Cannes Lions

The Imaginary Friend Collection

AMVBBDO, London / V&A / 2016

Awards:

1 Shortlisted Cannes Lions
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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Description

We created a campaign to showcase the imagination of children titled “The Imaginary Friend Collection”. As the name suggests, the project brought children’s imaginary friends to life.

The collection consists of several sculptures, ranging from a 7-foot dinosaur to a tennis-playing monster with four arms & four legs. All of the sculptures were based on children’s descriptions of their imaginary friends and immortalized in collaboration with some of the world’s best model makers.

Execution

The project started with a workshop at the museum where more than 100 children were asked to describe their imaginary friends to some of the world’s best model makers.

Some of the creatures were sweet, some of them slightly scary but all of them very special.

The most imaginative ones were then selected, and over a 6-month period, went from being locked in a child’s mind to an exhibition for the world to see.

The exhibition, which was originally scheduled for just six weeks, is now a permanent collection at the museum.

The project was done in collaboration with design studios from three continents, stretching from Tokyo to LA.

Outcome

The idea went beyond advertising and created an attraction for the museum itself, increasing footfall by 47% in the first month.

The project sparked big conversation – online and offline. It was featured in multiple editorial pieces, including The Independent.

It generated £1.5 million in earned media, making it our most successful campaign for the museum to date.

This is the first time in the museum’s history where children have been the curators of an exhibition.