Hasta La Ideas

New website Brand Toys uses market research data to visualise attitudes towards brands around the world: this little fella, for example, represents how Coca-Cola is seen in India

The site was created by JWT London and is the brainchild of worldwide planning director Guy Murphy and creative director Graham Wood. It works by taking data from Millward Brown’s BrandZ study, using its findings to attribute various characteristics to the final toy relating to attitudes towards the brand’s trustworthiness, familiarity and so on. Added to this is data from social media search engine Social Mention relating to how much online chatter there is surrounding the brand – if general sentiment around a brand is positive, for example, the toy will appear with a bright sun behind it (as with adidas, above). Negative sentiment results in dark clouds appearing, as with grumpy old BP here.

The toys have a different body shape according to their scores for familiarity and potential – the most familiar being represented by a big gorilla, as in the case of adidas, above.

Then the toy’s features are determined by further data, eg if there is a lot of chatter about it online, it will have big ears. Other qualities see the toy wearing various accessories: if it is ‘adventurous’ for example it will sport a trilby, if ‘straightforward’ it will have a collar and tie (play around in the ‘Build a Toy’ section to get a full list).

All the toys are created using the same principles so that users can compare how brands are perceived in different territories

Or they can compare competitor brands

Here’s Apple compared to Microsoft

Users can create their own toy and have it 3D printed as a real life figure using Sculpteo.

JWT are at pains to stress that the toys, though cute, are created using serious data and research so the site has its serious side. But it’s also a lot of fun to play with, especially as it can throw up some bizarre results.

Not sure how YSL would feel about being represented thusly, for example

While Abercrombie & Fitch, despite its painful attempts to create an air of cool preppie aspiration, comes out like this

And BMW looks like it just got back from the Love Parade (the hat signifies that it is ‘assertive’, the rosette ‘trustworthy’)

For anyone used to doing competitor research it’s got to be a lot more fun than staring at graphs and spreadsheets. Have a go here

Credits
Ad Agency: JWT
Global Director in Charge: Guy Murphy
Creative Director: Graham Wood
Art Director: Nik Finan
Creative Technologist: Nik Finan
Planner: Alastair Morton
Production: Unit9

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