Mondelez has launched a video chronicling its hunt for the new Milk Tray Man.

The supplier announced last month it was bringing back the character - who had not been seen on TV since 2000 - and was looking for a new actor to stealthily nudge him into the 21st century.

The new film, created by London agency Gravity Road, sees a series of ‘celebs’, such as reality star Joey Essex and Shaun ‘Barry from EastEnders’ Williamson, put through a series of vexing challenges to see whether they have what it takes to portray the secretive chocolate delivery man (spoiler: they don’t). The film also features Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis, suggesting Mondelez now consider the ‘man’ in Milk Tray Man to refer to the human species, rather than just its XY contingent.

“The hunt for the Milk Tray Man has really captured people’s imagination,” said Hortense Foult Rothenburger, senior brand manager at Mondelēz. “While a sense of adventure is still key to the character, times have changed, and today’s Milk Tray Man is thoughtful and goes the extra mile to put a smile on our face.”

The campaign, which marks the 100th anniversary of Milk Tray, kicked off in October with former Milk Tray Man James Coombes watching a montage of scenes from classic adverts before announcing: “The search is on. New Milk Tray Man, step forward.”

Prospective action heroes can put their name forward, or nominate a friend, at newmilktrayman.com until the end of November. A shortlist of applicants will then be invited to a casting day in London during December, with the new face of Milk Tray unveiled in January.

Milk Tray sales are up 3.8% to £34.8m [Nielsen 52 w/e 5 September 2015].

Topics