Oxford Union puts the Bounty Bar on trial
By Rupert Cole on Friday, November 24, 2023
The Bounty has long been known as Britain’s most divisive chocolate bar. Now, after years of discourse drawing comments from everyone from Piers Morgan to the Prime Minister, Bounty’s place in the Celebrations tub is due to be settled once and for all. Britain’s oldest University – Oxford University – is hosting a special festive debate, answering the question “To Bounty or not to Bounty”.
Hosted by noted Bounty lover and Presenter and DJ Chris Stark, the event will take place on Monday 27th November at the Oxford Union and will see some of the brightest debating minds in the country battle it out to decide if the Bounty bar should remain in the Celebrations tub.
In 2021, Mars Wrigley, who own Celebrations, released poll data showing that Bounty was the last picked chocolate in the Celebration’s tub (52%). This news led Mars to launch the seasonal ‘Bounty Return Scheme’, where consumers could exchange unwanted Bounty bars for the much-loved Maltesers. This was followed in 2022 by the chocolate giant removing the controversial coconut chocolate entirely from select Celebrations tubs in the run up to Christmas, causing mass uproar on social media as Bounty lovers, including Richard Osman and Lorraine, jumped to the defence of their beloved bar.
Now, 2023 has seen Celebrations flip the script, as the confectionary company released a Bounty-only tub that quickly sold out, proving the adoration that Bounty-lovers have for the humble bar. This has been followed by the creation of a solid gold Bounty bar – worth £25,000 – that is part of a Willy Wonka-esque Christmas campaign, with consumers who find Bounty blue tickets hidden in select Celebrations tubs available exclusively at Tesco, in with a chance to win the 9-carat gold bar themselves.
Emily Owen, Senior Brand Manager at Celebrations, said: “The Celebrations Bounty debate rages year on year, as the British public share their love (or hate) for our much-loved Bounty bar. This year has been all about Bounty! We’ve created Bounty-only packs, hidden Bounty blue prize-winning tickets and even turned him solid gold. Now we are looking to settle the debate once and for all with the oldest debating society in Britain – the Oxford Union. I for one will be eagerly watching, rooting for Bounty from the stalls, #BringHomeTheBounty!”
