How Maltesers Uses British Humour To Its Advantage

For nine decades, Maltesers has floated through British culture with an effortless sense of fun - all down to a masterstroke of brand strategy. From its famed crunch to its unmistakable humour, the popular chocolate snack has showcased how brands can make people smile. Equally, it's never taken itself too seriously - from ads about bras, jeans, and even a younger Suranne Jones going round and a round a roundabout. 

The chocolate honeycomb balls were created by Forrest Mars Sr. - the founder of Mars Inc. - in 1936 at its factory in Slough. They were originally marketed as ‘energy balls’ for women looking to lose weight; in theory, its crunchy honeycomb centre offered a low-calorie alternative to other sweet treats.

Over the years Maltesers have had a range of different slogans from ‘The chocolate with the less fattening centre’, to ‘No ordinary chocolate’, and today uses ‘The lighter way to enjoy chocolate’. 

Since 2016 AMV BBDO has been at the helm of its creative excellence; in true British style its ads have always comes with a splash of humour.

And this continues in its latest birthday campaign, ‘Look On The Light Side’, celebrating the ways everyday women support one another, from the long queues to get into the ladies’ toilets to carrying a pram up seemingly never-ending flights of stairs.

Arguably more impressive is that the brand has kept its strategy so consistent across several decades - a reminder to the public that Maltesers are not only a loved brand for its taste, but its ads have also provided entertainment too.

Here's a look back at some of its most famous campaigns across its 90 years.

1980 - ‘Tap Dance’

As this ad showcases, there's nothing like tap dancing on the ceiling - after having a light Malteser.

1981 - ‘Swimming Pool’

'The honeycomb centre that weighs so little' is the punchline of some of its early work - honing down on the angle that it's a low-calorie snack for women.

1989 - ‘Cinema’

A fictional poster of James Dean charmed by a chocolate snack. What more do you want?

1991 - ‘Frog and Crocodile’

This spot, voiced by Bill Oddie, saw a cartoon widemouthed frog and an alligator discussing their love for the chocolatey honeycomb balls - with the alligator’s eye straying to other things it can eat.

2000 - ‘Roller’

Suranne Jones swapped the cobbles of Corrie for this Maltesers’ ‘Roller’ ad, which saw the temptation of a Malteser heightened while she circled a roundabout. Completely road safe.

2002 - ‘Feed Me’

There’s nothing more romantic than your partner feeding you a Malteser via a plastic straw, right? This campaign thought so too.

2006 - 'Bra'

Leading the brand’s ‘Naughty’ campaign series was actors Katherine Parkinson and Amanda Abbington, who played friends who get into all kinds of mischief. ‘Bra’ sees the duo causing chaos in the office by doing the obvious: putting Maltesers down their bras.

2007 - ‘Jeans’

Parkinson and Abbington returned in ‘Jeans’, which saw the duo chatting in admiration about their favourite jeans, as well as the low calorific content of Maltesers. One of the friends then pretends to shrink the others in the washing machine.

2016 - 'New Boyfriend'

Marking the 2016 Rio Summer Paralympic Games Maltesers produced a series of ads featuring actors with disabilities, as a result of Mars winning £1m of free advertising from Channel 4 to champion diversity and disability.

‘New Boyfriend’ used took a tongue-in-cheek approach to a woman putting a positive spin on having a spasm during sex - featuring a filthy punchline. While dividing audience opinion, the work went on to become one of the most loved ads of the year.

2018 - ‘Accountant’

This tongue-in-cheek campaign nods towards the difficulties of modern-day dating life: the protagonist believes her dating woes is because she’s an accountant.

2022 - ‘Companions’

This ‘look on the light side’ campaign sees a grandmother’s partner being described as a ‘companion’ while meeting her family for the first time. Her response rebutts the suggestion that they’re 'just' friends.