Independent agency Deepend has unveiled a new campaign for Peters’ Maxibon that will see the iconic ice cream celebrate its 18th birthday with loyalists throughout the year.

Building on the success of its 2017 ‘Never Smash Alone’ campaign, this year’s strategy will push Maxibon’s theme of mateship one step further with the creation of the ‘Bonforce’ – an elite squad dedicated to enforcing ‘Maxi-bonding’.

Hien Pham, head of social at Deepend, said the campaign will come to life across snackable social and digital content, engaging activations and a raft of partnership activity, and is rooted in two key insights.

“Looking at our audience and their consumption habits across products and media, we identified a couple of fundamental points we could anchor our approach in – one being that ridiculous is the new funny, and the other being that late night snacking is on the rise for Maxibon’s core consumers – young males, aged 18 to 24,” she said.

“This snacking moment presented an opportune occasion for Maxibon to intercept and celebrate, but we wanted to do this in a way that would connect with loyal fans.

“Over its 18 years, Maxibon has established a cult-like following, and we believe the Bonforce provides a strategic platform for the brand to further own male bonding and create Maxi-bonding moments for our audience.”

Deepend creative director Andrew Isaac said the Bonforce are larger-than-life, buddy-cop style ice cream enforcers, bent on teaching the world the rules around ethical ‘Bon-smashing’, and will feature in campaign activity across the year.

“Our creative sees the extreme police parodies contrast with our hero, Billy, and his mundane, real-world life,” he said.

“Billy must overcome his failings of turning down a midnight Bon-smash on his 18th birthday, and with the intervention of the Bonforce, ensure his mates don’t make the same mistake. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

Alicia Munday, head of marketing at Peters Ice Cream, said the team is excited about the year ahead and the evolution in direction for Maxibon.

“Maxibon’s 18th birthday is the perfect time for mates to come together and smash a ‘Bon,” she said.