The Girl/Guy Next Door

About the Girl/Guy Next Door

The defining feature of this archetype is realism. There’s no hint of artifice, pretense, or elitism. What you see is what you get, and just as these brands don’t put on airs, they don’t expect them from their audience either. The invitation is simple: come as you are.

We love Girl/Guy Next Door brands because they remind us that we’re OK just as we are. This archetype is “popular” by definition. It’s natural, normal, genuine, and of the people, the defining archetype of democracy, where every vote counts equally. These brands are easy to relate to, and they make us feel like “thank goodness I’m not the only one!”

An enormous part of the appeal is that it’s easy. You make people feel included, validated, comfortable, connected, and relaxed. And while every archetype is about forming relationships with brands, this connection goes even deeper. Customers see a Girl/Guy Next Door brand as a true friend.

The Girl/Guy Next Door Subtypes

The Connector

Also known as the Networker, Liaison, or Host. The Connector builds community, facilitating people getting together and forming connections. They’re in the know, happy to recommend products and people, and skilled at bringing others into the fold. The questions this brand answers: “Who needs to know each other?” and “How can we help each other?”

The Citizen

The Citizen is someone who’s literally nearby: friends and neighbors focused on doing what needs to be done to keep communities and economies running. This is the good guy, the salt of the earth. The question: “What value do you provide to the community?”

The Survivor

The Survivor uses their experience of past trauma to help others in the same situation and bring people together. They may have survived abuse or catastrophe, or they simply show up for people in rough circumstances, encouraging survivors to lean on the community around them. The question: “How can you help others in rough circumstances?”

The Girl/Guy Next Door’s Worldview

A core belief of this archetype is that all men and women are created equal. People magazine captures it perfectly with “Stars, they’re just like us!”, a line that levels the playing field entirely.

Girl/Guy Next Door brands believe in rooting for each other over competition, working hard, and staying humble. Life isn’t fair, and sometimes evil people win, so we need to help each other. Their enemies are superiority (people who think they’re “better” than others), selfishness, abuse of power, exploitation, and entitledness.

The Shadow Side

Every archetype has one. For the Girl/Guy Next Door, it’s loss of identity: sacrificing beliefs for the sake of the community, difficulty saying no, and either refusing to let people help or becoming overly dependent on others. This archetype can also slide into distrust of authority and cynicism, and it may fail to recognize its ability to lead when leadership is needed. Great Girl/Guy Next Door brands stay generous without disappearing into the crowd.

Brand Don’ts for the Girl/Guy Next Door

• Don’t price high or give the sense of being “premium.”
• Don’t focus on yourself rather than the community.
• Don’t idolize celebrities or influencers. Focus on regular people in your peer group.
• Don’t talk about ideas without implementing them. Hard work is a core value.
• Avoid setting yourself up as an authority figure.
• Don’t become inaccessible to clients or customers.