What moved (Aug '25 – Jul '26)
| Metric | Aug 2025 → Jul 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | 75% → 83% | +8pp |
| Consideration | 61% → 70% | +9pp |
| Investigation | 51% → 56% | +5pp |
| Preference | 29% → 35% | +6pp |
What's behind the growth
Smyths Toy Superstores has been investing in campaigns in the UK built on storytelling, budget-friendly value and interactive social media, backed by its long-running catalogue tradition.
Its 2024 Christmas campaign leaned on the excited reaction children have to hearing "Smyths Toys," pairing the TV ad with a specially bleeped, child-friendly cut so parents could watch with kids without instantly triggering a store trip; it went on to become an Effie Awards finalist and the UK's top-performing YouTube ad that festive season.
In May 2025, Droga5 Dublin followed up with the "£10 & Below" campaign, telling the story of a girl who transforms into a showstopper the moment she's handed loose change to spend in Smyths, spotlighting the retailer's affordable toy range.
Most recently, late 2025's "Scent of Christmas Magic" joined the wave of big-budget Christmas advertising that's a fixture of the UK festive season, following a boy named Sam and his sniffer dog, Scout, tracking the scent of presents through the house and the Smyths catalogue to a store; on social, Scout took on his own life as the "world's first dog toy reviewer," rating the Top Toys at Smyths.
That catalogue remains central to the brand experience across Smyths' hundreds of UK stores, with the retailer's festive edition still "a vital element of their customer experience," according to production partner HUB.
