Archetypes & luxury wellness
Scene report from Sweets & Snacks
Reporting in from sunny Las Vegas for the Sweets and Snacks Expo (and the Licensing Expo, but more on that next week). While the internet was ablaze this year about Expo West, there is a lot less convo about Sweets and Snacks, which is a similar show just without the products having to have health requirements... so innately a bit more fun. Everyone from Oreo to Nutella to small candy operators rolling out their treats and flavors, in the arena in Las Vegas.
That industry is at a bit of a crossroads… because of wellness. A lot of people just aren’t eating as much sugar. One in eight U.S. adults is on a GLP-1. And if you look at the grey market, I would say that’s likely closer to one in five. Just my pure opinion, seeing the volumes and numbers some of these dark market providers are sharing.
Even just the one in eight is such a massive consumption shift of what people are allowed to eat and how they undertake their wellness that it will completely reshape so many markets from the snacks we see here, to restaurant eating overall, to the fitness and workout industries. It is perhaps the biggest fundamental shift in how we consume since Covid, and I think in a lot of ways it is fundamentally altering consumer habits faster and more drastically than what we see with AI, which while far more discussed, we see its impact in lesser ways.
I spoke at length about this topic in the Vangroup’s new report on luxury wellness which you can grab for free here. Includes both my essay and a number of trends, topics, and brands that they’ve compiled.
This week, I’m sharing my full archetypes cheat sheet, an important playbook for how brands approach social media. Enjoy!
Archetypes for Brand Social
In this Youtube video I focused on a key bottleneck for brands are trying to improve their social media. Often they’re trying to redo the same things or come up with a plan from scratch. When in reality they need templates for plans based on their resources.
So from there I have pulled five common archetypes similar to how you’d look at an overall brand archetype in a more traditional marketing framework that will give you a blueprint for how you could look at social media based on both your resources and how far out of the box your company is willing to push themselves.
Watch the video, check out the examples, pick an archetype, and fix your brand social media.
The Oracle
Teaching people about the world your brand space inhabits with deep expertise. Relies on a core expert or team of several.
The question to ask: What does our customer need to understand that nobody else is explaining properly?
Content:
Historical explainers
Category comparisons: is X or Y better for Z
Why things are the way they are
Predictions for the future
Ex: Front Office via Ken Sakata, Blam Motor Works, Loren Kreiss & Kreiss in tandem, Rarify
The Performer
Your content is a show. Entertainment driven, personality-first, built to be binged and shared. The product barely needs to be mentioned, its omnipresent
The question to ask: If our brand had a show, what would it be about, and would people watch it without knowing it was ours?
Content:
Recurring character or cast series
Skits
Out of the box scenarios
Hyper visual and stunt content
It HAS to be fun, dramatic or emotional, there is no halfway performer.
Ex: Derschutze, Mohawk Chevrolet, LC Sign, Nitro Bar
The World Builder
Building a mass of content that’s interesting, far reaching and surprising, far beyond the world your brand inhabits. The question to ask: Can we make something creative people love so much they love the brand right next to it
Content:
Short films
Fictional character series
Immersive intellectual content
Curation
Best for: teams and founders willing to take a risk
Ex: Death to Stock, Cluely, Fern
The Catalyst
Using content to push people toward a better version of themselves. Your content is the bridge between who they are and who they want to be.
The question to ask: What transformation does our customer want, and can our content be proof that it’s possible and guidance on how to get there?
Content:
Training and process documentation
Inspirational text overlays
Community highlights and challenges
Ex: Crease Group, Based Living
The Helper
Brands that don’t have a deep expert on camera, but still want to lean on value content
Often relies on a core person, but not necessarily a super deep expert, more someone moderately ahead on the journey with you
The question to ask: What little helpful things can we do our customer will appreciate
Content:
Visual tutorials
Carousel stories and tips
Story vlogs
Interviews & curation
Ex: Kiyoko Beauty, Hashi Home, Marpipe
The Insider
Documenting the real thing with the insider look, the behind-the-scenes. Your audience has a front-row seat to a journey with something at stake. The question to ask: What are we building right now that people would actually want to watch unfold? Is there a reason anyone will care? Is it unique enough
Content:
Follow-along series
Story-driven carousels
Episode-style content with a recurring theme
Founder or team vlogs with a narrative arc
Really ask yourself - can we make this exciting enough? This is often overplayed, works best with physical products or interesting locations..
Ex: Bad Hambres, Softies Burgers, Chunky Fit Cookie, Merit, Fzotic
Want to dive in more? I’ll be workshopping creative direction live on the June Community Call.
Until next week,
Oren