Sam and His Sniffer Dog Lead Smyths Toys Christmas Campaign

​Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, has unveiled its highly anticipated Christmas 2025 campaign for Smyths Toys Superstores.

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,” said Sinead Byrne, European marketing director, Smyths Toys Superstores.