Mars (Maltesers)
AMV BBDO
Channel 4
Launched during the 2016 Paralympic Games, “New Boyfriend” brought attention to people with disabilities and their experiences in daily life. The video features a young woman in a wheelchair who is discussing her new boyfriend with friends. When she begins to talk about their sex life, she references a particular incident where she had a spasm, caused by her cerebral palsy. She uses a bag of Maltesers that she is holding to re-enact and make light of her story.
You can watch the ad here.
Prior to the campaign, Maltesers set a 4% sales growth target. While the campaign was on the air there was an 8.1% uplift in sales. Within the first 24 hours of the ad being launched, “New Boyfriend” exceeded 2 million views. This was double the views target that Maltesers set prior to the launch. The ad also won Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award for 2016.