Brand personality and brand archetypes; A semiotic analysis of the use of mythological figures in advertising within the framework of Carl Gustav Jung's archetypes

Brand personality, as one of the essential components shaping brand identity in contemporary consumer society, holds strategic significance in fostering emotional connections with target audiences and ensuring brand loyalty. Among the tools employed to realize this strategy, advertisements play a pivotal role by reinforcing brand personality through emotional engagement. In this process, firms frequently utilize various models, with the archetype model standing out. The archetype model lends brands a deeper sense of meaning and cultural resonance, enhancing memorability through collective themes. This study investigates how brand personality functions as a communication tool based on Carl Gustav Jung's theories of the collective unconscious and archetypes. The use of twelve commonly applied archetypes in marketing communication has been examined through their representation in advertisements. These archetypes were evaluated alongside brand personality dimensions and explanatory models, analyzing how archetypal and collective unconscious theories are employed communicatively. In this context, the top ten brands listed in Interbrand's 2024 global ranking were selected, and their advertisements published between 2015 and 2024 were analyzed using a semiotic approach, grounded in Banu Dağtaş's (2003) multi-layered reading method. The utilization of archetypes and mythological figures in these advertisements has been systematically examined. As a result, it has been determined that all ten advertisements employed brand archetypes, while seven incorporated mythological figures. The integrated use of brand archetypes and mythological figures within the narratives has been found to strengthen brand personality and enable brands to build deeper and more enduring associations in the minds of consumers, enriching their storytelling around universal themes.