Mcvities: 100 years of the chocolate digestive

Challenge:

To celebrate the centenary of the McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive – a true icon of British biscuit culture – we were tasked with delivering a broadcast campaign that would capture national attention. The brief was clear: create something more than just a “100-year birthday
story.”

We needed a standout campaign with depth, energy, and a media hook that would resonate across mainstream, regional, and business audiences.

Approach:

We kicked off with a detailed media audit, identifying what each broadcaster needed to tell McVitie’s story their own way. This shaped tailored angles and assets for key TV and radio.

From a trove of historical facts, we uncovered a fun revelation: chocolate digestives are meant to be eaten chocolate-side down (according to McVitie’s experts). This unexpected gem sparked a playful national debate — the perfect media hook.

We secured major broadcast access, including a factory feature on This Morning with chef Phil Vickery leading a behind-the-scenes tour.

To overcome access restrictions, our content team produced premium b-roll of biscuit production. Supplied directly to newsrooms — including BBC News — it brought the story to life, on screen and at scale.

The campaign also tapped into business media. Nina Sparks, VP of Supply Chain, led LBC News interviews, sharing insights on innovation and operations behind this 100-year-old icon.

From cheeky product truths to serious business angles, we celebrated the cultural legacy of the McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive — across every corner of the media.

Impact:

• This Morning exclusive factory tour with Phil
  Vickery and hits on Lorraine and This Morning

• 5 Live – exclusive chat with one of McVitie’s’ Chefs

• BBC Manchester factory tour, which then aired on
  BBC News

• 9 TV pieces and 52 radio coverage

• 63,782,000 reach