Jolly Miller animates new AD to delectable results
The café-patisserie franchise struck brand gold with its simple, low-cost but memorable TV commercial.
The 30-second spot, seen here, starts and ends with the new Jolly Miller logo of a mustached baker wearing a toque with the JM initials. In between, the round-shaped logo transforms into the various menu items offered in the café patisserie, from cupcakes to tea.
“There’s this jolly place where you can come in for brekkie, for coffee, a slice of cake, or a cupcake,” the ad entices with a perky gentleman voice-over.
“How about brunch, perhaps lunch? Good afternoon! Tea? Would you like to see, what’s new in our menu? Cause there’s always something special at Jolly Miller. The franchise that’s a jolly good idea.”
10 feet tall, the Melbourne-based creative agency that masterminded the ad, said the brand strategy called for a refresh of the brand identity first and foremost, given Jolly Miller’s new logo and menu items.
“We wanted to have fun with the logo. We wanted to illustrate a broad range of products and offerings – breakfast, lunch coffees and sweets,” said Jolly Miller CEO Edward Barbar.
Ad Concept and Execution
Once the main message was decided to highlight the revamped logo and menu, the rest of the ad ideas came rolling in.
“The identity became central to the concept – but how could we tell the Jolly Miller story, using the new branding as our start off point?” said Derek Craig, Strategy Partner at 10 feet tall.
“Using simple line animation and simple CGI we took the ‘Jolly’ face and let this transform into the different types of product Jolly Miller had to offer. The circular face gave us a simple shape to transform into a teacup, a cake, pancakes etc. As we worked through different products and shapes, we discovered the possibilities were endless, at the end resolving back to the Jolly Miller logo,” added Stuart Black, Creative Director at 10 feet tall.
10 feet tall then collaborated with specialist animators at Chocolate Studios in Port Melbourne to produce the ad before rolling it out to regional television.
Brand Credibility
When asked why television, the creative agency said it is the best medium to firmly establish the Jolly Miller brand. “Being seen on television brings credibility to the brand and suggests Jolly Miller is a serious player,” said 10 feet tall. “Which it is.”
The agency noted that after being established almost 6 years ago as a small corner bakery in the country town of Gisborne, the franchise has developed a “great reputation.” Operations now span across Bacchus Marsh, Melton, Sunbury, Healesville, Ballarat and Greensborough “with plans to open many more sites from 2012 and beyond.”
Positive Response
Audiences have responded positively to the ad, according to Jolly Miller CEO Edward Barbar. “Very friendly feedback – that it was inviting and smart with animation. It is a little bit different to what is out there. And it has been received warmly,” he said.
Mr Barbar said the ad not only placed Jolly Miller at the top of minds of TV viewers, it also elicited strong interest on the cafe franchise. “We wanted to drive people to website and we have seen an increase in traffic, as well as more customers coming through the door.”
Low Budget, Big Plans
The cherry on top for Jolly Miller was that their unconventional animated ad only cost a fraction of a traditional one.
“The end result worked jolly well indeed and came in well below the cost of a traditional television production,” said creative agency ten feet tall.
After having impressed the public, Jolly Miller now plans to develop a version that would equally captivate the attention of franchisers – and hopefully, convince them to sign up.
“We will be doing another tv campaign with more of a focus on the franchisee rather than the consumer'” said Jolly Miller CEO Edward Barbar. “A franchise version of the commercial is now being made. The idea and the vehicle are cost effective and looks set to achieve the desired result,” added ten feet tall.
