merci and VML go bigger – literally
Antwerpen - 26 August 2026
We all know the feeling: when you want to thank someone, you give them a box of merci chocolates. A small gesture with a big meaning. But sometimes, some people deserve more than a regular thank you. That’s where the dikke merci comes in.
For the teacher who was more than a teacher. The friend you’ve been calling at midnight for ten years. The nurse who got you through it, even when you thought you couldn’t. In short, for the people who mean the world to us.
For them, VML and merci created the dikke merci: a limited edition of merci weighing 2.25 kg. The perfect way to say an extra-big thank you.
A giveaway on a grand scale
For years, merci has been synonymous with saying thank you. With the dikke merci, the brand now has something for those moments when an ordinary thank you simply isn’t enough.
At the heart of the campaign were real emotional stories. People receiving a dikke merci completely out of the blue, leading to surprise, emotion and, ultimately, a smile. These stories launched the campaign and directed viewers to a dedicated landing page, where they could watch the full stories and enter the giveaway.
The dikke merci could only be won through three media partners: HLN, La DH and radio station JOE. Readers of HLN and La DH were invited to nominate someone they felt deserved a dikke merci, while JOE focused on teachers. During De Cock & De Coninck, listeners nominated teachers who had made an extraordinary difference in their lives, with the dikke merci awarded to those remarkable individuals.
CREDITS:
Client: Storck (Merci)
Client Contact: Stéphane De Kempeneer
Executive Creative Directors: Arjen Tarras, Kasper Janssens
Creative/account: Sarah Savoir
Account team: Sarah Savoir, Tom Thijs
Art Director: Jasper Verleije, Fleur Delanghe
Copy NL: Sarah Huysmans, Noa Luiten
Copy FR: Jérôme Van Den Broeck
Design & motion: Lucas Van Orshaegen
Design Director: Timothy Helmer
Creative Content Director: Debby De Ridder
DTP: Anja Van den Broeck, Theo Hagtingius, Jan-Bart Debruyne
Print Producer: Sofie Verschaeren
Printer production: Grafische groep Matthys
Production Company: VML Production
DOP: Filip Vaerewyck
Researcher: Sura Dohnke (Partout)
Agency Producer: Thomas Anthoni, Yanne Kaers
Editor: Karel Van Gucht, Andreas De Ridder
Sound Engineer: Menno Van Riet