Smyths Toys Superstores Seeks Out The Scent of Christmas Magic

Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, is proud to unveil its highly anticipated Christmas 2025 campaign for Smyths Toys Superstores - Europe’s leading toy retailer.

Building on the success of last year’s Christmas campaign - an Effie Awards finalist and top YouTube performer in the UK - this year, the brand extends its reach in newer European markets France, Germany and the Netherlands, where it is currently growing its store footprint.

The campaign introduces audiences to Sam and his sniffer dog, Scout, in a cheeky story about festive anticipation. Sam tries to uncover what’s wrapped under the tree, Scout leads the way - sniffing through the house and the Smyths catalogue - until the scent leads them to a Smyths Toys Superstore, where Sam discovers what he’s getting for Christmas.

Launching across seven European markets (Ireland, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, and Switzerland), the campaign rolls out as 30-second and 40-second films across TV, social, and digital channels. On social, Scout takes centre stage - warning parents about kids’ new “sniffing trick” and taking on his new role as the world’s first dog toy reviewer, rating the Top Toys at Smyths Toys.

“The most interesting part of this brief was taking a brand we know so well and presenting it to French, German and Dutch audiences, where it doesn’t have the same heritage or emotional connection. We wanted to avoid the usual sugar-coated Christmas campaign, so we created in a bit of mischief instead - it’s fresher, cheekier, and a lot more fun!” said Alex Ingarfield and Carina Caye, Creative Directors at Droga5 Dublin.

“We challenged Droga5 to create a campaign that would resonate with parents and kids across all our markets. Our goal this year is to continue building brand awareness in our emerging markets — France, Germany and the Netherlands — and we believe our curious boy Sam and his loyal friend Scout will help us do just that. The ad is warm, fun and full of curiosity, perfectly capturing the joy of trying to guess what’s waiting under the tree this Christmas.” Sinead Byrne, European Marketing Director, Smyths Toys Superstores.

CREDITS:

Client – Smyths Toys Superstores

Joint European Marketing Directors – Sinead Byrne & Martina Ruane

Senior Marketing Executive – Christian Walsh

Agency – Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song

Chief Creative Officer – Jen Speirs

Creative Directors – Alex Ingarfield & Carina Caye

Copywriter – Niamh Aremband

Art Director – Lucas Oliveira

Chief Strategy Officer – Emma Sharkey

Strategist – Julie Murray

Executive Group Account Director – James Moore

Senior Account Director – David Curran

Account Executive – Smit Karmarkar

Head of Production – Jessica Bermingham

Producer – Siobhan Coakley

Senior Producer – Aisling O’Dwyer

Production Company – Ponder

Director – Brian Durnin

Executive Producer – Paul Holmes

Production Co Ordinator - Treasa O’Friel

DOP – Ignas Laugalis

Production Designer – Susie Cullen

Stylist – Sinead Lawlor

1st AD –  Ciara McIlraith

Editing – Mustard

Editor – Rob Hegarty

Edit Producer - Laura Greally

Post Production & VFX – Gabha Studios

Dafydd Upsdell - Executive Producer

Julie Nixon - VFX Producer

VFX Supervisor - Jonas McQuiggin

VFX Lead - Stephen Pepper

Comp Artist - Daniel Morris & Jonas McQuiggin

CG - Wayde Duncan-Smith

Colourist – Andrew Francis

Sound – Folding Waves

Sound Design & Mix – Simon Bird

Music composition – Blackbook Music