and banter about branding, few companies come even close to developing iconic identities for their brands. New brands are being born every minute, with lots of flash and fanfare, but often with no real human connection to make them truly relevant. At the same time, mature brands are diluting their identities in an attempt to respond to shifting trends, while other others attempt to graft meaning onto products in artificial and ineffectual ways. As a result, millions of advertising and promotional dollars are being squandered. In an easily accessible way, The Hero and the Outlaw offers a clearly structured system that all business and marketing professionals can follow and replicate. After presenting the compelling concept of archetypal meaning, the authors demonstrate specific methods for implementing this concept into real-world setting, including: how to understand the deep meaning of your product category and claim it for your brand, how to assess the competitive landscape from an archetypal perspective