Tetley will launch a new advertising campaign this evening, bringing the brand’s iconic Tea Folk characters to UK screens for the first time in nearly a decade.  

According to marketing news source Marketing Week, the first new TV advert will appear this evening (20 September) during an ad break for ITV soap Coronation Street.

The adverts are part of a £9m campaign created by advertising company MCBD, which will also feature outdoor, online and traditional direct marketing support.

Artwork for the new campaign comes largely thanks to Richard Ollive, who played a major role in the original Tea Folk adverts in the 1980s after taking over from Tony Cattaneo, the original animator.

Mr Ollive is thought to have created over 10,500 drawings for the new campaign, which will fuse 2D images with 3D action. The soundtrack for the new ads was composed by Guy Farley, and was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London.

BBC News suggest that the new ad campaign is an attempt by Tetley to win back customers from major rivals Unilever and their PG Tips brand. Tetley also hopes that the campaign will lead to increased production at its Teesside factory, and ultimately create new jobs for the local area.

Tetley’s Adele Henkes says that the brand has received piles of correspondence from members of the public who have missed the old Tea Folk characters since they were taken off-air nearly a decade ago.

“In the years, the unwavering support from the public has been unbelievable; our office is full of letters, pictures, drawings and emails telling us how fond they are of the gang and how much they are missed,” Marketing Week quoted Ms Henkes as saying.

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