CONSUMER PERCEPTION OF SELECTED BRANDS EXPLORED THROUGH ARCHETYPES

Lucia Vilceková¹*, Peter Štarchon^2
1Dr., Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava, 82005 Bratislava, Slovakia, lucia.vilcekova@fm.uniba.sk
² Prof., Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava, 82005 Bratislava, Slovakia, peter.starchon@fm.uniba.sk
*Corresponding author

Abstract
Archetypes as a concept originated in psychology. In marketing, a brand archetype is a genre assigned to a brand. There are 12 basic archetypes and each of them has a powerful identity, which is based upon symbolism. This concept helps marketers to anchor a brand against something iconic—something already embedded within the conscious and subconscious of humanity. Consumers relate to the personality and aspirations of the brand archetype. They are universal and eternal and they represent consumers’ needs and desires. In the minds of both the brand owner and the public, aligning with a brand archetype makes the brand easier to identify. The purpose of this paper is to describe how Slovak consumers perceive the brands Nike, Nivea and Apple and determine the archetypes of these brands. An online survey with a sample of 229 Slovak consumers was carried out with the main goal to explore the main characteristic of selected global brands and specify their archetypes. The respondents were presented with 20 basic characteristics and their task was to assign the most matching brand (Nike, Nivea or Apple) to these characteristics. Based on these we were able to determine the brand’s archetypes. Out of these Nike has the character of Hero. It is perceived as disciplined, string and persistent. Nivea is seen by Slovaks as caring, protective and family-orientated and it was identified as the Caregiver. Apple’s archetype is the Creator and Slovak consumers describe it as innovative and inspiring. All the findings were in accordance with the overall image of the brand communicated worldwide no major differences in brand image and brand perception were found.

Keywords: archetypes, brands, Slovak consumers, Nike, Nivea, Apple