Cadbury Dairy Milk released its new brand film as a part of its ongoing Generosity campaign.
Commenting on the new film, Nitin Saini, VP- Marketing, Mondelez India, said, “As we unveil another heartwarming chapter in our Generosity campaign, we continue to believe in the transformative power of shared happiness. Cadbury Dairy Milk remains dedicated to breaking down societal barriers, urging everyone to actively participate in the celebrations of others. In doing so, we hope to inspire a world where kindness and generosity redefine the way we connect, one sweet moment at a time.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “We announced the new chapter in the brand’s Generosity story in 2022 with the Politician film. The follow-up to that needed to be sweeter and grander. We thought to ourselves – what’s better than a wedding situation to show melting of the power distance between an employer and an employee. It beautifully underlines the happy occasion and the action that the campaign intends to drive. So, the next time we are at a wedding we not just attend but whole heartedly participate in the celebrations, keeping aside all societal divides.”
As the excitement surrounding the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 begins, Cadbury Dairy Milk has unveiled a campaign titled #SitTogether.
Said Nitin Saini, Vice President of Marketing at Mondelez India said: “We are excited to launch our campaign #SitTogether ahead of the World Cup, inspiring people to experience the joy of cricket together and foster a sense of togetherness and shared happiness. We truly believe that the excitement of big match days is universal, regardless of people’s backgrounds or jobs. With this campaign, we urge consumers to join us and make this year’s match viewing moments truly inclusive and meetha (sweet) for all.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “The love for cricket unites us all, when we are down, we pray together, when we win, we celebrate together. So then, why not watch it together too? Building on our generosity platform, we are very excited to have created #SitTogether, a digital platform to enable people to watch the match from the stadium with a member of their staff. This is a human idea that will help foster a true sense of togetherness and happiness this Cricket World Cup.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk, in association with Anandabazar Patrika and The Telegraph is back with the third season of Cadbury Dairy Milk Gaane Mishti that highlights folk fusion songs sung by the leading artists of Bengal.
Notes a communique: “In an initiative to recognise their efforts, the platform will be also seen appreciating the karigars (creators) of the mishtis under the coinage – Humans of Mishti. Working with passion for years, these karigars and their family members have been instrumental in the process of creation of a variety of mishtis. Humans of Mishti will recognise their contribution to the trade and award them with a token of appreciation. The six-week programme will culminate with a two-day Mishti Mela (Carnival) around the first weekend of April where the artists associated with the campaign will perform live for the audiences on both days. Along with the performances, the consumers would also get a chance to indulge in savouring mishtis from the participating brands.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk unveiled one of its kind algorithms that mines videos with happy hashtags to filter and create a bank of the ones with low views and like counts automatically as a part of its #HeartTheHappiness campaign. Through this effort, the brand has leveraged its Instagram guide section, allowing consumers to acknowledge the happiest moments of 2022 and end the year on a meetha note.
As a steppingstone towards activating the new dimension of the generosity campaign – ‘Kissi Aur Ki Khushi Mein Shaamil Ho Kar Dekhiye’, the brand has partnered with DeltaX digital media management platform to up the ante on story-doing.
Said Nitin Saini, Vice President – Marketing, Mondelez India: “Over the years, Cadbury Dairy Milk has created and celebrated indefinite moments of kindness through an array of purposeful storytelling. This includes some well celebrated efforts of acknowledging the unacknowledged during the cricket season and adding ‘meethas’ to everyday relationships by melting power distances. Adding yet another dimension to the existing generosity narrative, with #HeartTheHappiness we aim to look beyond what’s popular and what the platform’s AI wants to show you, and guide people to channel their inner acchai and partake in others’ not-so-popular happy moments.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “We believe that digital has the power to create new experiences that bring us closer together in the most real and heartfelt ways. With our latest initiative #HeartTheHappiness, we engineered a transformative social experience that beats the algorithms and puts the power of discovery back in people’s hands. What’s beautiful about this idea is that it leverages technology to enable every Indian to be a part of real and heartfelt moments of others happiness, which otherwise remain hidden. These are India’s happiest reels – moments of happiness that never made it to mainstream media or news.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk has rolled out an all-new campaign that urges people to treat and embrace other’s happiness and achievements with a big heart.
Said Anil Viswanathan, Vice President – Marketing, Mondelez India: “Since 2018, generosity remains an innate part of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s storytelling that continues to connect consumers across all the geographies. Shining a spotlight on the inner ‘acchai’ and keeping purpose at the heart of our messaging, we have rolled out multiple campaigns that celebrate small acts of kindness. Taking a step forward in the same direction, our latest effort reiterates the meaning of ‘Kuch Acha Ho Jaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’ by urging individuals to share others’ happiness with a big heart and make their ‘meetha’ moments even more special. Built on the simple insight that entitlement can create distance in relationships, we believe that the campaign’s powerful, yet relatable narration will inspire people to look beyond their own realities and create shared moments of happiness.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “When we forget our entitlements and treat all as equal and celebrate their happiness as if it is ours, the joy is doubled. This is the thought behind our latest campaign on Cadbury Dairy Milk. This thought beautifully builds on the brand’s ongoing generosity platform. The campaign will have many touch points that will inspire us to join in and celebrate not just ours but in others happiness too.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk has partnered with the Mumbai Cricket Association to celebrate and support the the ground staff at cricketing venues. This includes best-in-class travel, accommodation, taking care of their nutritional needs and providing customised jerseys designed by renowned Fashion Designer Masaba Gupta, throughout the season. The brand has also extended its collaboration with Mumbai Indians as the official goodness partner supporting this initiative.
Commenting on the campaign, Anil Viswanathan, Vice President – Marketing, Mondelez India said: “As a brand, Cadbury Dairy Milk has always believed that a little bit of generosity can go a long way and it is often the small acts of kindness that have the biggest impact. Taking this narrative and purpose a step ahead, our partnership with Mumbai Cricket Association this year celebrates the lesser-known heroes of cricket, the ground staff. Through our initiative, we want to support and bring forth stories of these members who tirelessly work behind the scenes to create magic for the entire nation. We hope our initiative acts as a springboard and spreads the message of acknowledging the unacknowledged.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “Building further on our generosity platform, this cricketing season we are proud to celebrate an unknown team of superstars, the team of ground staff. We are grateful to have them as our team. As proud sponsors, we hope that this team becomes the most loved team not just for the players but for the entire country.”
As I write this, I am sure the latest Cadbury’s ad has already gone viral if that is a measure of its success. The latest message I got on WhatsApp went like this:
“In 1994, Ogilvy India made an ad for Cadbury Dairy Milk.
In 2021, Ogilvy India made the same ad for Cadbury Dairy Milk, with a difference.
Check both out!!!”
The praise showered on it has had no bounds over the last two days. One of the comments went like this: “It’s a follow-up to the ad the great Piyush Pandey wrote in 1994 which catapulted him to advertising fame.” No doubt Piyush is a shining star in the advertising firmament, but I am not sure this criterion can be used to judge an ad, both by commoners or 50-year-old advertising executives. I never thought of an ad as great only because David Droga or Bruno Bertelli wrote it. In any case, I am getting used to the hysteria and adulation India accords its heroes. Just yesterday, we saw a union minister likening our Prime Minister to God. And later, the Prime Minister’s Report Card handle on Facebook posted the Cadbury ad, giving it record likes and shares. God himself then has endorsed this ad. So, who am I, a mere mortal to even start evaluating it?
I must admit I am an aberration of the Indian consumer because I spent the better part of the 90s working overseas and could not use the 1994 ad as a reference. It seemed like just another cricket ad to me, or simply put just a typical scene from Indian cricket which we have seen repeatedly, for much longer than the Cadbury ad. After all, didn’t a woman do the same thing to Brijesh Patel when he scored a century in 1975? She went past the security (India’s disrespect for the law is legendary), right until the pitch and then planted a kiss on Brijesh’s cheek. I know cricket is a hot button in this country, but the 99 runs on the scoreboard with a sixer coming up is both a bit trite and hackneyed.
Which brings me back to one basic question: if this ad was trying to capitalise on nostalgia marketing, was it aimed at people who were over 50 years old? We don’t know Cadbury’s strategy, but it could well be that they no longer wanted their brand to be seen as a young person’s brand. If the target audience were expected to have seen the ad in 1994, it does mean that this ad is talking to people who are in the age group of 40-50 years at least or even more.
Of course, while arguing my way through the merits and demerits of the ad, many people stoutly defended the ad saying that it was brilliant, even as a standalone, and even if people had not watched the 1994 version. Maybe, but I would imagine that the people who had seen the 1994 ad would rate it 5x times better than the people who hadn’t seen the 1994 ad. People who first posted the ad on social media were mostly older, but the overall hype was so overcoming that I believe the youth had taken to sharing the ad later, on Instagram. Take this tweet for example which got a rousing response. I don’t know Karthik personally, but I am willing to wager that he is at least 40 years old to have seen and remembered the 1994 ad.
But somehow the Cadbury ad seems to have touched a chord and has got accolades for showing a woman in the lead role. Many people have commented that this was a long time coming. Of course, any ad like Cadbury’s is a welcome addition to the tirade against gender discrimination. India for centuries has discriminated against women, and there is still scope to do much more. India ranked 131 in the 189-country survey on the Gender Development Index. So, any commercial or full-length movie that goes towards portraying the importance of women is welcome because it can help to change the status quo. I see advertising and cinema as important influencers in pushing the envelope for social change.
Oscar Wilde in his 1889 essay ‘Decay of Lying’ posed the rhetorical question, whether Art imitates Life or Life imitates Art. I firmly believe that Art must do its bit to change society so that Life can start to imitate Art. The Cadbury ad from that point of view is a step in the right direction.
Except that as I said earlier, the Brijesh Patel incident also raises the question if this is Art Imitating Life? It could well be!
Oscar Wilde was right in posing this queer and difficult paradox.
Prabhakar Mundkur is a former advertising agency captain and has spent over four decades in marketing services across geographies. He is a prolific writer and was a few years back rated as among the top voices by LinkedIn. Other than advertising and writing, Prabs, as he is known to friends, is a very active musician and a self-taught producer of music. In the pandemic, he has performed and produced nearly 50 songs, including one with the very accomplished Usha Uthup. Mundkur’s views here are personal.
It needed a brave client in 1993 for the original film, it needed an even braver client now, says Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative & Executive Chairman, India. Indeed.
In its 10 years, MxM hasn’t done a ‘big story’ based on a communique of a new TVC. But this one deserved it.
Reason: Cadbury Dairy Milk has released a refreshed version of its iconic 1990s campaign. The film conceptualised by Ogilvy India, for Mondelez India, shows a young woman cricketer scoring a winning run and her male friend running towards the field dancing with an unabashed glee, celebrating her smashing performance, as the crowd cheers on. The film ends with the powerful message of #GoodLuckGirls in recognition of today’s equal world where women are breaking barriers and pursuing all their dreams.
Piyush Pandey
Said Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative & Executive Chairman, India, said, “It needed a brave client back in 1993 to go ahead with the original Cadbury cricket film that became so popular. It needed an even braver client to attempt something with an iconic film and make magic out of it. I am delighted that the team at Mondelez India and at Ogilvy India has done this magic, made it relevant, exciting, and so Cadbury, in its bold and front foot fashion.”
Anil Viswanathan
Commenting on the ad, Anil Viswanathan, Senior Director – Marketing, Mondelez India, said: “From acing in the corporate world to winning Olympic medals, women are at the forefront of creating new milestones, every single day and our film is an ode to each one of them. As a brand that has always promoted gender inclusivity, contemporising an iconic campaign is our way of recognising the changing times and extending support to all the women trailblazers. An extension of our ongoing generosity narrative, the film also lands the message of how taking small yet significant steps to acknowledge the achievements of women would make the world a better place to live in. We hope this film brings back a gush of nostalgia and are confident that this refreshed version will find as much love as the original one”.
Added Sukesh Nayak, Harshad Rajadhyaksha and Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officers, Ogilvy India: “The excitement and the stress in our heads were competing with each other. To recreate such a big hit is like setting yourself up for a million opinions. The only reason we went ahead was it felt right, and it felt awesome. We loved the idea from our gut. Luckily, so did the client. Hats off to the all girls’ team who thought of it and hats off to Bob from Good Morning Films for making it so well.”
A L Sharada
Here’s what Dr AL Sharada, Director, Population First said on the ad: “There are some ads which are iconic. The Cadbury ad was one such. The gay abandon of the young woman rushing on to the pitch dancing, the embarrassed shy smile of the man, the helpless police man and the response of the audience- one could never forget the ad. Such beautiful execution. Even today the ad does not fail to bring a smile on our faces when we remember it. What happens if the roles are reversed? A roar of appreciation and celebration. The ad touches on nostalgia and yet is so contemporary. With women cricketers doing so well and changing gender norms, the ad looks so plausible and is absolutely mind blowing.” Dr Sharada puts advertisements under the scanner for their gender sensitivity for Campaign India.
And here’s the original ad.
CREDITS for the current ad:
Ogilvy Senior Lead & Creative Team:
Piyush Pandey – Chairman Global Creative & Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy
Hephzibah Pathak – Vice Chairperson & Chief Client Officer, India
Sukesh Nayak – Chief Creative Officer, India
Harshad Rajadhyaksha – Chief Creative Officer, India
Kainaz Karmakar – Chief Creative Officer, India
Creative:
Tanuja Bhat – Executive Creative Director
Siddhesh Telang – Group Creative Director
Swagata Banerjee – Creative Director
Samyu Murali- Art Director
Ogilvy Account Management:
Prakash Nair – Associate President & Integrated Brand Team Leader
Antara Suri – Senior Vice President
Parshuram Mendekar – Client Services Director
Manseerat Sethi – Account Supervisor
Ogilvy Planning:
Ganapathy Balagopalan – Head of Strategic Planning, Ogilvy Mumbai
Bhakti Malik – Vice President, Planning || Prasidh Dalvi – Planning Director
Production House: Good Morning Films
Director: Shashanka Chaturvedi || Producer: Robin D’Cruz:
Cadbury Dairy Milk has rolled out the next phase of its #HeartTheHate Campaign. Initiated in 2019, the campaign confronts the issue of cyber-bullying and encourages its audiences to express generosity.
Commenting on the launch of the second edition of the campaign, Anil Viswanathan, Senior Director – Marketing, Mondelez India, said: “Cadbury Dairy Milk as a brand, believes that a little bit of generosity can go a long way and often it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Cyber-bullying is something which affects everyone especially today’s youngsters. Apart from the direct impact of bullying, the apathy of the silent bystander impacts the victims in a big way. While we were pleased to see the impact created online through #HeartTheHate which leveraged this insight, in 2019, we knew there was a lot of work still left to do. Through the next phase of the campaign, we hope to further reiterate Purple Heart as an emoticon that helps express solidarity with the bullied. This campaign leverages technology in a smart way to make consumers understand how breaking their silence and standing up for the victims can make a huge difference in their lives.”
Commenting on the campaign, Neville Shah, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy India, added: “The idea makes you see the effect of cyberbullying. Something we as silent bystanders, ignore. Because while the bullying or trolling maybe just words online, they have an impact in the real world. We shouldn’t ignore it. And we shouldn’t ask the victims to ignore it. So, a little push, a gentle nudge, a soft reminder to ask us bystanders to stand up and simply share a Purple Heart. Make the person smile. Let them know it’s NOT just trolls out there.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk has announced the launch of #HeartTheHate campaign, against cyber-bullying.
Commenting on the launch of this unique campaign, Anil Viswanathan, Director – Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India, said: “Cadbury Dairy Milk as a brand, believes that if there’s one thing that can shine a beam of light through the cracks in an increasingly divided world – is generosity. A little bit of generosity can go a long way and often it’s the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Cyber-bullying is something which affects everyone especially young people as they feel isolated and depressed when they are exposed to it. The #Heartthehate campaign builds on a very simple insight that when friends post something as simple as a purple heart in response to the trolls, young people feel less isolated and hence the impact of online bullying is reduced. This campaign is another small step to create a big impact towards social issues.”
Added Prakash Nair, Executive Vice President, Ogilvy India: “Today while online/social media has become the youth’s hangout place, it is also a place where they face a lot of harassment and bullying. Cadbury Dairy Milk, with its proposition of Kuch Achha Ho Jaaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, decided to act on this by arming the youth with a simple weapon to silence the bully – a purple heart emoji. Whenever a friend is getting trolled, all they must do is troll the troller with a purple heart. This simple, generous act of posting a purple heart can help drown out hate comments. Even if one bully is drowned by the purple heart, it will be a worthwhile initiative.
The campaign is being executed with the support of Wavemaker India.
Cadbury Dairy Milk has bought back Australian cricket personalities Steve and Dave this IPL season. Ogilvy Mumbai, in collaboration with Ogilvy Melbourne, strategically rolled out hoardings announcing, ‘Welcome back Steve and Dave’ in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Kolkata to welcome back the two cricketers into cricket.
Said Anil Viswanathan, Director – Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India: “We wanted to encourage people to be generous with their thoughts as well as their actions. In today’s extremely competitive world, people have started to become jaded and cynical. With this gesture, we hoped to remind all our consumers to be more inclusive in their thoughts and actions. It is extremely heartening to see that the engagement on the social media posts has been predominantly positive, reinforcing our belief that we as a people are inherently generous. After all, in India, we live by the code of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, the ultimate expression of generosity.”
Added Sukesh Nayak, CCO, Ogilvy India West: “Offering a second chance without judgment or righteousness is one of the most generous things anyone can do. We wanted to give out a message that the goodness within us is what defines us. And we believe it’s not just the brand welcoming them back. It is the entire cricketing world and the fans being at their generous best by giving them an opportunity to get back to what they love most, cricket.”
Cadbury Dairy Milk has launched a new campaign centered around the theme ‘Kuch Achha Ho Jaaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’. As part of this campaign, Cadbury Dairy Milk has introduced a social initiative called ‘The Wrapper that Gives’. The initiative has been conceptualised by Mondelez India and Ogilvy and being activated in association with Reliance Jio and Pratham Education Foundation.
“This campaign aims at celebrating the generous instinct in everyone, showcasing as to how such moments go on to strengthen human relationships. Through this initiative we now want to explore the theme of Achhai (goodness), building on the strong proposition of ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’. We are absolutely thrilled to partner with Pratham Education Foundation, that has been doing some great work in the space of education for children. This initiative will truly help us spread the goodness around,†said Anil Viswanathan, Director – Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India commenting on the initiative.
As I write this, I am sure the latest Cadbury’s ad has already gone viral if that is a measure of its success. The latest message I got on WhatsApp went like this:
