Crafting That ‘Goosebumps Feeling’ and Finding Joy in Comfort with Much-Loved Irish Brand Denny
With the theme of joy in comfort, the latest TVC for popular Irish food brand Denny captures heartfelt moments between generations in a growing family. Following the doting grandad as he finds his place among the commotion of a new arrival, the spot ends on a comforting moment between grandad and grandchild while the rest of the family enjoys a Denny’s lunch he lovingly prepared.
This is the first spot released from Droga5 Dublin since rebranding from Rothco, who collaborated with production company and storytelling experts Banjoman, to produce this craft heavy spot.
In this interview, Droga5 Dublin ECD Jen Speirs joins Banjoman director Duncan Christie to reveal how the success of this heartfelt spot came from finding the perfect balance across every aspect - from human story vs brand impact, to creative script vs authentic reaction.
LBB> Congratulations on a great ad! Can you tell us about the initial vision for this project and how closely the finished spot aligns?
Jen> From the moment we heard this script idea, we knew we had the makings of something special. There were goosebumps all round which aren’t easy to muster when you’re just looking at words on paper. From that moment on, the gang made the decision to protect that “goosebumps feeling” all the way through the process. Our client made that happen, our production partners made that happen – everyone who was involved made sure that we did exactly what we set out to do.
Duncan> We set out to make an ad that would feel truthful and authentic, we wanted the audience to feel almost like a fly on the wall, observing real moments in the life of a family we relate to and connect with, thanks to the work of our amazing cast and crew, I think (and hope) we delivered on that.
In terms of the shoot, our plan was always to stay open and leave some room for those happy accidents that breathe life into an emotional story like this. There are one or two moments in the film that we could never have scripted that, for me, are some of the best.
LBB> Jen, can you tell us a little bit about where the theme of finding joy in comfort first came from?
Jen> Comfort was something we discussed A LOT. The difference between joy and comfort, how one of them is narratively more powerful and gives us more interesting places to explore than the other. In fact, we had an entire presentation entitled ‘comfort, joy and the difference between the two’.
Our thinking was that when it comes to telling a story about food, joy is a more simple emotion. It’s a bit more obvious. For us, comfort is interesting, because it begs the question of what caused the need for comfort? It’s full of nuance. And when it comes to telling a story, all that nuance in ‘what gives comfort?’ means we have lots more options, and more ways for Denny to authentically be part of that story.
LBB> And what makes Denny the right brand to tell that kind of story, in your view?
Jen> Denny is a rare, rare thing. It’s a brand that’s been around for 200 years. Every Irish person has some sort of relationship with Denny and for the majority of Irish people, Denny has had a place in your home, in your upbringing and in your family. And yet, despite the major presence that Denny has, it was also really important to not overplay its importance to the story. The human story gets to take centre stage instead, and because we did that, we’ve created something that feels very real and very relatable. It’s got to be a great brand to have the confidence to play a supporting role, and a great client to see the value in doing so.
LBB> Duncan, what was the biggest challenge in filming this ad and how did you overcome it?
Duncan> We knew getting the casting and music spot on would be our two biggest challenges. In terms of the music, I drafted in my frequent collaborator Zebedee whose style I felt would be perfect for this delicate and heartfelt story. With the casting - we just took a deep dive into the process and refused to settle until we had actors that we all felt 100% confident in. I don’t think there are any shortcuts or hacks, you just keep going until you have it… From reading the script, certain faces or characters came to mind, but during the casting process we realised it was more powerful to cast against type to some extent.
LBB> There’s a real sense of emotion on the grandfather’s face at the end of the ad. How did you coax that out, and what was your experience of working with the cast more broadly?
Duncan> We knew this was the crucial scene, so on set we spent a lot of time trying out different adjustments and levels of emotionality, experimenting and seeing how far we could push it. It’s also a balance; you don’t want to push it too far – then it becomes dishonest or theatrical. George is a brilliant actor and he was able to make those adjustments seamlessly.
The script was so beautifully written that all our cast had their own personal point of connection and way into the story we were telling, and that made the job much easier. I tried to use the cast’s personal experience as much as possible.
LBB> On a similar note, we also see some notes of confusion or even frustration as the grandfather figures out his place within a changed family unit. As a director, how did you get that to shine through in a way that told a cohesive story?
Duncan> This story was finely balanced, and we knew it was so important that we didn’t misrepresent what was going in. It was crucial that it never felt like granddad was intentionally alienated by the other family members or just disinterested.
He’s trying really hard to find his place; it just takes him a beat longer to find his feet than the others. This was something we really focused on during the pre-production; fine-tuning the scenes, the story was clear but the moments still felt natural.
LBB> Do you think these stories about comfort and home land a little more profoundly following the collective trauma of the pandemic? If so, why do you think that is?
Jen> What a couple of years we’ve all had. And as much as the pandemic took away, what it gave us was the time to really think about what actually matters. Interestingly, things that benefitted from that re-evaluation were the less sparkly, less fancy, less glamorous things. The things that were ‘right there under our noses all along’. Be that home, family, comfort, familiarity – those things that you may not have noticed for a while, but that have been there for your whole life. The things we took for granted do seem to MEAN a lot more. Or even if they mean just as much, it’s definitely easier for us to see that now.
Duncan> That’s a really interesting question! During the pandemic so many of us missed out on those moments of connection with family members, particularly those living in other countries, so I think that has to give a story like this an added emotional resonance. This script finishes with granddad holding his granddaughter and you can imagine this scene now holds an added emotionality for people for obvious reasons.
LBB> On a final note, and given that this campaign is all about celebrating comfort - what’s an example of a small moment in your life that gives you comfort?
Duncan> I love watching films over and over again. They don’t even have to be the obvious, feel good ones. I’ve seen The Wolf Of Wall street COUNTLESS times. For some reason, I take comfort in knowing exactly what is going to happen next!
Jen> Well, I can’t lie – having seen this ad several times and the delicious looking toastie in it – I’ve taken great comfort in quite a few ham and cheese toasties (Denny ham, of course). I mean, it really is very, very tasty! But I guess other comfort comes from actually just spending more time with more people – to work, to hang out, to chat. Not being able to do that during the pandemic was really hard. For me, I believe that everything is just much better with people around, so I’ve come out the other side a lot more clingy than I went in. Which might well be annoying for some people, but oh well!
