5 business archetypes to take note of [pt 4]: the archaeologist

In the fourth of her series of articles on business archetypes everyone needs to start paying attention to over the next few years, Megan Bernstein looks at the “archaeologist”. As holistic branding agency ITI notes, the archaeologist is pretty much the antithesis to the kind of tech-obsessed kind of person that increasingly populates contemporary businesses. That doesn’t make them dinosaurs though: their knowledge of things that worked in the past means they can help adapt them for use in the future.

We live in a world where everything is about the now. The new. Latest and greatest. Instant gratification. That’s why the fourth archetype in this series is so interesting. And refreshing.

Old is the new new
The archaeologist is a growing group of people who are more interested in our history than our future. They are the ones bringing the old into the new. The rise of vintage clothing and old school dress styles, Lomo cameras and an increasing focus on the shift away from the practical to the conceptual.

In terms of business and brands, it’s important to remember when dealing with the archaeologist that they value the past and appreciate ways to re-purpose history.

The film Beasts of the Southern Wild is an example of the kind of content that appeals and intrigues the archaeologist. Check out the trailer.

The archaeologist is business
From a brand and a business perspective appealing to this archetype means not always having to push for the new. For them it’s more about telling stories to show and make connections to the past.

In a business setting it’s key to acknowledge the past and the way things used to be done when dealing with the archaeologist – and surprisingly more often than not the past brings a new set of solutions to our new age problems.

Typical archaeologist behaviour
A great example of an the archaeologist behaviour was in a recent team session where we were discussing the best way to make sure all our projects are on track. We have explored numerous project management systems, all with fancy new apps drawing on social media and the concept of social business. All using new technology complicated tracking models and integrated IT systems.

When we started talking about the effectiveness of this helping everyone in the office keep up to date with what’s happening on certain projects and how helpful these tool are, the archaeologist in our team piped up “Although the project management tools are great I really feel that a simple 8:30 meeting every day with everyone around the table would solve a lot of confusion”. Silence.

And after that, old fashioned daily morning meetings were back on the agenda. Often this archetype values the simple ways of doing things. And most of the time, they work!

Image: Odense Bys Museer (via Flickr).