NOT HAPPY JAN? Darrell Lea makes it better with bold new campaign via Akkomplice, Melbourne
Beloved Aussie brand Darrell Lea is back in a big way with a new campaign launching this week via Melbourne creative agency Akkomplice to support its new range of chocolate blocks.
In a bold move, the first work in the campaign delivers a new twist on iconic Australian TV ad, ‘Not Happy Jan’, which first aired in 2000 and is still quoted today. Almost 20 years later and with Yellow Pages no longer in print, Darrell Lea managed to coax Deborah Kennedy to reprise her starring role.
The work also launches the new brand line Darrell Lea Makes it Better, to underscore the superior taste, quality and 100% sustainably sourced cocoa used in the range. It’s also a nod to the insight that from break-ups to bad days at work, there really is nothing that chocolate can’t make better. With a Darrell Lea block inserted into the narrative at just the right point, well loved moments suddenly have better outcomes.
Says Tim Stanford, marketing director, Darrell Lea: “This is big, bold and brilliant work from Akkomplice. It puts Darrell Lea back on the map and gives us the best launchpad for going up against established competitors. And this is just the beginning.”
Says Kenny Hill, founder and creative director, Akkomplice: “It was a real thrill to be able to create this work for Darrell Lea. We were at pains to respect the original work but add something to it that would get people talking and bars flying off the shelves.”
Media planning and buying for Darrell Lea is handled by Rapid Media
Client: Tim Stanford, Marketing Director Darrell Lea
Agency: Akkomplice
Creative: Kenny Hill; Sara Oteri
Producer: Nik Round
Production Company: The Producers
Executive Producer: Noelle Jones
Director: Mitch Kennedy
DoP: Kieran Fowler NZCS ACS
Post Production: Alt.VFX
Audio Production: Bang Bang Studios
Sound Design: Tristan Dewey
Not Happy Jan Credits:
Agency: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne
Copywriter: Tony Greenwood
Art Director: Sarah Barclay
Director: Paul Middleditch
85 Comments
Bloody brilliant. Can’t believe they had the balls to do this but good on em
Did that just happen! Taking a great ad and making it average is not brilliant. Cringe.
Solid gold.
Akkomplice to lazy, rubbish advertising.
not being bothered to spell ‘too’ correctly and adding an extra ‘o’….twat
Agree with Rip, to put credits on something that is just a copy is morally bankrupt.
Imo this idea would’ve been better if they recreated it in exactly the same style and film stock as the original to draw the viewer in.
It appears they’ve half attempted it but not gone the full hog.
Surely worthy of a lawsuit? Plus – how many people even remember phone books, let alone the original ad?
…quite a lot apparently.
It’s one of the most famous lines in Australian advertising and part of our vernacular.
Enjoyed the homage of it all, but let down by the weak boring voiceover read.
Saw it last night and thought it was the original at first. Kudos for going 4:3 and getting original actress plus all the attention to detail and matching the old grade. Well done all involved and brave client.
Well that was brave. But they’ve carried it off. Good work.
Can’t be funny unless you take a risk, and this ad does it brilliantly!
It’s so brave of the team to just to copy a popular ad shot for shot. So brave of them to rely on the previous teams script, casting and storyboards, finishing it off with a with a badly read VO… so brave.
Missed most of the 90s but now I get it and its brilliant.
Don’t know if this is really worthy of a Director credit with only one original element.
They bring the product shot in way too early.
Can’t wait for Big Ad 2: Electric Bigaloo
Lol.
It’s also very brave of the team to take credit for this spot and anonymously comment on how brave they are. #BRAVE
Ahh, chocolate. The hit you need when your opioids have been cut off..
Nice one Sara! Endless scope for these. Please do the Lube Mobile ad next.
Many commercials in the past have been straight rips of existing work, including the ‘best TV commercial of all time” Hamlet Photo Booth.
That was an absolute frame by frame rip off of a comedy sketch. But they used it brilliantly and made it work. I remember laughing at the comedy sketch and then laughing at the ad.
I think this works and will work for Darrell Lee. Doesn’t mean I love it though.
So this is what it’s come to, having to bring back someone else’s old ideas for lack of any creative talent to come up with something new yourself. Hats off as you’ve nailed the brand, dull and boring and only found in post shops with people still buying stamps.
Borrowed interest, but done remarkably well. Love.
Tee hee…cue the trolls. Oh I see, they’ve already appeared. And some of them actually champion the idea of bravery. Anonymously, of course.
I say … no.
Don’t you just love it when you produce a steaming pile of turd and have to comment anonymously to defend the work. Shame on you Tim for buying such dross.
So are we allowed to go through Akkomplice’s work and rip off whatever we like now?
Remember when it was OK to run down the middle of the street?
They were the days!
This works perfectly.
People are nostalgic, they’ll enjoy the recreation and they’ll ‘get’ why it’s been done.
It’s fun.
And it will get Darrell Lea (which is sold at Woolworths actually) much needed exposure.
Sorry it doesn’t tick your ‘creativity’ boxes but this is an idea that will actually work its socks off.
And it sure beats coming up with a ‘symbol.’
Job well done.
They should redo the Snickers ad and replace it with Darrell Lea.
Good strategy for selling chocolate, sure maybe…
But let’s not pretend stealing a nostalgic spot is a great idea that deserves kudos and celebration.
It’s not a homage or parody, it’s shot for shot remake that totally misses the punchline. Wedging in another product just because.
No doubt the agency and prod company will take credit for the ripoff and put it all over their websites.
Pretty sure that’s the point of advertising… to sell stuff. This is commercial creativity after all, not creativity for creativity’s sake. I’m not saying I particularly like it, or that it’s particularly creative, but if we’re here to talk about good advertising, then if the majority of punters out there like it and it makes them think of Darrell Lea next time they wanna buy a block of chocolate, then it’s better than some super creativity, conceptual 3min content film that doesn’t sell anything. Time to burst out of the bubble mate…
Who knows how the “punters” will use their chocolate cash… Sounds all very hypothetical?
The comment was on the self generated praise and obnoxious credit list. It’s good however crediting the actual creatives and director of this Frankenstein.
What a brave idea. What a brave client. Then again, Tim Stanford signed off on a lot of brave ads in his great career at Cadbury. (I didn’t write any of them, if you’re wondering.)
I hope it works, but I doubt it. About third of the market wouldn’t even remember the original and, without that, you’re dead.
But, good luck with the two-thirds!
I think you’re being rather conservative when saying a third of the market wouldn’t remember the original. When it aired in 2000 there was a 19.5 million population, today there are 25.5 million. Doing some estimated math accounting for age groups in 2000 (too young to remember and ones in age groups who have dropped off) and immigration numbers during the difference (2-3 million over 18 years) the number would be somewhere between the half to two thirds mark who wouldn’t have been exposed to the original and wouldn’t get the joke.
Getting might sick of Alt leaving off the credits of the creatives who work on their ads
Stevia.
Everyone knows that ad. Middleditch did it better.
Why couldn’t this be a Cadbury ad? Or for soup? Or for a Kia Picante?
It’s one joke based on the success of another. One that managed to be original enough to penetrate the vernacular.
Why do i buy this chocolate over another?
What’s the 3 year platform? Or is it just this one 30 second borrowed interest joke?
Makes it better? What better? My shitty life? Doesn’t kit kat give me a break and make it better? And Minties before that?
Why does it make it better? cos it’s chocolate? Cool, i’ll buy Cadbury and watch the gorilla drum instead.
I feel dirty.
Comments highlight the fundamental lack of how advertising works. Just hope this is the start of a long term campaign by the brand.
“Comments highlight the fundamental lack of understanding of how advertising works”
Blimey. Using the love and hard work of the original – you ripped it off, inserted your product and then took credit. I suppose in reality that’s how advertising works.
And yes I need to proof what I right in future! Ha ha ha…
*Write. #epicfail2019
I remember a student in the 90’s presenting old ads with new products. He became a furniture removalist.
Came up on the TV in the airport last night and everyone stopped to watch and loved it. Job done people. Ignore the trolls
I’ll pay to see Mitch Kennedy vs PM in a charity boxing match. I’m putting a pineapple on the original.
i think it was good add then and still good now makes people remember it … isn’t the point of advertising to get everyone talking about the product…..well they’ve certainly done that whether its good or bad they are getting everyone saying their name
Advertising has been pinching for ever. Who cares.
Where this work ultimately fails is it doesn’t build a platform for future work. It lacks an idea. It’s a one-off execution. It’s half funny and momentarily arresting but where to from here? Contrast that with the brilliant Snickers work.
To all those involved in this production. There’s money and there’s reputation. You chose to take the former at the cost of the latter. This is lazy work, like the shot for shot remake of Psycho, you’re left wondering what the point is. There’s a lesson here in the power of No. That applies to everyone on this credit list. You all had the power to take this core idea of ‘Making it better’ and spin it into an interesting, original creative direction. You didn’t. You are all complicit in creating this, and all we are left with is a photocopy of a photocopy. You all earned some $ at the cost of your reputation. You know deep down this isn’t good, right?
Kenny – from someone who has worked with you in the past, can I please congratulate you on continuing to win business. That’s hard for a smaller company and it should be lauded. A big part of that is your charisma, and that’s something that can’t easily be learnt. Can I please offer a bit of advice as you grow? Put more people on staff. The risk of using freelance creatives and producers is that they will do whatever you say, because they want you to like them and get the next gig. I don’t think they did you many favours here. Surround yourself with smart people who can challenge you back, riff off your ideas, and contribute to improving them. I do think a failing here is not so much the core idea, but the execution. This isn’t spoof, it’s just too similar. Staff up Kenny, and work with new people who will bounce off you, challenge you and make the ideas and execution better than an initial pitch. Combine that with your smarts and charisma and you’ll be unstoppable!
Having worked with Kenny also, I wholeheartedly agree with this comment. Staff up. Don’t credit yourself as the creative when you’re not. Hire creatives. Put them in the scope and pull solid people in and then empower them to do what they do. Be challenged. Challenge the client and ask “what opportunities are we in danger of missing?”.
The remake doesn’t bother me. I assume they had permission. This will run at the logies during the ad-break for the favorite Australian TVC category they are introducing this year?
It would be fun for other advertisers to do the same. Rabbits?
Both Akkomplice and the production company have already plonked this ripoff onto their respective websites??? Some advice just put the original spot at least it’s funny.
Every ad doesn’t have to be part of a 3 year brand platform.
Or have a higher brand purpose.
Or be inclusive or diverse.
Some clients just prefer to sell stuff.
Ignore the haters. This will work its socks off.
Get some perspective people. If this had been done by The Monkeys or another ‘lauded’ agency, everyone would be fauning over it. This is an indie shop that’s taking business off the stalwarts and doing well. Kudos to them.
Reading the majority of the comments it’s not that “people” don’t like the “indie shop” or even the idea. I think it comes down to the lazy execution. I personally think this could of been great, it just misses the mark.
Whilst there’s apparently no such thing as a new idea, I’m not sure such a rip off should be done, let alone deserve praise. Borrowed interest/techniques from film and elsewhere are probably fair game, but a facsimile of a classic ad?
I’m assuming Clem’s are getting a nice cut, if a musician used that much of a track as a sample, with out credit and payment, there’d be lawyers at ten paces.
The creatives and director were so preoccupied with wether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
What’s with all the Oscars level critiques of this spot? I ended up here because my entire office was talking about it, isn’t that the goal? Impressing other creators doesn’t put money in cash registers, getting Joe Public talking about your product does. The level of chin stroking here is phenomenal.
The line “Not happy Jan” was never script. It was something the talent just said on the day. Well done to the agency for recognising just how good that line was and using it in the edit.
What do we all think of this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4v2JtRSE4o
Yellow Pages (Sensis) has issued a cease and desist on the ad.
They didn’t get permission!!!!!!!!!
There’s a relevance to using the Old Spice ads for the product they’re selling.
The Daryl Lea product could have been substituted for almost any product or service.
Calling people sheep that don’t like your ad?
Case in point that’s a smart redo. That worked in collaboration with the original agency.
Your spot is lazy, shot for shot remake, doesn’t bring anything to it – no direction.
Here’s another spot you can compare:
https://youtu.be/KENjvbgxsbg
It’s a Tide ad… and you all loved those.
If you think this is anything like Tide then you really need to go back to AWARD school.
Everyone who keeps saying this doesn’t have an idea… Really? The idea is pretty clear to me: Darrell Lee chocolate makes you happy no matter what.
And what better way to execute that idea than to make the most unhappy person in Australian pop culture, happy again. Jesus. It’s bloody great and everyone who isn’t too busy sharpening their claws for the sake of sharpening them loves it.
@Hey Sheep commenters below my OG post, we can argue all day as to why us ad people like or dislike the ad.
But go to Darrell Lea’s FB page and see what the public (ya know, the normal people) are saying. Regardless of what you or I think, they love it.
And no, I don’t work for the agency. Having to justify that to bitter adults is the epitome of sad.
No.
And there it is. Up for a day and then slapped with a cease and desist and pulled for IP violation. What a completely pointless waste of time and money. Watch everyone pivot to claiming it’s a ‘we always meant that to happen’ PR stunt. Shame on all involved, particularly the producers on all sides who should have known better and sought advice.
https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/yellow-pages-has-come-out-fighting-over-darrell-lea-tv-advertisement/news-story/408feb93c986c6582cc434114b5d1cef
Anyone see this talked about on The Project last night?
Or Sunrise bigging it up this morning?
Or the Darrell Lea Facebook page and Instagram feed melting down with positive comments?
No?
The target audience did.
Brilliant.
Why do agencies think they can copy and get away with it. This goes on all the time and they need to wake up.
99% of ideas are borrowed or copied and the creatives call themselves creative for doing it. Why?
As we know from the last couple of years, Darrell Lee has been struggling and this Agency just made it worse. I hope Sensis pursue’s legal action and takes them for every cent, then Jan may be happy again.
Working in social, I hardly think the fb and insta page are melting down.
Getting on some shows because you stole a creative idea without collaborating – good for the product. But it doesn’t look great on you.
Honestly, you people need to get a life.
@Axed – more people will seek it out now it’s been axed than if it had just been allowed to run. Rightly, wrongly, intentionally or not, Darrell Lea have just become this weeks polar opposite of the Heart Foundation – praised, engaged with by consumers and I daresay, now top of mind, and positive at that. Well played on their part.
I’m yet to meet a good original idea in advertising . It’s a special place where creatives go to get told what to do by clients who have no idea what they’re taking about. There’s not a single “brave” point to this spot. But I can imagine the back slapping moments on set. Cringeworthy. Like a cheap cover band.
Old school advertising
this is a ddea
Most commented ad on the blog of late but for all the wrong reasons. Utter rubbish and everyone I’ve talked to of late concurs. A poorly executed rip off of a great ad which they’ve had to pull because they never asked for permission. What a waste of time and money for a client that could do so much better. And it’s so obvious the agency is on here posting positive comments about the work – sad cases – your energy would have been put to better use coming up with a better work.
imagine pulling each other off because you think youre pulling the impossible off then you get it actually pulled off anyways.