About the Author: Coach Grant
WHAT IS A BRAND ARCHETYPE?
The brand archetype is the personality of a brand. While most people develop personality on their own, brands have to craft a personality that is true to the mission of the business. After all, brands aren’t made from a single individual – they represent the collective ideas of many contributors. An archetype exists as a reference point for all contributors, so that each of us can represent the mission of the brand correctly.
DELTA’S ARCHETYPE: THE SAGE
The Sage is a seeker of truth, knowledge and wisdom. Their drive comes from the desire to not only understand the world, but to then share that understanding with others. They are life-long learners and enjoy expressing their knowledge with philosophical conversations. They are more likely to pass on their wisdom to someone who can use it to change the world, rather than change the world with it themselves.
Sage Personalities: Phil Jackson, Einstein, Ghandi, Yoda
Sage Brands: The New York Times, Google, Oprah Winfrey, Harvard
Phil Jaskson was the winningest coach in all of professional sports. His Zen-like demeanor and deep knowledge allowed him to keep the largest egos in check on the path to success.
fundamental traits
Wisdom – For Delta, try is more important than tell. Wisdom allows athletes to overcome their own challenges, with our coaching staff serving as supportive consultants.
Intelligence – We view the world from a point of constant enthusiastic learning. We believe that intelligent athletes ask more “why” questions than “what” questions, and we owe it to them to help them find the answers. Likewise, we believe that our intelligence comes from a combination of constant education coupled with constant experimentation.
Expertise – An expert is someone who holds mastery in a subject. For coaches and athletes alike, this should be a lifelong journey. Delta strives to both embody and support the journey to expertise.
Information – Delta does not hide information from athletes or parents. We don’t believe that our training is the only way, or even the right way. What we believe is that we offer a perspective born of our experience and information. We are always happy to share our information as well as receive it from others. New information will always be welcomed, analyzed, and incorporated into our philosophy.
Influence – Delta knows that control is an illusion. We can neither force a parent, coach, or athlete into success, nor can we demand success to be the result of any effort. However, we do know that through our words and actions, we can help people make better choices, try new and different ideas, and help them meet their goals. Our job is to use our influence to show individuals the right path, whether or not they choose to walk it.
STRATEGY
The Sage archetype guides our strategy when entering the marketplace. No matter the medium, our goal is to deliver intelligent information and to find the good in everyone, and wisdom in all situations. How we execute our strategy in the marketplace rests on some fundamental strategic precepts:
SHOW THE PATH TO WISDOM
In all our external communications, we work to show athletes and parents that there is a way they can grow with intelligence, effort, and understanding. We talk about opportunities, insights, and triumphs, but we never hide the effort it takes to achieve, and we never tell anyone “it’s easy”.
CELEBRATE LIFELONG LEARNING
No athlete or parent is too old to begin their education. Delta believes that people of any age can learn, and we are always willing to assist with the effort. That’s why we don’t group athletes by age, and we don’t exclude parents from observing practice – they are learning too. Likewise, while we can assist with short term goals (like making the team, or getting into the starting rotation) we are on a different path – developing the lifelong athlete.
