McVitie’s urges Brits to ‘Bring Back the Biscuit Break’ in major marketing push

Global snacking company pladis has unveiled its first masterbrand campaign in almost 10 years for the leading biscuit brand McVitie’s.

The 360° campaign was borne out of research commissioned by the brand which shows the British institution of the office tea and biscuit break has crumbled, in turn highlighting the negative impact of this on employees’ wellbeing.

‘Bring Back the Biscuit Break’ will see McVitie’s launch a national drive to remedy this by spotlighting the integral role biscuits play in the nation’s daily routine and letting consumers know that it’s ‘Time for a biscuit break, Britain’.

The major marketing push kicked off this week (10 April) across multiple touchpoints including PR, social, OOH radio and shopper marketing, reaching three quarters (74%) of the target audience– driving mass relevance and increasing penetration for McVitie’s.

The ’Bring Back the Biscuit Break’ campaign will be fronted by Martine McCutcheon – Love Actually’s original tea-break facilitator – and supported by new research commissioned by McVitie’s which reveals that 70 per cent of overworked employees take less than 15 minutes’ worth of breaks a day. It will see McVitie’s reclaim, celebrate, and own the biscuit break by featuring Martine in a series of assets, including video-led content and still imagery, which focus on inspiring Brits to reinstate the ‘tea & biccy break’, which has been proven to encourage a moment of connection (82%) and boost employee productivity (66%).

Meanwhile, a series of high-profile partnerships will firmly embed the nation’s number one biscuit brand into biscuit breaks across the nation. In a station first, McVitie’s will be taking over Mid-Morning shows on Absolute and Magic. Classic daily features – Absolute Radio’s “Tea Break Trivia” and Magic’s “Tea Breakers” – will be renamed “Biscuit Break Trivia” and “Tea and Biscuit Breakers”.

In line with this, McVitie’s will also rally audiences to back the return of the biscuit break by partnering with The Sun to place the brand at the heart of features where people are naturally taking some time out, including Puzzle Pages and TV listings, rendering it unmissable.

It forms the first phase of the McVitie’s ‘True Originals’ campaign – a £7.8 million cross-channel drive which heroes the bestselling McVitie’s portfolio and draws attention to the importance of this original, quintessentially-British biscuit brand in consumers’ daily routines.

“Our research has shown us that, thanks to our busy lifestyles, we’re at risk of losing the beloved biscuit break,” said Aslı Özen Turhan, chief marketing officer at pladis UK&I. “This spells bad news, because it means many millions of us will be missing out on opportunities to connect with others, recharge or enjoy a moment to ourselves.

“We’ve been part of the nation’s tea breaks for over 180 years, having baked our original biscuit way back in 1839 so, as True Original and category leader, it’s our duty to help the nation bring back this cultural staple.

“With our latest campaign, we’re getting even more Brits to take time out over a cuppa by demonstrating why the biscuit break matters. By helping to reclaim it as part of the nation’s daily routine and showing Brits that there’s no better partner for this than the category’s True Original, we’re re-igniting love for Britain’s Biggest Biscuit brand.

“With brand awareness set to reach an all-time high, there’s never been a better time for retailers to stock up on our portfolio of bestselling biscuits – from the ultra-dunkable McVitie’s Rich Tea, to the melt-in-the-mouth McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive.”

The McVitie’s ‘True Originals’ campaign will be further supported by activity across social media – including influencer partnerships and competitions – along with an OOH and shopper marketing drive.