Ads Review - How Trolli’s Extreme Creativity Makes A Mediocre Campaign Great

A few years ago, Trolli (the gummy worm company) launched an ad campaign. It’s still running on TV and on YouTube. But there are no calls-to-action. There are no product descriptions. There are no value propositions. So how is this campaign still running? Extreme creativity. 

Check out the ads from the campaign in this supercut, and then I’ll explain how extreme creativity can still make a dent in today’s saturated advertising world. 

The Concept

The concept is odd. Essentially, the Trolli gummy worms embark on a quest to be eaten by scary monsters, turning them into happy, colorful monsters. One at a time, the Trolli worms encounter genuinely scary monsters, and are gleefully eaten. It’s a bit odd to see these self-sacrificial worms jump headlong into the teeth of frightening beasts, but you simply can’t look away when it happens. 

The Execution

Trolli didn’t shy away from the creative approach here–they went all in with stop-motion, claymation, and miniature set design. The investment of money and time must have been huge, especially in comparison to a similar animated campaign. But the stop-motion has a distinct feel that doesn’t get lost in the noise, if only because everyone knows how painstaking the process is. I’m willing to bet that If Trolli went a more efficient route with the execution, this campaign wouldn’t still be running. 

The Genius

The genius behind this ad is that the only word that’s used is “Trolli.” The worms say the brand name before their self-sacrifice, and at the end the product is shown with a fun cartoon voice-over squeaking, “Trolli!” Trolli ran variations of these longer videos at 15-second ads, and 6-second ads. After seeing them a few times, the point comes across: Trolli transforms otherwise hideous beasts into beautiful, colorful creatures. 

Closing

The barrier to entry into the world of advertising has been lowered, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. However, since all it takes to run an ad is an Instagram account and $5, the average investment into ad creative has drastically decreased. This leaves more opportunity than ever to stand out with extreme creativity in the modern age. 

Thanks for reading! 


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