This ad for Allen’s lollies is one of
the best things from JWT Sydney
for a while. In a captivating piece
of video a 9m marionette is
dragged around the streets of
Brisbane as a delighted child looks
on. A crowd gathers to check out
the enormous doll, which then
raises its arm to blow out coloured
bubbles. These float around the air
until they burst and turn into
lollies which drop into the crowd
below. All of this with a backing
track of This Old Man (nick-nack
paddywack give a dog a bone).
While this may sound a little twee,
and it probably is, it hits a sweet
spot (excuse the pun) as the
“Makes smiles” tag line appears.
Where computer effects could so
easily have been used, Allen’s and
JWT created a real doll, and it
makes all the difference to the
impact of the ad. The giant doll is a
theme that could have real impact
for the brand going forward.
