MOR AV I A N CO L L E G E

hIS reSeArCh AT MorAvIAn ShoULd heLP;
it gave him a solid theory as to what kind of entertainment sells.
A main reason, he concluded, was that top-flight singers tap
into our deepest psychic cast of characters, known as archetypes.
based on the thinking of the psychology pioneer Carl Jung and
incorporated in a textbook used by gary kaskowitz, assistant
professor of economics and business, these types picture the
range of human personalities and exist subconsciously as forms
ready to connect with real-world examples.
Twelve archetypes were provided by the textbook, The hero and
the outlaw: Building extraordinary Brands through the power of archetypes,
by Carol S. Pearson and Margaret Mark: hero, outlaw, lover,
sage, magician, creator, innocent, explorer, regular guy/gal,
jester, caregiver, and ruler. Michael adapted two of them (lover
and regular guy/gal) to fit his study but kept the ideas constant.
he looked for performers who stood out
on Billboard magazine’s top-20 charts from
the 1950s to 2000 to seek what they had in
common. his answer was that the performers
he studied consistently expressed an arche-
type, thereby striking a common chord in
the audience.
he looked for performers who stood out on Billboard
magazine’s top-20 charts from the 1950s to 2000 to seek what
they had in common. his answer was that the performers he
studied consistently expressed an archetype, thereby striking a
common chord in the audience. Though the types themselves
remained constant, he concluded, changing cultural trends
altered the ways in which those types were expressed from
one time period to another.
kaskowitz, who teaches courses on marketing, invited
Michael to study this aspect of the music business as a soar
project in the summer of 2006. That effort turned into an
honors thesis.
17.
Michael’s fundamental finding: many performers that create
an impact do so by projecting a clear archetypal identity. You
must push the right buttons to stir up underlying affections that
can lead to over-the-counter purchases. A performer may
naturally project an identity such as rebel or magician, but it’s
also possible to manufacture one or another, Michael said.
A sterling example, he said, was Madonna, who has darted from
rebel to lover to innocent and isn’t finished yet. She is in
good company among those who mold their image to appeal
to popular tastes.
The archetypes were consistently present throughout the
period of Michael’s study, he found, but their expression
changed. Context was everything. In the 1950s, frank Sinatra
veiled the lover’s message of intimacy and sensuality in songs
like “Love and Marriage” and “Makin’ Whoopee.” Marvin
gaye in the ’70s was able to use more explicit expressions like
“getting it on,” and the present-day rap singer r. kelly can
take advantage of today’s more tolerant context and sing frankly
about “having sex.” Johnny Cash epitomized the “regular guy”
in the ’50s. Though Cash indulged in alcohol and drugs, Michael
believes he did it in the “guy/gal” tradition of escaping rather
than rebelling. “he didn’t do it to say he was better than you,”
Michael said. The tradition continued with Creedence Clearwater
revival, whose vietnam War protests in the 1970s were
expressed in mainstream patriotic terms, and in the “good ol’
boy” image of current country singers such as Trace Adkins.
The beatles provided him the biggest treasure trove of archetypes.
Their dazzling mix of talents was displayed, Michael said,
through an array of images that registered with archetypes. John
could be a sage, care-giver, lover, explorer, or a regular “guy/
gal,” as could Paul, and together, Michael said, they embodied “as
many archetypes as you could find.” The ultimate protean band.
for Michael, the process of linking types to particular
musicians has been both fascinating and bottom-line practical.
It may have provided him with an analytical tool to help clients
in the entertainment business make it big.