The Innocent archetype is all about utopia, paradise and happiness. It is known for its spirit of youthfulness and it is driven by its strong moral code, a deep faith and endearing optimism.
I see quite an interesting mix of things that contribute to the ‘Innocent’ side of America. For example:
- We see the ultimate in innocence portrayed in fictional characters such as Forrest Gump, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Laura Ingalls of Little House on the Prairie.
- There are movies about pure innocence in idyllic places such as Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins characters in The Blue Lagoon and the quest for a better life in The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith.
- Other movies where innocence triumphs include Room, Elf, ET, Cinderella and Edward Scissorhands.
- We have brands and products focused on life’s simple pleasures such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s Happy Meals. The mission of the brand Life is Good is to ‘spread optimism’ — they even have a Chief Optimism Officer. And of course there is quite literally Innocent smoothies – we can’t get much more archetypal than that.
- To those living outside the USA, America is defined by fairytale happy places like Disneyland.
- Songs like Happy by Pharrell Williams, Come on Get Happy by The Partridge Family, Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin and Oh Happy Day by The Edwin Hawkins Singers go a long way to bringing out this aspect of America’s personality.
- The 1950’s celebrated the USA’s age of innocence in general and landmark TV shows such as Happy Days got a whole new generation connected to the full-on joy of this era.
- It’s a bit tricky to choose an American President that fits this archetype, but I believe Jimmy Carter comes closest — mainly for his post-presidency efforts to find peaceful solutions to international conflict, advancing democracy & human rights and promoting economic & social development – which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Sounds pretty utopian to me. And, there was the relentless optimism of Franklin D. Roosevelt that inspired the hopeful attitude of the entire nation during the Great Depression.
- Other notable Americans who I think embody this archetype include Helen Keller, Robert Schuller, Oprah Winfrey and Mary Lou Retton. How about that for an eclectic bunch – but they all have, in common, a great deal of positive thinking going on.
What makes America an ‘Innocent’ brand to you?
