Mars is proud to share a new campaign by our Maltesers brand that focuses on maternal mental health and advances the brand’s long-standing purpose of uniting people through the power of laughter.

The campaign launch, which coincided with International Women’s Day, features two ads and social media content that are inspired by conversations with mothers who share lived experiences of both the light and the dark side of new motherhood. With maternal mental health issues commonly undetected or misdiagnosed, the creative is a gentle reminder that when you see a beautiful new baby, you also see a new mother experiencing a spectrum of emotions, too.

Research conducted by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) found that more than 1 in 10 women experience mental health issues during pregnancy or within the first year of having a baby, which can result in 7 in 10 women hiding or underplaying its severity. 

Maltesers brand director Leah Dyckes said the campaign was born out of a desire “to do a better job of representing society in everything we do. Be it our own experiences or the experiences of our friends, family or partners, we know that maternal mental health impacts so many women during and after pregnancy. However, it is rarely talked about and widely considered taboo.”

A study commissioned by Maltesers of 1,500 mothers based in the U.K. also revealed that one in six mums feel uncomfortable talking about needing more support, or how they regularly feel overwhelmed. One quarter of mothers don’t want to burden others with their worries; 37% reported trying not to overshare as they don’t want to talk about themselves too much, and 11% simply find it too difficult to speak freely about the challenges of motherhood.

The findings come as Maltesers also launches their new social media campaign, #TheMassiveOvershare, encouraging mothers across the UK to set a new tone and a new norm in the social environment—a norm where mums openly share the highs and lows of motherhood and maternal mental health is better understood and recognized.

Dyckes continued: “Alongside the joys of motherhood are also the harder parts, and this has only been highlighted over the last 12 months. The survey findings reveal how so many mums aren’t comfortable broaching those uncomfortable conversations. We know how important it is to talk about the fact that motherhood and parenting can be tough. Through our advertising, campaigns and partnerships, Maltesers aims to help women build resilience by laughing together through the tough stuff. It’s what we’ve always done and what we will continue to do, now and for years to come.”

In partnership with Comic Relief, Maltesers is committing 225,000 GBP to support the incredible work carried out by projects like The Happy Mums Foundation and Smile Group, which focus on supporting women with maternal mental health issues. 

As a family-owned company, it’s important to Mars to support women in our business and in society by creating a more inclusive environment. The Maltesers campaign is a great example of how Mars is harnessing the power of our brands to drive more inclusive marketing, connect with consumers on important topics, and ultimately create the world we want tomorrow through how we do business today.