Brand Archetype Series: The Sage
Dec 12, 2024When it comes to building a business that you love showing up in each day and that naturally attracts your soulmate clients, understanding brand archetypes can be incredibly helpful.
The twelve archetypes, first introduced by psychologist Carl Jung, provide a framework for understanding the different personalities that brands can adopt to build faster connection and trust with their audiences.
Using archetypes in branding goes far beyond the surface. By adopting a specific archetype, you’re inviting your audience into a story where they can see themselves; and showing them the role you’ll play in their journey – will you be the supportive and nurturing Caregiver, the adventurous Explorer, or the passionate Lover?
This narrative approach to branding taps into universal truths, stories we’re all familiar with, and emotions everyone understands, making your message so much more relatable and memorable.
When you align your brand with an archetype, you’re essentially creating a living, breathing entity that speaks directly to the heart of your audience. And in today’s busier-than-ever online world, having a brand that feels like a friend or role model can make all the difference in grabbing your audience’s attention
For an overview of all 12 archetypes, check out this blog post. Otherwise, keep reading to discover more about the Sage.
What is the Sage Brand Archetype?
The Sage archetype is also known as the Oracle, Detective, Thinker, Scholar or Mentor.
They follow a logical, intelligent and reliable approach to life and their life’s work. They have an innate ability to make people trust them, and the gift of guiding others with their well-rooted wisdom.
You can leverage the Sage archetype by emphasizing knowledge, wisdom, and clarity in your programs, products, and services. Focus on creating experiences that empower your clients to seek deeper understanding, uncover truths, and approach challenges with informed confidence. Personalize these experiences with elements that reflect the Sage's intellectual spirit, such as thought-provoking insights, well-researched guidance, or opportunities for critical thinking and self-discovery. This approach will make your clients feel enlightened, inspired to expand their horizons, and motivated to pursue a life of curiosity, learning, and purposeful action.
The Sage’s personality is intelligent, knowledgeable, reflective, insightful, trustworthy and experienced. They are usually not thoughtless, shallow, or irrational.
The Sage’s core desire is to understand the world and seek the truth, and they are motivated by the freedom to think for themselves and hold their own opinions. Their big purpose is to seek the truth and understand the world around them
They value truth, knowledge, autonomy, logic, and continuous learning.
Their strengths include helping people make wise decisions and analyzing information to find solutions. However, their weaknesses can include getting stuck in continuous learning without action, being overly skeptical, and overwhelming people with information.
No matter what, the Sage does not tolerate ignorance or superficiality.
The Sage Archetype in Branding
Through their brand, the Sage promises to provide wisdom, guidance and intellectual/spiritual growth that leads people to deep self discovery and even enlightenment.
They make their clients and audience feel intelligent, informed, competent and spiritually grounded.
They achieve this through a unique brand voice that is factual, authoritative, clear, and dignified.
This voice includes brand messaging such as phrases like, “self reflection,” “in the know,” and “always learning.” The Sage may also use words like, “astute,” “informed,” “growth,” “sensible,” “mindful” and “experience.”
The Sage’s brand visuals are understated, uncluttered, and calm. Sage color palettes tend to be subdued and neutral. Although the Sage isn’t limited to only certain colors, blue, yellow, gold and silver tend to pair well with this archetype.
Images portray related themes, activities, and motifs, such as wisdom, expertise, spiritual awakening, learning, personal growth, and truth. Below is an example of a brand moodboard from my Sage Brand Bundle, so you can get a feel for the visuals.
In practice, Sage brands embody a spirit of wisdom and insight in all their communications and interactions. They focus on fostering a sense of clarity and understanding, inspiring their audience to seek knowledge, uncover deeper truths, and approach life with thoughtful curiosity.
Sage brands emphasize authenticity and intellect, encouraging their clients to ask meaningful questions, challenge assumptions, and pursue personal growth through learning. They often present themselves as trusted guides and thought leaders, inviting clients into a world where truth, knowledge, and a deeper understanding of life’s complexities take center stage.
Sage Brand Examples
TedX
TedX fits the Sage archetype by fostering a global platform for sharing knowledge, insights, and innovative ideas, inspiring audiences to seek deeper understanding and intellectual growth.
Barnes and Noble
As a haven for readers and learners, Barnes & Noble embodies the Sage archetype by offering access to a vast array of books and resources that empower curiosity and lifelong learning.
National Geographic
National Geographic exemplifies the Sage archetype (as well as the Explorer) by combining breathtaking storytelling with factual exploration, encouraging audiences to expand their knowledge about the world and its mysteries.
Sage Pop Culture Examples
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein fits the Sage archetype through his relentless pursuit of knowledge and deeper truths about the universe, revolutionizing our understanding of physics and inspiring others to seek wisdom and question the unknown.
Marie Curie
As a pioneering scientist who discovered radioactivity and won two Nobel Prizes, Marie Curie exemplifies the Sage archetype by dedicating her life to advancing scientific knowledge for the betterment of humanity.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey embodies the Sage archetype by using her platform to inspire self-discovery, share wisdom, and guide audiences toward personal growth and deeper understanding of themselves and the world. Oprah also embodies qualities of the Magician archetype which you can learn about here.
These brands and individuals not only embody the external traits associated with the Sage archetype—such as wisdom, knowledge, and a thirst for understanding—but they also create deeper emotional connections that inspire a sense of curiosity, trust, and enlightenment in their audiences, making them enduring symbols of insight, truth, and intellectual empowerment.
Check Out The Rest of This Series
Find Your Brand Archetype
Recognizing your archetype is just the beginning. From there, it’s important to integrate it into every facet of your brand, your messaging, and your visuals in a way that resonates with those you aim to serve.
If you're ready to dive deeper and uncover the archetype that reflects YOUR brand's personality, I invite you to take my brand personality quiz today. Discover which archetype aligns with your brand's essence and how you can leverage this understanding to craft a brand that stands out and speaks directly to the hearts of your audience.
Don't stop here, though. I’m here to support you in creating a purposeful, archetypal brand that makes money AND makes a difference. Explore how we can work together here.
