This blog post features the 11th brand archetype in the series, which explores how brands use literary archetypes to stand out and be remembered.

The Trickster. The Joker. The Comedian.

There's no life without humour. It can make the wonderful moments of life truly glorious, and it can make tragic moments bearable.

— Rufus Wainwright

Have fun and live in the moment — this is what people with the Jester personality really want in life. Jesters make it their purpose to lighten up the people around them with humour. At peace with the paradoxes of the world, they use humour to emphasise social issues — and point out how silly these are.

They’re the life of the party, easy-going, and jolly. Not wanting to get tied down, they don’t like getting bored, and they fear boring others. They’re the type that won’t settle or stay committed and get stuck in a rut. They live in the here and now.

Perhaps one of the best examples of the Jester type is Jim Carrey in almost all his films and the comedian Adam Hills, who in spite of being born without a right foot, is able to share his story and experiences light-heartedly, a manner Jesters can pull off. Timon and Pumba play the jesters in the Lion King.

Jester customers are most likely the young people and the young at heart. They are more attracted to playful, humorous, and even silly advertisements over serious-sounding ones.

How Jesters Bring Their Brand to Life

If you are in the business of entertaining people with humour, this brand archetype is the perfect fit for you. Across your company’s communication and collaterals, your tone of voice should be enthusiastic, lively, and comic. Your aim is to make customers feel playful and entertained and to make them appreciate life. For example, email marketing service Mailchimp, in order to ensure they are consistent with their brand’s personality, they published a style guide, which features their brand’s tone and voice. 

Categories that Have the Jester at the Foundation

The Jester brand archetype promises entertainment. Here are some of the categories with the Jester at the foundation.

• Confectionery
• Professional services

Examples of Jester Brands

Ben & Jerry’s. For this brand, life is all about happiness and ice cream. In fact, their tagline is “Peace, love & ice cream.” You can’t help but smile as you read through the names of their ice cream: there’s Boom Chocolatta, Scotchy Scotch Scotch, Coffee Coffee, and BuzzBuzzBuzz.

M&M. Injecting humour in their candy characters, M&M managed to make light of something that isn’t good for the health — candy.

Old Spice, claiming to be the authority on men’s grooming products, actually began as a soap and toiletry brand for women. The company released men’s products at the end of the year, saw its success, and decided to focus on it.

MailChimp. Instead of creating a straightforward, business-toned software for marketing campaigns, Mailchimp’s “belief in life and in email has always been that approaching things with a sense of humor makes them more fun.“ Freddy, Mailchimp’s mascot, pops up with a random quote or a link to a YouTube video on the account dashboard page, capturing their brand’s fun and light personality.