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Michael Jackson – The archetype
10/8 2009
We have seen it happen before; Oscar Wilde, Rickard Wagner, Jimmy Hendrix, Elvis and Princess Diana; the boost in popularity after their death. Now with the pop icon Michael Jackson it seems to be happening again. The question is how can that be? What are the driving forces behind the accelerating interest in a public figure after they are gone? And what makes us reconsider the character flaws of a man, or a woman, just because they seize to exist IRL? In my opinion, the answer lays in the fundamental human need for archetypes.
The concept of archetypes like the Hero, the Rebel, the Caregiver and the Magician was developed by the psychiatrist Carl G Jung but date back as far as Plato. In branding it has been further elaborated by the authors Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson. The way we disregard inappropriate behaviour in people after they are deceased and focus on their positive sides, is reflecting our pursuit for meaning and identity in our lives.
We grasp for brand personalities that reflect our ideals. And while they are alive the risk of being let down by our idols holds us back, but after their death, we are free to define them as we would like to remember them according to our own preferences and values.
In that sense we create our tailor-made heroes, rebels, jesters or sages. By doing so, we acquire a symbols of meaning on which we may project our hopes, fears, dreams or even shame. My prediction is that MJ may become a bigger star after his death than before. Simply because he holds many elements of a suitable archetype; a sense of innocence combined with a lurking shadow personality; both feminine and masculine traits; and surrounded by many myths. But most of all he had a set of extraordinary magical talents.
By Carl Peyron
Mind Your Brand
Carl Peyron is a senior brand strategist and founder of the Mind Your Brand network. He also teaches brand strategy and marketing as a tutor and examiner at IHM Business School and at Berghs School of Communication.