EXCHANGE PROJECT

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What is the main purpose of this tool?

The main purpose of the Circle of Things is to organise and

understand the things that we make, based on our ideas. It will help us to see the different types of things that our ideas can turn into, and how they relate to the brand and its participants.

Where in the process should this tool be used?

The Circle of Things is relatively versatile, and can be used in several parts of the process. The most obvious place to use this tool is in the Make part. Here it is a tool that can be used to arrange all the things that have been made for a brand (or a specific campaign idea or initiative for a brand). It is a good way of presenting examples or case histories of our work, our competitors, or just interesting brands.

It can also be used during the Collision part of the process. At the start of the collision The Circle of Things can be used as a prompt to help people think about the different types of thing that it is possible to make. Later on in the Collision part, once ideas for things start to emerge, The Circle of Things can be used to collect and organise the variety of ideas and things that appear.

The Circle of Things is an important tool for the agency because it will help us understand all the different types of things that can be made for a brand to help connect with participants. In particular it will help us understand the non-traditional things that we should perhaps be doing more of. It is also a useful tool for conversations with clients about great case histories and the things that we make together for our brands.

How does this tool work?

The Circle of Things is a circle that describes the relationship between a brand, its participants and our ideas. Inside the circle there are spaces which allow us to organise different things around a central idea. The spaces within the circle represent different types of things.

These spaces are arranged according to how much influence the brand has, how much influence the participants have, or where the brand and participants meet on equal terms.

How to use this tool?

The left hand side of the circle is the brand side. This is the side where the brand has the most influence over the things that are made.

For example this is where things like advertising or PR messages exist. Messages which are completely controlled by the brand and transmitted (in broadcast, narrowcast, or however might be chosen) to the participants.

The right hand side is the participant side. This is the side where the

Circle of Things

participants have most influence over the things that are made. For example user-generated films that include brands like the famous Mentos and Coke experiments. Here the brand has no control over the content or distribution of things.

There is a further dimension to help understand the different types of things. The spaces around the top of the circle are more real world things, like products or events. The spaces around the bottom of the circle are more virtual world things, like websites or on-line discussion forums. But remember all the things are very likely to interact with each other, and the different spaces are just there to help understand the different types of things.

Below are some short descriptions of the spaces inside the circle. Starting with Idea in the middle, then out to Transmission and moving clockwise…

Idea

This is where you write the central idea. This can be a brand idea or a campaign idea. This idea will be the inspiration for all of the things collected in the circle.

Transmission

The things that are completely controlled by the brand and simply transmitted to participants on the brand’s terms. This would include things like advertising, PR, or an email campaign.

Product

The tangible things that the brand creates based on the idea, but are created to be used by participants.

This might be as simple as a branded keyring, or pen, or maybe a full scale product like The Kit Kat Chair.

Activation

The things that are largely off-line experience based, designed by the brand, but experienced by participants in their life. This might be simple retail promotion, or as grand as the Red Bull Air Race.

Action

The things that are led by

participants but with some influence from the brand. This might be party organisers for mother and baby products, or using sports stars as

part of sponsorship deals.

User-generated

The things that are entirely

controlled by the participants. This might be content created and posted on YouTube, or even new uses for brands like Coke and Mentos.

Word of mouth

The things that are primarily virtual and participant generated, but may have some influence from the brand. This might be a blogger outreach programme or more conventional word of mouth seeded with opinion formers.

Dialogue

The things in the virtual world where the brand and participants can interact on equal terms. This might be a LinkedIn discussion forum, or perhaps a brand like Smirnoff that uses facebook as a live hub for its on-line presence.

Interaction

The on-line things that are

primarily influenced by the brand.

This might be a website where the content is brand generated, but is used as participants wish, or an app that the brand creates and is downloaded by participants.

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types of things, and you should feel free to move things around in a way that makes sense. Even the discussion about where things should be placed will be a useful exercise.

If you want to add another layer to the discussion you can begin to talk about which of the spaces is the most important for your brand, or the campaign under discussion

Example of a Circle of Things

Here is an example from the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project. Not all Circles of Things will be so full.

MORE REAL

FIG. 44: SMIRNOFF NIGHTLIFE EXCHANGE PROJECT

Circle of Things

NOTES

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In document JWT Planning Tools Book (Page 137-143)