Archetypal Associations of Geometric Shapes: Lessons for Marketing Managers

The study seeks to identify how Iranian consumers (Isfahan as the case study) perceive archetypes. Drawing on the Theory of Shape Symbolism, the study also addresses geometric shapes as potential elements in conveying archetypal meaning to the brands. Findings from several preliminary studies and seventy-seven semi-structured in-depth interviews in the main study revealed that, in spite of some similarities, Isfahan citizens are somewhat different in their perception of archetypes compared to western consumers. Moreover, the most and the least fitting shape(s) with each archetype were identified. Respondents’ archetypal associations with shapes are based on both intrinsic meaning stemming from shape’s attributes such as symmetry, angularity and number of sides, and referential meaning of shapes. In contrast to the existing literature on geometric shapes, angularity is not the only shape characteristic to affect archetypal associations and is not proved influential in all archetypal perceptions. The results of the present study are invaluable in brand meaning management in general, and for branding and advertising in particular.