Maltesers campaign aims to lighten the load for working mothers

The campaign was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.

Maltesers has released a campaign with Comic Relief to shine a light on the challenges faced by mothers in the workplace and how people can help “lighten the load”.

Created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, “Motherlover” was inspired by research commissioned by Maltesers that found many of the burdens of combining work and home life still fall on working mums.

Fifty-five per cent of mothers in the UK said they needed more help from employers and colleagues to be the working mum they wanted to be.

“Motherlover” includes 10 targeted messages celebrating the people who do what they can to “lighten the load”.

A series of ads introduces viewers to colleagues, employers, partners, friends and family who are doing their bit to help working mothers.

It was shot by Sam McElwee and created by Julia Merino, Ricardo Porto, Charles Olafare and Josie Finlay.

Merino, creative at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, said that the creative team needed to make sure the campaign was “rooted in real experiences”.

The team worked with research agency The Outsiders on the campaign, turning the stories into “celebrations of the everyday heroes who lighten the load of working mums”.

Merino said: “Humour is an under-used emotion that has the power to reach those who might not otherwise engage with a topic like this. As a working mum myself, I hope this campaign inspires people to think how they can better support the working mums in their lives.”

The campaign will run across social, online video, out-of-home, audio and in-store, with more than 10 million Maltesers packs carrying messaging from real mums.

It follows the brand's "#TheMaternityReturn" push, which focused on the challenges women face when returning to work after having a baby.

Leah Dyckes, Maltesers brand director UK, added: “While becoming a parent drastically changes a woman’s life, the expectations and structures at work and home aren’t changing quickly enough – and too often the onus is on the women to fix ‘women’s issues’.”

She added: “We must shift this dynamic by asking everyone around women to step up, to show empathy, and do what they can as allies to lighten their load.”

Media planning and buying was handled by EssenceMediacom.

William Harrison, EssenceMediacom's senior account director, said: "We knew that taking an addressable approach to this campaign would be central to our ambition of lightening the load for working mums."

“Motherlover” is the fourth instalment in a series of campaigns from Maltesers since 2021 and forms part of the brand’s multi-year partnership with Comic Relief.

As part of the push, Maltesers has also teamed up with The Guardian and the Peanut app, an online community to connect women through all stages of motherhood. 

Maltesers has created a new content hub on Peanut called “Work and Motherhood”, which provides tips, tools and advice from real mothers. 

The Guardian will produce content about the experiences of working mums and host a private comedy tour across UK workplaces with comedian and mother Jess Fostekew.