Easy to use. Affordable. Accessible. Friendly. Simple.

Universal (sometimes called Everyman) brands are everywhere.

The hallmark of the Universal brand is its ability to serve a lot of different people. Not just the rich and powerful, or just the surfer dudes of California, or just the highly educated masses of academics, but average people living their lives and doing their jobs.

Welcoming and accessible, Universal brands are the opposite of intimidating or exclusive. They promise friendly, helpful service and an easy-to-use or DIY aspect to their product or service that makes any experience with them simple and straightforward.

The only problem with a Universal brand is that it can become… a bland brand. Or just a “bland”, as we call it at BrandPsyche headquarters. A Universal brand has a tendency to dissolve into a “bland” more than any other archetype because it seeks to help the most people. This means that when something isn’t working, the Universal brand often reacts by watering down and expanding the reach of its product or service in an attempt to make it more accessible.

Is this wallpaper pattern too loud? Make it beige. Is this product outside people’s price points? Find ways to cut costs and make it cheaper for them. What about when people want this thing too? Find a way to help with that.

Because of this, Universal brands can become cumbersome (we started by selling umbrellas and now we have 10 different departments and are expanding into fresh produce). Often starting off with a clear vision, Universal brands can also begin to slip from offering something that helps people a lot, to expanding in a way that helps more people but in a less impactful way, to landing on something that isn’t really for anyone in particular. Such is the trap of the Universal.

In branding, we can easily dismiss a Universal brand as a “bland” right off the bat. However, this does the Universal archetype a great injustice, because every Universal brand has an opportunity to be incredible.

So how do you make your Universal brand incredible?

At BrandPsyche, we combine two of our core 12 leading archetypes into a new, more nuanced archetype (often with a third lingering in the background to add some spice). Through this process of combination, we transform a two-dimensional concept (core archetype) into a living and breathing brand that is unique from any other. Even though Universal “blands” are usually used as examples of “non-brands”, the truth is that any of the 12 core archetypes, when standing alone, are not very interesting. When paired with another archetype, they become something special.

Today, we’ll explore three highly successful Universal brands that are doing it well because they incorporate a powerful second archetype. If your current brand has a strong Universal component, I hope this will give you some inspiration on how to add some serious flavour to what you’re already doing well.

Case Study 1: IKEA

IKEA is perhaps one of the most successful Universal brands out there. From catering to smaller budgets, staging family rooms so you can see their furniture and art in action, to a DIY component that allows you to take the products home to build, rather than paying movers to do it for you, IKEA is Universal to the core. Even the small details (the measuring tapes located along the pathway, the warehouse sorting system, the cheap hotdogs) make the IKEA experience simple. Buying furniture and freshening up your space can be a baffling and expensive experience, and IKEA makes it easy and fun. To boot, it doesn’t break the bank.

All of this said, IKEA is not the first furniture store to do these things – it just does them very well by adding a secret ingredient. Walking through its winding passageways, you feel excited to see what’s around the corner in a way that you don’t in other furniture stores. Their seasonal magazine, now online, shares beautiful images of all the new upcoming furniture that looks far fancier than the price tag implies. In essence, IKEA has a very not-Universal characteristic in its brand, an ingredient that keeps people coming back: Creativity.

IKEA serves to inspire. As you meander through its vast spaces, you don’t feel like you’re in a warehouse. Instead, you are standing in your potential kitchen or living room. You imagine what this art would look like on your walls, and how this side table would fit into your space. Is this me? You ask yourself.

It is hard to bring creativity and elegance within reach to the everyday human, but IKEA has done it with its strong Creator archetype presence. Its look is modern, elegant, and timeless. Its collections are not random, but carefully curated. In the same space you’ll find a lovely, minimalist vase featured next to a lighting fixture that looks like it belongs in a futuristic art gallery. IKEA products go together, so it’s pretty easy to mix and match and still end up with a living space that feels fresh and homey. Somehow, despite the fact that we all seem to have IKEA pieces in our homes, there is enough variability that you still feel like your space is expressing “you”.

If IKEA was a pure Universal brand, it would likely stick with furniture built for pragmatism, not for aesthetic. It wouldn’t take a lot of risks, instead focusing on a bottom line. IKEA’s materials are already cheap, but they would be cheaper and less interesting. In essence, without that creative spice, IKEA wouldn’t be the kind of place you would go to get ideas and create a new look for your home - it would be a place to get a piece of furniture that works.

Case Study 2: Starbucks

Before Starbucks was around, buying coffee in North America meant paying a dollar for a styrofoam cup of Joe. Starbucks revolutionized the experience of drinking coffee. These days, we’re willing to pay quite a lot for both the coffee and the experience. Starbucks was the grandfather of the cafe experience, creating a desirable space to take a break, have a conversation with a friend, listen to music, and relax. Any coffee shop in your neighborhood has Starbucks to thank for setting a precedent.

Starbucks is a Universal brand through and through. Even though from the beginning its coffee was branded as “fancy” compared to the styrofoam cups of Joe, it wasn’t so out of the price range of ordinary people that it was extravagant. Expansion was always the goal for its founder Howard Schultz, and it didn’t take long for Starbucks locations to pop up all over the world. I personally worked at Starbucks as a barista when I graduated from high school (I liked the vibe), and when I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, I worked at a bustling Starbucks location on the Royal Mile. It felt like home in a place that sometimes felt foreign and overwhelming.

From the inside, Starbucks' Universal qualities are obvious. Part of their promise is to make every drink the same – when you order a vanilla latte or a mocha, it will be exactly what you expected. There is a system in place to ensure this happens, so that even with custom orders, consistency is achieved. Friendliness and some level of uniformity was important when I worked there as well. Starbucks definitely has a strong value system, they call their baristas “partners” in an (admittedly clumsy) attempt at equality, and they don’t veer into true luxury.

However, Starbucks is decidedly not a “bland”. Just like how IKEA infused their brand with creativity, Starbucks has infused their brand with intimacy. By leaning into their Intimate vibe, the Universal qualities in Starbucks are not so stark. Their spaces have warm colours, good smells, jazzy or soft music, and a cozy atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable. Your drink is made by someone you can see, in a tantalizing whirl of steam and espresso. Their logo remains feminine. Their coffee names are also revolutionary – with sizes in tall, grande, and venti rather than small, medium, and large, the intimate experience begins when you order your drink. Starbucks, despite being heavily Universal, doesn’t feel like it’s for everyone, and this is what has cemented its popularity for decades.

Case Study 3: Budgetbytes

I couldn’t write this article without spotlighting my beloved Budgetbytes. When I graduated from university, broke and thrust suddenly into adulthood, I decided it was time to leave the land of ramen and pizza pops behind for good. I wanted to learn how to cook, but I found that most websites with delicious recipes also featured ingredients that were expensive and hard to source. On top of that, they called for special equipment that I could neither afford nor store in my miniature apartment. What I really wanted was a list of recipes that were cost effective and straightforward, but delicious enough to curb my cravings and stop me from paying for expensive dinners out.

When my friend introduced me to Budgetbytes, my mind was blown. It was a goldmine of fairly healthy, easy recipes with typical prices included for meal planning. It was designed for the everyday person who has an interest in cooking but doesn’t want to invest in some obscure mustard they’ll never use again. Years later, I’ve memorized my favourite Budgetbytes recipes. Beth (the founder) not only offers recipes, but articles with tips on basic cooking implements to have on-hand and techniques that help you make just about anything you want, including fun shortcuts for recipes that can be complicated. Because of her, I gained immeasurable knowledge and confidence in the kitchen and saved a lot of money along the way.

Beth’s focus on DIY, simplicity, clarity, affordability, and friendliness makes Budgetbytes a proud and powerful Universal brand. What makes Budgetbytes extra special in this case is its Sage archetype component. Beth is honest and transparent in a Universal way, and also aims to teach and provide knowledge in a Sage way. Universal brands with a strong Sage component make for powerful teaching, instructing, and DIY brands because they provide you with tools and teach you how to use them. Not only that, they provide the kind of information you need to become independent. These days, without much thought, I simply invent recipes with the foundations I learned from Budgetbytes. With a quick glance around my almost-empty kitchen cupboards, I can say with confidence that yes, we have enough to make something work here.

Before I wrap up this article, it’s important to mention that no two brands can ever be alike. If by now you have recognized yourself as a Universal brand and suspect you also have a strong Creator component, for example, it doesn’t mean that you’re “like IKEA”. You may recognize some similarities, but concepts like “accessibility” and “creativity” can mean a myriad of different things for different industries and companies. Whatever these characteristics mean to you make your brand unique and full of possibility.

How can you intentionally design a brand from the core outwards that combines two fundamental characteristics?

We love working with brands one-on-one to uncover and combine your unique characteristics to create a confidence, intentional, and unique brand. Please contact us to learn more & book an initial consultation!

Brittany Veenhuysen is a writer and co-founder of BrandPsyche. With a BA in English and a philosophical lens, she uses strategic storytelling to connect entrepreneurial folk with people they love to serve.

How to do an “Everyman” Brand Right