Brand mascots are a dime a dozen. From Disney's globally known Mickey Mouse to the long-forgotten 1950s Dunkie of Dunkin' Donuts fame, we have long been inundated by a rogues gallery of icons that help steer a company's public image. Each one tells a very different story, but on the whole, they typically exist for one sole purpose: to sell an idea - or to literally sell donuts.
Nowadays, things work a bit differently. The prominence of digital spaces and online platforms, most notably Instagram and YouTube, have helped reshape the way companies approach their marketing. While it does very much depend on the product in question, for the most part, it's far easier to shell out just a bit of capital to a content creator or social media influencer to get the word going on your budding product (or brand).
But Superplastic has decided to flip the script...and burn it entirely. Instead of bringing brands to creators, the firm has opted instead to develop the very icons we used to know and love itself. These in-house so-called animated celebrities become the aforementioned creator. Through them, brands from the likes of Gucci to the Gorillaz, can amplify their voice while ensuring fans and newcomers alike can experience their individual story in a whole new way.
The firm's own Chief Creative Officer, Galen McKamy, explains it best to me in a recent interview: "Superplastic is a character-based IP company that's rooted in storytelling across new media landscapes [that's] utilizing technology to go to where the fans are."
The entertainment brand, which was first conceived back in 2017, isn't out to sell anything in particular, other than creativity and ingenuity. It's not so much about selling an idea as it is about selling a lifestyle. McKamy describes it as a journey, one wherein Superplastic has set out to answer the question, "What can the synthetic influencer do that a real-world influencer can't?"
All creations happen in-house, with Superplastic leveraging a full writer's room in tandem with an internal art and character design team, on top of an additional twenty animators with backgrounds from Disney to Pixar. McKamy explained that writers and character designers are switched out across projects on occasion for more organic storytelling, allowing their creativity to flourish while keeping each universe as fresh as possible.
Look no further than the firm's more recent brand collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, one of the most well-known automobile manufacturers on the planet. Through a well-optimized partnership, and the introduction of a lovable pup by the name of Superdackel, Superplastic successfully helped draw eyes onto one of the German car brand's newest entries, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
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An influencer event was held in Manhattan to commemorate the collab, which included a massive bust of the newest Superplastic celebrity, Superdackel, smack dab next to Mercedes' brand-new luxury car. The E-Class was wrapped in a Superplastic livery that gave it that additional spunk and chic only it can deliver.
Superdackel itself is derived from a very long history, dating back to the 1960s, when German car owners, specifically Mercedes drivers, put a very loveable bobblehead by the name of Wackeldackel on dashes and rear decks. The nodding dachshund has returned in the form of an interesting digital icon, one that may well outlive some of the world's top creators today. It's this, that moment of clarity, a split second in time that lifts a brand into the stratosphere - that's what Superplastic is all about, and it's only going to get trippier as time drags on.
One of its characters, Guggimon, alone has a massive following. On Instagram, this synthetic influencer wields an impressive 1.4 million followers and another 21,000 across Twitter and Facebook. In its social bio, the "creator" lists its Management as "@Superplastic," an almost on-the-nose meta joke that makes the whole premise behind Superplastic feel so different, lively, and next-level. Guggimon fans can show their appreciation and love for the character through a variety of Superplastic vinyl toys (which McKamy aptly calls the best in the world), produced through carbon-negative means.
The firm leveraged several verified carbon unit retirements (VCUs) via partners like Carbon Capture and Southpole to eliminate as much CO2 from its manufacturing as possible. According to its website, Superplastic has already offset as much as 7,648 tons of CO2. It's not only one of the most creative companies on the block, but it's also one of the most environmentally conscious, as well.
And, interestingly, tech-forward. McKamy tells me, "We're very connected to the tech community." Superplastic aims to leverage technology in a way that makes it fun and unique - or, as McKamy says, to "de-techify it." This isn't your average entertainment brand, it's one that doesn't hold back on being true to its own identity.
This very tech-focused ideal is reaffirmed in a more detailed description McKamy gives on what the Synthetic Influencer truly is:
"'Synthetic' kind of hits the juxtaposition of what they really are. They're animated, they're not real in terms of living, breathing, but they carry this real story and emotion and power to them that's almost like an amplified self." McKamy later adds, "It's a tool to bend reality."
Injected with $20 million from the likes of Amazon this past February, Superplastic will soon take those very same synthetic influencers to even more incredible places. Namely, it's currently working on a project geared toward television, featuring the beloved characters of Guggimon and Janky. Additional interactive story-focused and IRL content is in development, but it's still hush-hush at the moment. You'll have to wait and see what's in store for fans, but from the looks of its present, Superplastic's future seems brighter than ever.
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