About the Brand Voice Reports

How does a Brand Voice Archetype Report help me to tell my story, talk about my products and/or service, and give my staff and clients a banner to rally behind?

  • Just between you and us, although this archetype business IS the stuff of legend, it isn’t rocket science, magic or (sorry to break it to you) a shortcut around your brand journey challenges — a choice of pinnacles if you will.
Lost in Patagonia by Man Kwan
  • Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed archetypes to be integral to our human collective unconscious. Whether you have one of his “Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.” t-shirts, or you find the whole thing to be a bit woo-woo; lovers, magicians, jesters, caregivers, outlaws and explorers have been the protagonists and antagonists in stories (brand or otherwise) for as long as humans have been telling them.
  • There are enough books and blogs by branding experts that you could spend the rest of your days reading, but we’re here to help you get writing, creating, directing and publishing — mindfully. We’re here to help you jump start your brand voice discovery and design using the archetype that most resonates with you (and to overcome its classic challenges) and to do some good in the world together.

If archetypes aren’t magic, what are they? Science? Art? Vegan?

  • Some of each of the above. Each Brand Voice Report benchmarks a set of characteristics that, through choices for or against the plethora of adjectives you were presented with, are determined through our trademark mash-up of JavaScript, math, mind-mapping, eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog (all of which are vegan).

What if I don’t like the results of my Brand Voice Report?

  • This is actually not a question that’s ever been asked, but the answer is, “Sometimes you can tell what something is by defining what it isn’t.” Or, in the words of Arthur Ashe, the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Can I use my Brand Voice Report in my personal life?

  • The short answer is, ‘Yes,” but our research, reports and the inwords Newsletter are tailored to supporting solopreneurs, SMEs, teams, associations, broadcasters and publishers to find more engaging ways to tell their brand stories.
  1. For an in-depth personal archetypal evaluation and follow-up, visit Garry Gilfoy’s website. Garry’s an author and counsellor in Adelaide, South Australia.
  2. And Carol Pearson, an international authority on archetypes and Narrative Intelligence, has written extensively about archetypes in both personal and business life.
  3. Or, check out Jocelyn K. Glei‘s articles, courses and her podcast, Hurry Slowly — on finding more calm, creativity and meaning in your work.

Account-related Questions

I can’t find my Brand Voice Report

Your Brand Voice Report should be at an address in your browser that looks something like howtobrandyou.com/report/your-brand-name.

If testing that theory makes your eyes feel like the Eurasian Pygmy Owl below just send an email to konos@howtobrandyou.com and we’ll have a look for you, or you can always take the quiz again. It’s free.

Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum) perched on a branch in Estonia, by Erik Karits

Getting Started

Can I take the Brand Voice Quiz if I haven’t decided on a brand name yet?

We should have a guide for that called, “Which came first? The Brand or the Voice?” The How to Brand You quiz is designed to help you discover your voice and we build and refine the reports so that they give you the resources to do just that.

Although brand naming is an entirely different exercise, we think that,

  • if we can help you to describe your values and how you feel about your project or passion, and,
  • if we can give you a few hundred (or thousand) words to describe it, then,
  • there’s a pretty good chance one or more of those words will resonate with you, so,
  • please don’t let not having a brand name stop you from starting.

For the time being, what you call yourself is a helluva lot less important than the difference you make in the world. Read what Mikael Cho, founder of Unsplash, tweeted about brand names.

Here are some placeholder brand name ideas:

  • Use Brandless: as in Brandless Burgers & Shakes.
  • Use today (Tuesday if you’re in Belgium): as in Tuesday’s Tortillas
  • Try something like Canadiano Coffees [or españolify your own country, city or service like Guatemalito, Japanero, Germanino…]
  • Alliterate your hero’s name with your product or service: Frodo’s French Fries, Rambo Reiki

Can I share my Brand Voice Report?

If you save your Brand Voice Archetype Report by safely sharing (privacy policy here) your email address with us, or by signing up for a paid plan, you will find a quick copy-paste link at the bottom of your report page.

I have my Brand Voice Report. What do I do next?

Just starting out?

  1. Read Leo Babauta’s article, Getting Good at Just Starting a Difficult Task
  2. Do the work.

Refining your brand voice?

  1. Read Leo Babauta’s article, 5 Powerful Reasons to Make Reflection a Daily Habit, and How to Do It
  2. Read Leo Babauta’s article, Getting Good at Just Starting a Difficult Task
  3. Do the work.