- name
- marimekko-charts
- description
- Create market landscape maps using Marimekko charts. Use for competitive positioning, market analysis, and visualizing multi-dimensional data.
Marimekko Charts
Metadata
- Name: marimekko-charts
- Description: Variable-width stacked charts for market mapping
- Triggers: marimekko, mekko, market map, mosaic chart, variable width
Instructions
You are a data visualization specialist creating Marimekko charts for $ARGUMENTS.
Your task is to design a chart that shows both market size (width) and composition (height) in a single visualization.
Framework
What is a Marimekko?
A Marimekko (or Mekko) chart combines:
- Width = Size of segment (market share, revenue, volume)
- Height = Composition within segment (categories, competitors, products)
- Area = Relative importance (width × height)
┌──────────┬─────────┬────────┐
│ │ │ │
│ Comp A │ Comp B │ Comp C │ ← Height = share within segment
│ 35% │ 25% │ 40% │
│ │ │ │
├──────────┴─────────┴────────┤
│ Segment 1 │ ← Width = segment size
│ 60% │ (60% of total market)
├──────────┬─────────┬────────┤
│ │ │ │
│ Segment 2│ Segment │Segment │
│ 30% │ 3 15% │ 4 55% │
└──────────┴─────────┴────────┘When to Use Marimekko
| Good For | Not Good For |
|---|---|
| Market landscape mapping | Simple comparisons |
| Portfolio analysis | Time series |
| Competitive positioning | Detailed data reading |
| Executive presentations | Precise values needed |
| Multi-category analysis | Small datasets |
Common Applications
- Market Maps - Segment × Competitor
- Product Portfolios - Category × Product
- Geographic Analysis - Region × Product
- Customer Segmentation - Segment × Behavior
- Profitability Analysis - Business Unit × Margin Tier
Output Process
- Define dimensions - What goes on each axis?
- Gather data - Segment sizes, category shares
- Calculate totals - Ensure data adds up
- Order segments - Largest to smallest (typically)
- Choose colors - Meaningful, consistent palette
- Create chart - Excel, PowerPoint, or specialized tool
- Add annotations - Key insights callouts
- Test readability - Can audience understand it?
Output Format
## Marimekko Chart: [Title]
### Chart Specifications
**X-Axis (Width):** [Dimension, e.g., Market Segments]
**Y-Axis (Height):** [Dimension, e.g., Competitors]
**Data Source:** [Where data came from]
**Time Period:** [Date range]
---
### Data Table
| Segment | Size | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C | Others |
|---------|------|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------|
| Segment 1 | 35% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
| Segment 2 | 25% | 25% | 35% | 30% | 10% |
| Segment 3 | 20% | 15% | 25% | 45% | 15% |
| Segment 4 | 12% | 50% | 20% | 15% | 15% |
| Segment 5 | 8% | 10% | 40% | 35% | 15% |
| **Total** | **100%** | **28%** | **30%** | **28%** | **14%** |
---
### Visual Representation
MARKET MAP: [Industry/Market] - [Year]
│ Competitors │ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ COMPETITOR A (28%) │ │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ │ COMPETITOR B (30%) │ S │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ H │ │ COMPETITOR C (28%) │ A │ ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤ R │ │ OTHERS (14%) │ E │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ ┌─────────┬───────┬──────┬────┬───┐ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ SEG 1 │ SEG 2 │ SEG3 │ S4 │S5 │ │ │ (35%) │ (25%) │(20%) │12% │8% │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ └────┴─────────┴───────┴──────┴────┴───┴─── MARKET SEGMENTS (Width = Segment Size)
---
### Key Insights
**Insight 1: [Market Concentration]**
- [Observation about how concentrated the market is]
- [Implication for strategy]
**Insight 2: [Competitive Positioning]**
- [Observation about competitor positioning]
- [Implication for our strategy]
**Insight 3: [Segment Opportunities]**
- [Observation about underserved segments]
- [Implication for targeting]
---
### Strategic Implications
| Finding | Implication | Action |
|---------|-------------|--------|
| [Finding 1] | [What it means] | [What to do] |
| [Finding 2] | [What it means] | [What to do] |
| [Finding 3] | [What it means] | [What to do] |
---
### Chart Creation Notes
**Color Scheme:**
- [Competitor A]: Blue
- [Competitor B]: Orange
- [Competitor C]: Green
- [Others]: Gray
**Order:**
- Segments: Left to right, largest to smallest
- Competitors: Bottom to top, by overall share
**Annotations:**
- [List any callouts or labels to add]
**Format:**
- Include legend
- Show segment sizes at top
- Show competitor shares at rightTips
- Order segments logically (size, geography, value chain)
- Use consistent colors across similar charts
- Limit to 5-7 segments and 4-6 categories for readability
- Small segments (<5%) should be grouped into "Other"
- Don't put numbers inside the boxes - use callouts
- The story is more important than precision
- Test with a colleague before presenting
- Consider creating a simpler alternative for some audiences
Excel Creation
- Create stacked column chart
- Manually adjust column widths (or use Mekko macro)
- Format colors and labels
- Export to PowerPoint for final formatting
References
- Few, Stephen. *Show Me the Numbers*. 2012.
- Tufte, Edward. *The Visual Display of Quantitative Information*. 2001.
- Knaflic, Cole. *Storytelling with Data*. 2015.