Pip & Nut backs its biggest-ever campaign with £3.5m in media spend

Pip & Nut is scaling up its Obsession Spreads platform this September, running its squirrel-fronted TV ad across Sky, Channel 4 and ITV through the month, with a London Underground campaign from 7 September. It forms part of the brand's largest-ever annual above-the-line investment, with £3.5m going into marketing across 2026, expected to reach an estimated 63% of UK adults.

The creative leans on a distinctive brand asset the company has built over years: its red squirrel, single-mindedly fixated on reaching a Pip & Nut jar. The ad scored a 5.9 "exceptional" rating with System1, placing it in the top 1% of TV ads.

Alongside the media push, the brand handed its community a decision it had long been asked about, the squirrel's name. After thousands of votes across its channels, the mascot is now officially Cyril, revealed via a deliberately over-the-top naming ceremony rolled out on social.

"The squirrel is such a recognisable part of our brand, so taking that asset from the Underground into TV gives us a really consistent way to build the brand and bring Obsession Spreads to an even bigger audience," said marketing director Jacq Ellis-Jones. "This is our biggest-ever annual ATL investment, so it's a significant moment for Pip & Nut."