It’s taken a couple of years for Droga5 Dublin to come up with this new campaign for Smyths Toys after winning the account from McCann Manchester in early 2024.
The result is the story of a catalogue that comes to life and is cutely reimagined as a child’s lovable best friend, made entirely from toys. Smyth’s new character doesn’t seem to have been given a name but the idea is for it to be a long-term asset for the brand.
Sinead Byrne, joint European marketing director, said: “The campaign celebrates the pure magic a child feels when the catalogue arrives, from the memories made browsing the pages to building the ultimate human wish list. Hungryman and GABHA Studios brought this vision to life brilliantly.”
Jen Speirs, CCO at Droga5 Dublin, said: “Kids treat the Smyths Toys catalogue like their best friend for a few months of the year. So we thought why not make it into an actual best friend? Our toy-ful, joyful new character is something we’ll keep coming back to, building a whole Smyths Toys world for years to come.”
Galway-based Smyths is growing fast in the UK and Europe, operating 311 stores in big out of town retail sites that include lots of former Toys R Us stores. The campaign will run across eight countries in all the usual channels, based around key retail moments like Black Friday and Christmas.
A touch of the classic John Lewis about this new character. Only the stripped-back cover version of a well-known song is missing.
MAA creative scale: 7
