Smarties _
The candy that’s never candy-coated
To celebrate Smarties’ 71st birthday, our brief tasked us with reinvigorating a heritage brand, albeit one without a strong presence.
To remind the world that Smarties is not, and will never be candy coated, we collaborated with Spanish illustrator, Joan Cornellà, and crafted a campaign that delivers some delicious truth. Because Smarties is the candy that calls it like we see it; we’re the candy that never candy coats it.
Nobody calls it like they see it quite like a New Yorker. So we kicked off the campaign by plastering the NYC Subway, a place that’s world-famous for being no-nonsense.
01 _
Take a load off
Waiting around in the subway stinks. It’s hot. It’s uncomfortable. So we installed pop-up ‘Uncoated Couches’ and invited commuters to sit down, enjoy a roll of Smarties, and vent about a variety of topics: the weather, their jerk of a boss, or even their mother-in-law’s meatloaf.
02 _
Smart Ass Speaker
We added a ‘Smarties’ skill for Alexa to learn.
Now, before you head out for your morning commute, get the ‘Smart Ass Update’ — a 90-second blip of traffic, weather, and local news completely devoid of any sugar-coating.
03 _
Answer bots
You don’t have time to deal with bots from Russia blowing up your phone.
So we’re tapping the makers of RoboKiller to develop Smarties answer bots that can answer unwanted calls and handle all the nonsense for you.
And just like us, they’ll never candy coat it.
04 _
Say it with less sugar
We’re partnering with Google to add an “uncoat it” option to Google Translate.
Not sure how to reply to that stranger in the subway station. Google Translate x Smarties, we’ve got you.
05 _
Piñatas for stressed-out people
Frustrating day at the office? Ticked off from traffic? Now you can relieve a little stress, and enjoy some non-candy coated fun with a Smarties piñata.
Folks in NYC can tag us in a tweet, telling the world why they want to smash something, and we’ll same-day ship you the sweet stress relief you need.
06 _
Smarties x Action Bronson
We partnering with the notoriously unapologetic, Queens native, Action Bronson, to add a ‘Don’t Candy Coat It’ segment to his web series ‘F*ck That’s Delicious’ .
The candy that’s never candy-coated
CW _ Ben Ward AD _ Andrew Brown