If anybody asks, let him know Doug Robinson eats the red ones last. The chairman and chief creative officer of Ammirati Puris, Toronto, has a soft spot in his heart for the 1967 Smarties spot that asked the immortal question, ‘When you eat your Smarties, do you eat the red ones last?’
‘What a great line to have people remember,’ he says.
…And the winner is Smarties for:
getting it all right
‘In that spot there were a couple of things that struck a chord with me. One is the insight that people do play with their food and that kids do save the red ones for last. That’s an insight and we strive for those. The way it was executed was with the most charm and delight. And it was a jingle. Everyone shuns the jingle, but [former Ogilvy & Mather, creative director] Gary [Gray] did that and he did it well. It stuck in my head like most good ads should.’
Where are they now?
Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto, created the spot under creative director Gary Gray – who went on to found Carder Gray Advertising which was folded into Palmer Jarvis DDB. The client was Nestle Canada, which the last time we checked was still Nestle Canada. And, as far as we know, kids are still eating the red ones last.
Inside Doug Robinson
Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t in advertising?
A: Coaching hockey.
Q: Who do you admire most in the world of marketing/ advertising
A: Lee Clow/Ralph Ammirati.
Q: What campaign are you most proud of?
A: ‘Out of the Blue.’
Q: How fast do you drive on the highway?
A: As fast as my car will go.
Do you have an all-time favourite campaign? Send candidates to retro@strategymag.com. Some spots – and their advocates – will be featured in a future issue.
