Ad Watch: Pip & Nut

Still from Pip & Nut’s “Obsession Spread”s” commercial, by Jacqui Ellis-Jones, Ali Dickinson, Scary Robots, The Forge and Squadron Venture Media. April-May, 2026.

Ad Watch

Great ads are rare and when one comes along, it changes the game. The first viewing of Pip & Nut’s “Obsession Spreads” commercial was a jaw/nut drop moment here at LC. Kudos to the Pip & Nut creative team, Ali Dickinson, Scary Monsters, The Forge and Squadron Venture Media on their masterclass in advertising. It is not the first time Pip & Nut has excelled in this regard, yet with the latest campaign, the brand has now gone stratospheric. The company has become a household name and continues to grow its revenue. With turnover growth of 33% in FY2024, Pip & Nut has overtaken the competition including Whole Earth, to become the the UK’s best selling nut butter with a 15.8% market share as of Q1 ’25, according to Nielsen.

The Brand

Pip & Nut was founded in 2013 by Pippa (Pip) Murray, who began crafting her extra delicious nut butter from home using just two natural ingredients: nuts and a little sea salt. Pippa began selling her creation at Maltby Street Market in South East London before winning a contest for budding entrepreneurs which enabled Pippa to live rent free for 3 months in order to create a going concern. With the help of subsequent crowdfunding to the tune of £120k raised in just 9 days (via Crowdcube), by 2015 Pippa was selling in Selfridges and supermarkets up and down the country.  

At time of press, Pip & Nut is valued at £72.1 million (source: Crowdcube). What has been instrumental in the company’s success? Firstly, product excellence, born from a commitment to naturalness and ditching unnecessary ingredients such as palm oil, typically added to nut butters and many other FMCG categories. The brand is founder-led and everything from the name of the company to its outreach reflects the values of the founder. Pippa has built Pip & Nut from the ground nut up based on core values of health, wellbeing and sustainability. In addition to removing palm oil from the recipe and with it any link to the devastating loss of the amazon rainforest caused by its production, the company gives 10% of earnings to The Pip & Nut Foundation. The foundation was established support and fund the provision of healthy meals for community members in need.  

The company has steadily grown in size and has more recently introduced an all-natural rival to Nutella (thank you!) as well as a range of snack bars. It has also entered Europe via Belgium through M&A, a smart move. Yet also firmly in frame is the stance Pip & Nut has taken towards branding. The company has built a strong brand image, featuring the right comms and art direction. It has also taken billboard, online and TV advertising seriously, as all great brands do. Pip & Nut lets consumers know who they are and what they stand for every step of the way, and the effect of this is clear. In terms of content, opting for an animal mascot, the gorgeous red squirrel here, is part and parcel of their strategy.  

OOH Advertising Campaign(s)

For a small brand, Pip & Nut’s commitment to classical advertising has been impressive and unusual. Firstly, most brands cannot or do not take the necessary hit required to invest in advertising, despite the fact that brand equity is one of the core drivers of turnover growth, if not the most important. Secondly, art direction is all too often subpar. Pip & Nut has gone the other way. The combination of product excellence, art, design, technology and advertising principles have fused here to create something very special. And the proof is in the pudding - as per the company’s [post] on LinkedIn, “The Nut Drop” was ranked in the top 1% of all TV ads - with an ‘Exceptional’ score of 5.9 - according to System1.  

Production

The “Obsession Spreads” advert features Pip & Nut’s mascot as never seen before- in motion. The mischievous red squirrel is shown swooning over a pot of Pip & Nut peanut butter, and in another scene, making off with it. The production was the collaborative effort of Jacqueline Ellis-Jones, Head of Marketing at Pip & Nut, together with outstanding London-based creatives Ali Dickinson, Scary Robots and The Forge.

Still from Pip & Nut’s “Obsession Spread”s” commercial, by Jacqui Ellis-Jones, Ali Dickinson, Scary Robots, The Forge and Squadron Venture Media. April-May, 2026.

The ad utilised AI to transform stills captured by a wildlife photographer into a 3-D character full of cheeky squirrel-ness. While AI played a part in the production, it was a supporting role. AI made it possible to replace any filming or handling of the real animal. Also it is clear the real creative work and expertise involved here was human - and regardless of the downsides of AI, its use here is innovation at its best and has helped craft a beautiful piece of advertising. Choice of soundtrack? Can’t get the tune out of my head.

https://youtu.be/35vkynYTDus?si=OoxwH7SUnkkfFHsj 

Kudos

It is exciting to see small brands punching above their weight and investing in ground breaking advertising. The idea still reigns supreme and all great brands share this in common.  

This spark is out there for your brand and it will be well worth the time, effort and investment in formulating it. The product needs to be category defining in quality, as with all any company worth its salt. Beyond that, it is all to play for.  

What really stands out in the case of Pip & Nut is the company’s cohesive brand and ethos, from which all marketing communications stem- coupled with its commitment to art and design.

Bravo to the entire Pip & Nut team for knocking your advertising out of the park once again and rising to become the the UK’s best selling nut butter. Well deserved.  

Swoon over your own jar or snack bar here.  

LC                 //   © All rights reserved. Lifestyle Copywriters, May 26, 2026.  

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#Advertising #Pip&Nut #Wellbeing #NutButter