Brand Character Development
A proprietary framework that uses screenwriting principles to turn a global entertainment brand into a fully realized character, complete with an origin story.
(Select details have been omitted for confidentiality.)
Approach
I wanted to build a brand character with an actual pulse so I created a custom approach grounded in classic archetypes and inspired by cinematic universes.
The goal was to build something that felt like a character bible you could hand to a writers’ room instead of a few slides in a deck people skim and forget.
Methodology
I created a fact-meets-fiction framework to develop a brand character that's
both credible and distinctive.
Facts gave us the source material that helped define who the brand is today:
Company culture
Competitive analysis
Social listening
Archetype analysis
Perception challenges
EXISTING ARCHETYPE
RULER
Dominates the industry, creating
an empire through strategic
business decisions.
Obstacle
PERFECTIONISM
Perfection feels like the only insurance against chaos, a lesson learned early and confirmed by current brand perception and behaviors.
Status Quo
RULER ARCHETYPE
Seeks to prevent chaos by taking control. Defined by their need for security and order, they take comfort in routine and avoid bending the rules.
GHOST
Born into a world of chaos.
Raised in a culture of control.
Self-Realization
CREATOR/EXPLORER ARCHETYPE
Craves freedom to chart their own path. Driven by curiosity about themselves and the world around them, they value
non-conformity and take pride in honing their craft.
Internal Conflict
I borrowed classic screenwriting principles to develop the character’s internal world, focusing on 4 interconnected elements: external goal (Want), inner truth (Need), false belief (Lie), and a formative event that still haunts them (Ghost).
LIE
Perfection is the only
path to success.
Character Arc
To resolve the internal conflict, I mapped the character’s journey from
control to creative freedom.
The arc mirrors the emotional journey of our chronically online Gen Z/MIllennial audience.
Born into chaos, they learned to seek control and perfection as a way to feel safe. Now they’re learning to loosen their grip, embrace a little chaos and find freedom in the unpolished.
Origin Story
I turned that psychology into an original fable explaining how this character became who they are, giving the team a story they could reference when deciding how the brand should behave.
In our story, a young man raised to believe perfection is the only antidote to chaos discovers
wabi-sabi—the beauty of the imperfect—and learns that embracing life’s cracks can unlock his creativity and set him free to pursue his dreams.
Click the image to advance the slides.
The Villain
Every protagonist needs an antagonist. Our first thought may be to make the competition the villain, but our competitors are after the same thing.
The best villain is often the relatable, seductive dark side of the truth our character must realize.
For our character, that villain is what happens when freedom goes too far and spirals into cynicism—the shadow side of perfectionism, and an equally destructive force. It undermines curiosity, blocks creativity and turns possibility into why bother?
The Character Voice
I worked with the creative team to translate that tension into a distinctive voice and define how the character code-switches across social while staying true to his core DNA.
His voice lives between the tightly wound earnestness of his past and the unchecked playfulness that can tip into cynicism.
Controlled chaos is the sweet spot. It gives him room to take risks, show some personality and have a little fun without losing the knowledge and optimism at his core. That balance became a flexible voice spectrum, giving the team a clear way to calibrate his tone for every touchpoint.
EARNEST
The most buttoned-up version, tapping into knowledge and optimism.
CONTROLLED CHAOS
The balance of earnest and playful
where we utilizes all parts of himself.
LEANS EARNEST
Adding a pinch of cheekiness
while remaining polished.
Fiction gives us the tools to imagine what the brand could become using classic screenwriting principles to develop:
Character Motivation
Character Arc
Origin Story
Villain
PLAYFUL
Where we take risks to turn heads and earn laughs.
LEANS PLAYFUL
Where we lean into fun
but with one foot on the brakes.
EXPLORER
A pioneer who is forward-thinking, bringing revolutionary
experiences to the world
WANT
I want to escape my predictable
life and explore the
great unknown.
Archetype Analysis
I partnered with the data team to analyze social sentiment and identify the archetype audiences already associate with the brand.
The White Space
I led a client workshop to unpack the brand’s mission, vision, and values and identify the archetype the brand hadn’t claimed yet.
The data showed a clear tension. Audiences see the brand as a Ruler, defined by scale and authority, while the brand’s ambitions pointed toward Creator/Explorer, a more adventurous and inventive archetype. That gap became the white space, bringing the brand’s long history of innovation to the forefront while giving the brand more freedom to express the creativity behind it.
OPPORTUNITY ARCHETYPES
CREATOR
Leverages innovation and design
to enable creative work that
evokes emotion.
NEED
To believe in himself and practice
wabi-sabi, the philosophy of
embracing the beauty of
imperfection.