Content Thoughts for Magician Brands
June 26, 2025
A few notes from the intersections of branding and AI.
Do You Have a Magician Brand?
If So, Here’s How to Write Better Marketing Copy, with Examples and Considerations for Using AI
Identifying a brand archetype can be incredibly powerful. I’m not talking about identifying a customer archetype, which for sure can be useful, but an archetype that represents your brand and the way it’s perceived out in the world. Of the 12 archetypes, few are as captivating and yet elusive as the Magician. While other archetypes focus on stability, connection, or achievement, Magician brands help transformation become possibility—taking consumers from “I don’t think so” to “wow, this is going to happen.”
Magician brands rely on keen perception, intuition, ingenuity, and the ability to make dreams reality so that people feel awakened and transformed. Magician brand don’t just promise better results, they offer a fundamental shift in what's possible.
Understanding the Magician's Territory
The Magician archetype sits firmly in the "achievement and change" quadrant alongside the Hero and Creative archetypes, but with a distinct difference. Where Heroes inspire through courage and perseverance, and Creatives through imagination and beauty, Magicians trade in transformation itself.
The core motivation driving Magician brands is the promise of change—not just incremental improvement, but something beyond what was previously thought possible.
The Magician's Communication DNA
Successful communication from a Magician brand operates on several key principles that distinguish it from other archetypes.
The Language of Transformation
Magician brands don't just "help" or "improve"—they transform, unlock, reveal, manifest, awaken, and transcend. Every piece of content should feel like it's offering access to a higher level of possibility. For example, instead of "Our software increases productivity by 30%," a Magician brand might say "Transform how your team thinks about productivity."
The Promise of the Impossible Made Possible
While Innocent brands promise renewal and Heroes promise victory through effort, Magicians promise outcomes that feel utterly new and unexpected—then deliver on them. Of course this means walking a line careful line—you don’t want to overpromise.
The Journey from Ordinary to Extraordinary
Every Magician brand story follows the arc of transformation. There's always a "before" state (limitation, frustration, the status quo) and an "after" state (breakthrough, awakening, new reality). Magician brands position themselves as the catalyst and guide that makes transformation possible.
Content Optimization Strategies for Magician Brands
Headlines That Hint at Hidden Knowledge
Edit functional headlines into invitations. Tell your customer how they’ll change rather than what you offer.
Instead of: "5 Ways to Improve Marketing ROI" Try: "The Hidden Lever That Will Transform Your Marketing Costs into Revenue Engines"
Instead of: "New Feature Updates Available" Try: "Unlock New Capabilities You Didn’t Think Possible"
Storytelling That Emphasizes Metamorphosis
Structure your content around transformation narratives. Share customer stories that sound less like case studies and more like breakthroughs. Focus on the moment of realization, the "aha" that changed everything.
Educational Content as Revelation
Position your expertise not as tips and tricks, but as insider knowledge. Frame your content as revealing secrets, sharing insights, or offering access to new methods.
Testimonials as Revolution
Collect and showcase testimonials that emphasize a true conversion rather than just a set of functional benefits. Look for language like "completely changed how I think about..." or "opened up possibilities I never imagined."
How to Prompt AI Tools for Magician-Brand Content
When working with AI to generate content for Magician brands, your prompts need to embed the archetype's core values and communication patterns.
Setting the Archetype Context
Always begin by establishing your brand archetype using a Brand Gravity+AI guide or at least with a focused prompt. Example:
"You're writing for a Magician brand archetype. This brand relies on perception, intuition, ingenuity, and the ability to make dreams reality so that people feel awakened and transformed. The core motivation is transformation, and the brand promise is making the impossible possible."
Transformation-Focused Prompts
Write your requests as journeys of change.
"Write a blog post that takes readers from [current limitation] to [transformed possibility]. Position our [product/service] as the catalyst that makes this transformation inevitable. Use language that suggests awakening, unlocking, and revealing hidden potential."
Language Guidelines for AI
If you’re a Magician brand, create a small library of specific vocabulary and include them in your instructions.
"Use transformational verbs like transform, unlock, reveal, manifest, awaken, transcend rather than basic verbs like help, improve, or assist. Frame benefits as breakthroughs rather than incremental improvements. Create a sense of accessing hidden knowledge or exclusive insights."
Structural Prompts for Magician Content
"Structure this content as a revelation—start with a limiting belief or common assumption, then reveal the transformational insight that changes everything. End with the new possibility that becomes available once this transformation occurs."
Tone and Voice Specifications
"Write with confident authority mixed with a sense of wonder. The tone should feel aspirational and visionary without being pretentious. Create anticipation and build toward 'aha' moments. Make extraordinary outcomes feel inevitable rather than impossible."
Advanced AI Prompting Techniques
The Transformation Template Prompt
"Using the Magician brand archetype, write [content type] that follows this structure: 1) Current reality/limitation that people accept, 2) The hidden insight/product/service that changes everything, 3) The transformation process, 4) The new (and much better) reality that becomes possible. Use language that suggests awakening and unlocking potential."
The Before/After Narrative Prompt
"Create content that showcases a dramatic before/after transformation. The 'before' should feel relatable but limiting. The 'after' should feel almost magical but credible. Position our brand as the catalyst that makes this transformation inevitable."
The Secret Knowledge Prompt
"Write as if you're sharing insider knowledge that most people don't have access to. Create content that feels like revealing a secret or breakthrough insight that changes how readers think about [topic]. Use the Magician archetype's emphasis on perception and intuition."
Measuring Magician Brand Content Success
Yes, traditional metrics still matter, but Magician brands should also keep track of stories from customers about change and renewal.
Transformation language in user feedback and testimonials
Breakthrough moments mentioned in customer communications
Shift in perception reflected in brand sentiment analysis
Elevated aspirations in audience engagement patterns
Take Advantage
In a crowded content landscape, Magician brands have an advantage: they promise not just a product or information or entertainment, but transformation itself. When optimized correctly, Magician brand content doesn't just inform or persuade—it awakens possibilities about how audiences see themselves and their potential.
The key is consistency in applying the archetype's core principles across every piece of content, from social media posts to comprehensive campaigns. Every touchpoint should reinforce the brand's transformational promise and leave audiences feeling that extraordinary outcomes are not just possible, but inevitable.
But maybe your brand isn’t Magician. Brand Gravity can help define your core archetype.
Examples of Magician Brands
Consider the promise from brands like Dyson, Pixar, or TED (indeed, TED’s tagline is “ideas change everything). You have the potential to come away from interactions with these brands with a different view of the world and its possibilities. And your own.
Midjourney as a Magician Brand
Core Promise: Midjourney describes itself as "an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species" - this is classic Magician language about expanding human potential and consciousness.
Making the Impossible Possible: Midjourney generates images from natural language, allowing anyone to conjure visual art from words. This is the literal manifestation of "making dreams reality.” Users often describe the experience of using Midjourney as mind-expanding - seeing their thoughts materialize visually.
Transformational Impact: The platform transforms ordinary people into visual creators without requiring traditional artistic skills. With Midjourney AI, brand teams can generate stunning, on-brand images from simple text prompts without requiring design skills or knowledge - it democratizes artistic creation in an almost magical way.
Mystical and Otherworldly Quality: Early demos of V1's videos look somewhat otherworldly, rather than hyperrealistic - this aligns perfectly with the Magician's tendency toward turning the mystical and enchanting, rather than just the purely practical, into a marketing advantage.
Midjourney embodies the Magician archetype beautifully by literally enabling the transformation of imagination into visual reality, positioning itself as expanding human consciousness and creative potential, and maintaining an air of wonder around the creative process.
Real Life AI Example Using Claude Sonnet 4
Prompt: Rewrite this About Us statement in the voice of a Magician brand. (Of course including your entire brand guide as context before having AI write your About Us would be a good idea.)
BEFORE
So who are we?
We are a third-generation, family-owned business focused on quality, integrity, and innovation. We are all about our people and treating our customers right!
We are dedicated to environmental responsibility, offering a full range of recyclable and compostable products , and employing technologies that reduce waste and energy consumption.
We are proud to offer an extensive line of products made in the USA, many of which we produce ourselves in our Portland facility.
If you have questions on any of our products, or are looking for a quote on a custom project please reach out to us over the phone.
AFTER
Who are we?
We’re a third-generation, family-owned packaging company that sees potential where others see problems.
For 60 years, we've reimagined what packaging can do—transforming it from a necessary expense into a strategic advantage that elevates your brand.
In our Portland facility, we've perfected the art of making complex packaging challenges simple. Our team combines expertise with innovative technologies to create solutions that solve problems you didn't even know you had.
When you choose products made in the USA—many crafted right here in our facility—you're not just buying packaging. You're investing in partnership with people who understand that the right packaging doesn't just protect your product—it changes how customers experience your brand.
Have a packaging challenge that seems impossible? Let's talk. We specialize in turning "that can't be done" into "here's how we did it."
Let’s Get to Work
As you can see, simply identifying a brand archetype for the AI made the copy much more engaging. Let us know if we can help.
