Building on its positioning as “weirdly awesome,” Ferrara Candy Co. brand Trolli has launched the dark and whimsical “It’s Trolli” marketing campaign.

 

Cupboard, the first spot in a new creative campaign by Wieden+Kennedy Portland, takes fans into the cheerful, candy-filled land of Trolli. As a neon light in the darkness, Trolli transforms everything it touches into something bright, happy and sweet — for about the amount of time it takes to eat a gummy worm.

 

For Wieden+Kennedy creative directors Darcie Burrell and Azsa West, Cupboard gives a nod to he brand’s namesake — the troll — which fits perfectly within this darker direction. The campaign also takes on the idea of treating happiness as taboo. The troll is drawn toward the Trolli worms and the happiness they bring, but he’s also a little frightened by it.

 

“We have a team of people with very dark senses of humor, so when the Trolli opportunity came up, we were like, a black candy bag filled with worms? Named after trolls? Sign us up. We feel like we’ve found our candy soulmates,” Burrell and West said.

 

To help bring the campaign to life, Wieden+Kennedy collaborated with Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling, as well as Blinkink, award-winning and innovative animation specialists. Sloan and Pelling are world renowned for creating miniature worlds, such as their popular web series “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.” Their blend of darkness and sweetness made them the perfect partner for the campaign.

 

The campaign will appear across TV, online video and Trolli social channels. In addition to Cupboard, there will be additional spots, such as Trolli Bag, coming out over the next month. 

 

Annie Meyer, marketing director at Ferrara Candy Co., said the newest campaign is Trolli’s largest media investment to date, calling Wieden+Kennedy and Blinkink “brilliant thought partners.”

 

“This new marketing campaign delivers on an ownable insight for our brand: Trolli’s dash of ‘delicious darkness’ – through our brand history, black packaging and product origins – is what truly sets the brand apart in what has now become a sea of weird,” she said.