The New York-based startup aims to filter content and tailor it to according to your personality and gender.
Archetypes Inc is an online discovery and commerce platform that serves tailored content and products, based on user’s “archetype” and gender. This could be anything from “creative”, “visionary” or “rebel” based on the site’s test.
Mission
The two-year old New York-based startup aims to help people “make better choices in their lives” by filtering through the content overload on the web, and allow them to “curate the world around them through the universal language of archetype.”
The proposition is based on three “Cs”: Curation; content and commerce. It makes money through affiliates and advertising.
Archetypes launched its beta site, ArchetypeMe, seven months ago and while registered users numbers are under wraps at this stage, the site received about 950,000 visits since its launch at the end of 2012, which is 120% ahead of its projections.
Co-founder and CEO Michael Mendenhall has held top marketing roles at HP and Disney, so he has made communications a valued component of the startup from the off.
Eunice Byun, vice-president of business development, marketing and PR was Archetype’s second hire, joining two years ago. She says while everyone wears different hats at the startup and communication responsibilities are shared, two people work solely on communications.
Archetypes hired Bite Communications in May last year. “We are always telling our story within our own network, but being in New York means there are lots of conversations taking place around the world and digital influencers in Valley that the agency can help us connect with,” said Byun.
The cornerstone of Archetype’s communications strategy is social media, which relies on the site’s network of users to promote and recommend content.
Archetypes also focuses on influencer marketing as a way of telling its story, for both businesses and consumers, using the startups network of contacts. As part of this, CBS This Morning’s Lee Woodruff is making a webisode series in partnership with Archetypes.
Archetypes has attracted wide coverage in the technology press and was recently named one of Time’s top 10 New York startups to watch
Future
One of the main challenges Archetypes has faced is keeping people up to date with the rapid developments of the site, but it plans to
continue with its current strategy and amplify its media relations, while also expanding
its influencer program. The launch of a new version of the site is planned for
the end of the summer.
