A brand’s meaning—how it resonates in the public heart and mind—is a company’s most valuable competitive advantage. Yet, few companies really know how brand meaning works, how to manage it, and how to use brand meaning strategically. Written by best-selling author Carol S. Pearson (The Hero Within) and branding guru Margaret Mark, this groundbreaking book provides the illusive and compelling answer. Using studies drawn from the experiences of Nike, Marlboro, Ivory and other powerhouse brands, the authors show that the most successful brands are those that most effectively correspond to fundamental patterns in the unconscious mind known as archetypes. The book provides tools and strategies to:
• Implement a proven system for identifying the most appropriate and leverageable archetypes for any company and/or brand
• Harness the power of the archetype to align corporate strategy to sustain competitive advantage

Contents
Foreword by Alex Kroll vii
Acknowledgments xi
Part I Primal Assets: A System for the
Management of Meaning 1
Chapter 1 The First System—Ever—for the
Management of Meaning 7
Chapter 2 Archetypes: The Heartbeat of Enduring
Brands 19
Chapter 3 Postmodern Marketing 35
Part II The Yearning for Paradise: Innocent,
Explorer, Sage 49
Chapter 4 The Innocent 53
Chapter 5 The Explorer 71
Chapter 6 The Sage 88
Part III Leaving a Thumbprint on the World:
Hero, Outlaw, Magician 101
Chapter 7 The Hero 105
Chapter 8 The Outlaw 123
Chapter 9 The Magician 140
Part IV No Man (or Woman) Is an Island:
Regular Guy/Gal, Lover, Jester 161
Chapter 10 The Regular Guy/Gal 165
Chapter 11 The Lover 178
Chapter 12 The Jester 196
Part V Providing Structure to the World:
Caregiver, Creator, Ruler 205
Chapter 13 The Caregiver 209
Chapter 14 The Creator 227
Chapter 15 The Ruler 244
Part VI Finding True North: Positioning an
Archetypal Brand 263
Chapter 16 The Artichoke: Uncovering the Archetypal
Meaning of Your Brand 265
Chapter 17 Telling Your Brand Story 286
Chapter 18 The Case of the March of Dimes: Lessons
in a Lobby 305
Part VII Deeper Waters 315
Chapter 19 May the Force Be with You: Capturing
Category Essence 317
Chapter 20 The Real McCoy: Branding and
Organizational Congruence 344
Chapter 21 Leaving a Legacy: The Ethics of
Archetypal Marketing 357
Index 377