Thorntons ad

The Thorntons brand has returned to TV with a brand-new creative for the first time in four years, as part of a £3.6m campaign. Running for six weeks, the advert aims to reignite shoppers’ emotional connection with the brand and drive awareness of the Thorntons portfolio in the lead up to Christmas, a key sales period for boxed chocolates.

The campaign follows a successful year for the brand, with performance of both Thorntons Continental and Classic being strong. Despite the challenges of lockdown restrictions, the iconic chocolate boxes generated respective sales of £29.1m and £13.7m [Nielsen; Celebrating and Entertaining Confectionery; 52 w/e 23rd October 2021]. Ferrero has also launched Thorntons Pearls, presenting a new way for shoppers to gift, share and enjoy the brand.

Levi Boorer, customer development director at Ferrero, said: “The strong performance of the brand comes as consumers looked to gift loved ones during the pandemic, with Thorntons having strong relevance across all seasonal occasions, from Christmas, to Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Our latest campaign will keep the brand front of mind during a key sales period for retailers, ensuring long-term success of the brand and helping to drive purchase of our products in stores.”

There will be both a 30 and 20 second advert which shows a group of friends getting together, with one couple bringing a box of Thorntons Classic as a gift. Keen to open the box as soon as they arrive, the clip gives viewers a chance to view British social etiquette in a humorous way, with both couples going for the same chocolate in the box.

Boorer continues: “Thorntons is a classic British brand which our nation of shoppers has a lot of love for. This advert reinforces that, with an added element of humour to continue to help people identify with the brand. Following a strong year for our core range, now is the ideal time to get Thorntons back on TV in a fresh and engaging way.”