Maltesers puts spotlight on mums’ mental health in new campaign

Mars Wrigley UK has unveiled a brand new campaign for Maltesers, giving the brand a new direction.

The campaign taps into the brand’s long-standing purpose of uniting people through the power of laughter to shine light on mental health issues women face during pregnancy or within the first year of having a baby.

The two ads - set to go on air from today, International Women's Day, across TV and digital channels - were inspired by conversations with mums who shared their lived experiences of both the light and the dark side of new motherhood.

The message of the creative will also be mirrored online with the launch of a new social campaign which aims to encourage mums to share their personal experiences and break down taboos surrounding important maternal mental health conversations.

The new adverts also continue Maltesers’ commitment to represent the diversity of its customers through its marketing.

“Maltesers has always been at the forefront of UK advertising’s drive to do a better job of representing society in everything we do – and this is no different,” Leah Dyckes, Maltesers brand director, said.

“We’ve learnt to understand the power of representation over the years and are now bringing these learnings to a whole new issue in these ads, but this is only the start. Through our advertising, campaigns and partnerships, Maltesers aims to help women build resilience, by laughing together through the tough stuff. It’s what we’ve always done and what we will continue to do, now and for years to come.”

The campaign comes as Maltesers extends its partnership with Comic Relief to a multi-year relationship. Over the next three years, money donated by the brand will help Comic Relief support the work carried out by projects like The Happy Mums Foundation and Smile Group, both of which focus on supporting women with maternal mental health issues.

Clare Kiely, Head of Funding and Approaches at Comic Relief said: “Maltesers have been raising money for Comic Relief for over ten years, and we're excited to be working with them again this year for Red Nose Day to support maternal mental health. We know that more work is needed to help mums overcome the shame and stigma that can be attached to maternal mental health issues and together, we want all mums to feel recognised, supported and able to ask for and receive help when they need it."