Almost nine in ten people (85 per cent) do not know that traditional chewing gum is made from single-use chewable plastic. It is also non-biodegradable and the second biggest contributor to litter on the planet.
Launched in 2021, Milliways is on a mission to change that. Using just eight natural ingredients, the company produces a plastic-free alternative to conventional gum. But as a small start up, with six-figure seed funding to invest in sales and marketing, Milliways needed an innovative campaign that would punch above its weight and disrupt the traditional chewing gum market, which is worth an estimated $30 billion a year.
Agency Headland Consultancy had two objectives: to educate Milliways’ target audience – planet conscious citizens, key opinion makers and retailers’ buyers – on the single use plastic elements of chewing gum, and to create a buzz around the brand.
With a limited budget and resources, Milliways’ campaign had to be targeted and agile. Using tools such as YouGov Profiles, Headland sought to understand its core target customers, learning where they lived, what channels they preferred and what themes resonated with them.
The agency then used Milliways’ own channels, including TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, to launch a paid social campaign and influencer programme, which was backed up by earned media and government lobbying.
A tongue-in-cheek video, featuring ‘chef’ Felicity Plasticity sharing a recipe for Cake de la Plastique, using recognisable plastic items from around the home, kicked off the campaign. Its message was simple: You wouldn’t put plastic in your food, so why would you want it in your chewing gum? The video received more than three million impressions across all social media channels, including 94,000 views on YouTube alone.
An influencer campaign involved four sustainably minded food micro-influencers, with highly engaged audiences who were also aligned with Milliways’ values. Each created their own ‘recipe’ video, using household items made from plastic, which were distributed via TikTok and Instagram Reels.
A focused LinkedIn paid campaign allowed Headland Consultancy to target a crucial list of buyers with promoted posts from Milliways’ profile, ensuring that they saw the buzz around Felicity Plasticity and the serious side of food regulation.
The social media campaign was reinforced with a response to a government consultation on the issue of commonly littered single-use plastic, highlighting that chewing gum should be classified as such, which led to media opportunities for Milliways’ chief executive Tom Raviv.
The campaign led to a more than 1100 per cent increase in social traffic, a 93 per cent increase in traffic to Milliways’ website and a 428 per cent increase in new visitors. The influencer videos were watched more than 80,000 times, receiving more than 3,000 likes. And the paid campaigns had more than seven million impressions.
Milliways is now stocked in WH Smith and Wholefoods, while other major retailers are set to stock the brand in the near future. One supermarket chain attributed its decision to the social media buzz.
The judges were impressed by the results achieved by the campaign, which they pointed out crossed multiple channels, and its impact in spreading awareness of the brand, while opening up commercial opportunities.
