Twix doubles down on back-to-basics trend

‘Double Act’ by adam&eve\TBWA and directed by Dougal Wilson sees two ventriloquist dummies perform Nelly and Kelly Rowland's early-2000s classic 'Dilemma'. And yeah, that's it basically.

The film begins with a single puppet crooning the opening lines. As the camera pulls back, a second dummy is revealed. The pair deliver an increasingly extravagant duet, complete with harmonies, pyrotechnics and a saxophone solo while their puppeteer casually eats a Twix.

The joke lands because of the simple metaphor. One puppet is amusing. Two puppets are entertainment.

Twix has spent decades arguing about ‘left Twix versus right Twix’, but last year found some emotional resolution by concluding that 'Two Is More Than One'. Its subsequent ads, including this one, celebrate the power of duos, rather than put them at odds.

Dougal Wilson's craftsmanship elevates a silly premise into something catchily memorable.

Puppetry is a pretty ancient craft, but it remains charming. In the age of AI, meanwhile, we’re meant to take some pleasure in the practical effects and in-camera execution rather than digital trickery.

The campaign follows Twix's surreal car-chase film, where one vehicle plunged off a cliff only to reveal a second car attached underneath. Twix’s maths checks out in its 'Two is more than one' campaign | Creative Moment

That spot introduced absurdist maximalism to the platform, whereas 'Double Act' feels more musical and character-driven: tapping into some of the comedic energy as Cadbury's drumming gorilla, or Comparethemarket's meerkats.

"A ventriloquist operating two dummies harmonising to Nelly and Kelly's 'Dilemma' isn't just a simple and entertaining way to dramatise TWIX's platform 'Two Is More Than One', it's also pretty damn funny,” as Matt Gay, executive creative director, adam&eve\TBWA, puts it.

Credits

Brand: TWIX
Agency: adam&eve\TBWA
Director: Dougal Wilson
Production Company: Blink
Executive creative director: Matt Gay
Chief creative officers: Mike Sutherland, Ant Nelson
Creative directors: Colin Booth, Ben Stilitz
Art director: Ben Robinson
Copywriter: Mike Whiteside
VFX: Untold Studios