Watch the video to begin.
In psychology, there are hundreds of archetypes. In the world of marketing, 12 of these archetypes are used to describe brand identities.
Salal Credit Union identifies as two of these marketing archetypes:
the Hero, a tenacious and courageous character committed to growth and the empowerment of others.
the Revolutionary, a change-maker with a strong inner compass that’s dedicated to uprooting stagnant structures.
We see ourselves as 75% Hero and 25% Revolutionary. This means we care most about empowering others: our members, our business partners, and you, our employees.
We’re always striving to learn from our mistakes, challenge ourselves to grow, and share in our successes. And with that little touch of Revolutionary in us, we’re also not afraid to challenge the status-quo and push for positive change.
Examples of our archetypes in action
Salal pioneered banking for the Cannabis industry, and legitimized an entire group of people who were disempowered by lack of access to services.
We’ve broken out into the indirect lending industry with Dealer Direct, and empowered hundreds of businesses to grow, while making positive inroads into issues like climate change through our financing of residential solar panels.
We’ve given back over $1 million dollars to the communities our members work and live in, and have continued to serve our members and meet their unique needs every day.
These aren’t random, chance happenings in Salal’s past. We’ve been able to do these things because this is who we are.
Watch the video below.
If these questions seem big and broad, or don’t seem to apply to your specific job description, just think of the ways your work directly impacts a member or one of your coworkers—or even how your work contributes to Salal’s overall success. Being brave, like the Hero, might be facilitating the beginnings of a new relationship with a business in an emerging industry. Seeking positive change, like the Revolutionary, may come down to simply asking questions, and cultivating an open-minded curiosity about challenging the way that things have always been done.
What our archetype doesn’t mean
Along with their positive traits, archetypes sometimes come with flaws or “shadows.”
A Revolutionary might create chaos or disruption in their efforts to change the system, and break down the good along with the bad.
A Hero might have a tendency to try to control everything, or fix every problem, and become oppressive rather than helpful.
Being aware of these traits is the best way to prevent ourselves from going too far in a direction we want to avoid, and what ultimately makes these archetypes helpful tools. They are meant to help us focus our efforts towards the organization’s strengths, and avoid the pitfalls in the organization’s weaknesses.
QUIZ
You can take the quiz as many times as you need to. Passing with 100% will complete the course.
