Sky Media has announced that the 2023 Sky Zero Footprint Fund finalist, Milliways, has unveiled its winning advert, marking the brand’s TV debut. The campaign will run from today until the 21st of April.
Ever wondered what it’s like to chew your dog’s favourite toy or fancied a bite of your office water cooler? These are just some of the absurd scenarios featured in Milliways new ad.
The leading plastic-free, plant-based and biodegradable chewing gum brand won £250,000 media value as a finalist in the 2023 Sky Zero Footprint Fund, which will be used to amplify their message via their new ad to millions across the UK.
The disruptor brand’s creative concept made it to the Sky Zero Footprint Fund’s final five, where Milliways unveiled its 30” TV advert to Sky Media’s panel of judges at the Fund’s Showcase event in December 2023.
Styled in the brand’s bold visual language, the creative uses confusion and intrigue to shine a light on the hidden plastic in big-brand gum. It aims to educate the 85% of people that don’t realise they’re chewing the same plastic found in plastic straws, plastic bags and plastic bottles.
The ad was shot by award-winning directors and producers, including Talya Galasko, Mercy TV and Hatch London, and follows best practice advice and recommendations from the Advertising Association’s AdGreen programme.
The TV campaign will be aired across a mix of channels and programming using Sky Media’s One Campaign Addressable and Dunhumby data to target category buyers.
Tom Raviv, Founder at Milliways, said: “Milliways’ mission is to make great tasting, plastic-free chewing gum that delivers sustainable quality without compromise for the planet. This requires enormous effort when most consumers don’t know that big brands use plastic ingredients in their chewing gum. Not to mention the artificial additives and ingredients that go into their recipes too. The sad reality is that billions of pieces of gum are chewed every year, and the vast majority of it is made with single-use plastic that isn’t recyclable and never biodegrades.
“With Sky Media’s reach and Milliways’ planet-friendly products, we’re ready to create a sustainable mass change in behaviour by informing consumers in a way that raises a smile at the same time.”
Director, Talya Galasko, said:“This is the third campaign and first TV ad I’ve shot for Milliways. It’s been so exciting developing a distinct tone and visual language with the brand, and seeing that come to life on TV screens across the country. It’s undeniably fun and eye-catching, and gets across a serious message in an approachable away.”
Here are some insights that inform Milliways’ mission and show the impact their product could have:
The vast majority of big brand chewing gum is made from single-use plastic (up to one plastic straw per piece[1]) that never biodegrades.
374 billion pieces of gum are chewed every year[2], which equates to 3.8million km2 (almost enough to cover the entire EU in gum)!
Yet, 85% of people don’t realise they’re chewing the same plastic used in the production of plastic straws, plastic bags and plastic bottles[3].
While you chew on that… let us share another (not-so-fun) fact… Chewing gum is the second most littered item on the PLANET after cigarettes[4]! 80-90% of gum isn’t disposed properly and can end up in oceans or on public surfaces[5].
Since the brand’s launch, Milliways has saved tens of millions of pieces of plastic gum from entering the ecosystem.
And if Milliways were to reach 30 million consumers, through their TV campaign, and could encourage each consumer to buy a single pack of Milliways gum just once, that could prevent 300 million plastic gum moments from entering our ecosystem.
Sarah Jones, Director of Planning at Sky Media, said, “It’s really shocking that most gum is made of single-use plastic – who would want to eat that! The judges loved the Milliways entry because it’s a disruptor brand with such a simple swap for consumers to practice more sustainable behaviours – all they need to do is reach for a different brand on the retailer’s shelf. We have loved watching the brand on its Sky Zero Footprint Fund journey and are really proud of the creative that they’ve produced as a result – it’s brilliantly funny, distinctive and tells their story in a memorable way that’s sure to cut through. We can’t wait to see the impact that the TV campaign will have on the brand’s growth and on changing people’s gum purchasing habits.”
Milliways is available in over 6,500 stores across the UK including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Pret A Manger and Costa amongst others.
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