“I love a bit of cake me... cut it in half, that's half the calories! And as its half the calories you can have twice as much!”

The great Marjorie Dawes probably eats Maltesers, the light biscuity balls of chocolate marketed at women. Recent advertising has emphasised this lightness.
A look at the packet reveals that there are 22.9 grams of fat per 100g, or 485 calories. Doesn’t sound much? Wouldn’t eat a Mars bar then, eh? Well, a Mars bar weighs in at 17.7g per 100, or 455 calories. In other words, gram for gram, Maltesers are more fattening. You’re buying a bag of air with about a dozen Maltesers in it (in very much the same way that a bag of crisps is full of salty air and 20 slivers of fried potato), which is a very expensive way of counting calories.
It’s probably cheaper and more satisfying to eat half a Mars bar – it’s a more satisfying chew and has the added benefit of looking vaguely phallic (ref: Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull), although it is possible to have some rude fun with these little balls.
Why is it that most ads which try to push sugar-filled low-fat products, or anything with questionable health benefits, are aimed at women? Incidentally, it is socially acceptable for men to eat Maltesers, but only when they come in 2-litre cinema buckets.
Nice ad, though.

Agency: AMV BBDO. You may recognise Katherine Parkinson, from “The IT Crowd”.

Tags: FMCG, TV ads