Camping personalities during my holidays
"What is your personal brand archetype?"

On the road again. Goin' places that I've never been. Seein' things that I may never see again. And I can't wait to get on the road again… This song echoed in my head, every time we started our motorhome again on our way to the next beautiful place. Yes, I am back from my first camping adventure. And this normally well-organized control freak surprisingly enjoyed the nomad life, not knowing where to sleep the next night… We’ve spent wonderful moments at a wine farmer, next to a lake, on a ‘real’ camping, on municipal grounds, at a kid’s petting farm,…

What I noticed was that many people are called by the outdoors. Various personality types enjoy camping. So I started to deduct some “camping archetypes”, types of people you find at a campsite. You might be frowning now, just like my partner Tim… I can’t help it. It is professional deformation.

I can categorize them in terms of their equipment. The fully equipped campers aka glampers, who go for an overall comfortable experience with all the bells and whistles, versus the ultra minimalists aka backpackers, who just have the essentials with them and go for tent camping under the stars.

Or I can archetype them based on their profiles:

• The retired nomads: after having done their time in the workforce this couple is now comfortably travelling around at their own pace with a caravan or a motorhome.
• One happy family: they prefer the more popular camp grounds so that the kids can swim, bike and run around.
• The free spirits: they care less about material possessions and more about seizing the day. We saw a couple that got up in the morning to dance together.
• The young couple: they saved during the year to go on their first camping trip together with not a lot of comfort or even just a car and a tent.
• The long term stayers: they have their own caravan on their specific spot at a camping close to their home. They even call the campsite their home. As locals, they are not afraid to give you advice.
• The newbies: first time campers who are still trying to figure everything out and checking out all different places and ways of camping.

I believe we were the fully-equipped newbies… Do you fit into any of these camping archetypes? Whatever the archetype, the common thread was that campers radiate a sense of authenticity. Everyone stays true to themselves which is reflected in the way they travel.

I am maybe a noob in camping, but I am not a newbie in personal branding and definitely not in personal brand archetypes. The difference is that I don’t allow guesswork, like I did for my self-created camping archetypes. I am not a fan of free and quickly self-developed archetype tests either. I like research, facts and figures. As the only Belgian Fascinate® Certified Advisor I use the Fascinate® methodology, because it is a science-based system with a proven track record amongst more than one million professionals.

Next to that, I don’t limit myself to six or eight possible profiles. I dig deep into your personality to pinpoint your uniqueness among no less than 49 personal brand archetypes. For all these profiles I don’t use difficult semantics. I go for innovative, fun, easy to understand and pragmatic names, like The Catalyst, The Rockstar, The Wise Owl, The Trendsetter,… Me personally, I am The Archer where the art of listening and the attention to details come together.

Going after your (personal brand) archetype can be a serious quest for some people. The reason is simple: you don’t see it yourself. That is why I flip it around. I don’t focus on how you see the world, but on how the world sees you. This approach will result in your personal brand archetype aka the compass in your life and in your business, topped with a personality tagline.

Once you uncover your archetype (Aha-moment: This is really me!), you are going to own it and translate it into anything you do in your business. Your personal brand will radiate your archetype and personality. It will give you confidence and will be an anchor to show your power. It will become a mantra to check in regularly: Is this typically something The (insert: archetype) would do? Does this reflect that I am The (insert: archetype)? 

So yes, even in my free time I am looking for patterns, personality traits, commonalities,… Because I adore to dig deeper and to get to know a person below the surface. Camping truly is for everyone and so is personal branding… Are you ready to discover your personal brand archetype? I am waiting for you…

Wouldn’t it be great to know your personal brand archetype and to find out what makes you uniquely fascinating? My program Your Personal Brand kickstart with Fascinate®  starts with the first personality assessment ever showing you how the world sees you at your best. Sounds good? Gift yourself this boost of confidence... And discover if you are The Detective, The Maestro, The Talent, The Secret Weapon,…