Mars Wrigley is making a contribution to the Christmas ad season with an update on its “Lonely Bounty” parody of festive retail tearjerkers.
The campaign is a sequel to last year’s ad in which the much-maligned Bounty found love with fellow outsider the Brussels sprout and follows a recent announcement that the chocolate is being removed from Celebrations tubs in a trial due to its unpopularity among consumers.
This year’s ad opens with Mr Bounty being confronted by Twitter trolls before he makes the decision to leave the Celebrations house for a life of solitude.
In true Christmas ad fashion, the story takes a heart-warming turn when Bounty is taken in by a kindly woman who reminds him that he is still cared for, before he returns to the Celebrations home with the tagline: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
Mars Wrigley said the ad takes “direct aim” at the John Lewis Christmas ads – complete with unexpected friendship and heartfelt montage to the lilting soundtrack.
Spokeswoman Emily Owen said: “Bounty has always been a divisive presence in the Celebrations tub but, no matter which side of the debate you stand, our film teaches an important lesson – you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”
