Cadbury Just Made Every Christmas Ad Look Foolish— Here’s How They Did It
Three key lessons for effective marketing this festive season.
Ah, Christmas is just around the corner!
The smell of chestnuts roasting by an open fire, the sounds of Yuletide carols sung by a choir….
Right, who am I kidding? The only thing we all really, truly care about is the upcoming Christmas sales. (as if Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales aren’t quite enough to empty our pockets)
After all, it’s a season to reward ourselves and others around us for all the hard work we’ve put in this year — well, at least that’s what the endless stream of ads is telling us.
So of course, we’re getting spammed with incessant ads in this period. And who can blame them?
Especially since it can be outstandingly lucrative for participating brands (the United States reportedly did close to $900 billion in retail sales value just last Christmas alone).
In fact, many brands are able to hit their annual targets sheerly based on exceptional performance in the festive season.
That is, provided their ads can successfully brainwash the masses and stand out amongst the competition.
Which sadly, doesn’t seem to be the case for the vast majority of ads.
The Problem with 99% Of Christmas Ads
I don’t have an issue with brands trying to take advantage of the vulnerable state of mind of consumers prone to lavish spending during Christmas.
The main issue I have is that their ads are too predictable.
On one hand, we’ve got brands that attempt to craft an emotional story full of gratefulness and appreciation and then push the corny connection that their brand embodies such values, too.
Come on, we consumers might be gullible, but we’re not THAT clueless. Of course, we know you’re trying to siphon money off us. Just stop all that branding jargon, please.
On the other side, we’ve got ones that are more direct. They just push sales-based ads, and compete with one another to see who can jam more of the word ‘discount’ into their flashy content.
Heads-up, no one wins. Most of them just end up annoying the bejeezus out of us viewers (unless we already have intentions of buying from those particular brands).
Thankfully this year, one ad stood out from the rest — not only in terms of branding but just sheer ingenuity.
And that honor dear readers, belongs to Cadbury’s 5 Stars Everywhere ad.
The Sheer Genius Of Cadbury
Just two weeks ago, Cadbury India released an ad for their 5 Stars chocolate, and since then, it’s already taken the Internet by storm.
If you haven’t already come across this ad (and it’s unlikely, considering it already has 31 million views and counting), I’ve linked it right below this for your reference:
Now for those who just want a quick summary, here’s the breakdown:
In the ad, Cadbury India starts by talking about the gripe that everyone has during this season: that every brand is just too annoying and overwhelming with its festive ads.
They then followed up by assuring their audience that they won’t be getting any of such nonsense from them, because the logo on their 5-Star chocolate (which is literally five stars in a row) can be seen everywhere, especially on review sections across the web.
Finally, they wrap up the ad by giving one more kick in their competitors’ proverbial nuts, saying that they didn’t even spend money to hire a brand ambassador for this ad (cue their intern munching coolly on their chocolate in the end).
Brilliant, right?
And not only is the ad clearly entertaining (which explains why it went viral), but it also offers a few valuable lessons that all brands can learn from. Not just to apply during the Christmas season, but in general advertising as well.
Here are the three most important takeaways from this ad:
1. Read Your Target Audience’s Mood Well
“Yes, we know it’s Christmas and our guard is let down slightly, but that doesn’t mean you can overwhelm us.”
Pretty much every customer echoes the above sentiment, and brands that fool themselves into thinking that people would just lap up their ads during this period are simply asking for failure.
Cadbury showed their viewers that not only do they truly understand what their opinions are toward annoying ads, but they go one step further by showing that they’re completely on their side.
They’re also incredibly strategic. By placing this portion right at the very front of the ad, they easily capture their customers’ attention from the start.
Customers love seeing empathy in brands. And when a brand truly walks the talk in displaying their understanding of them, it’s an easy check in their book.
2. They Operate With Confidence
When ads get too pushy with their branding or sob back story in their festive ads, it just says one thing: they’re insecure.
Just like how a loud and showy person is inwardly not confident of themselves, brands that are overly flashy are just doing whatever they can to secure some small piece of the attention pie for themselves.
Here’s the truth: that often backfires. Consumers don’t like brands that aren’t self-assured of their products, because remember, we’re not just buying products, we’re buying a form of identity and set of values as well.
Cadbury pulled this off amazingly here, by plainly stating that they don’t need any logo advertising, simply because their ‘logo’ can already be seen everywhere.
Of course, that’s not the real truth, but this cheeky moment helped consumers see a really confident and playful side of Cadbury, which just helps to take their brand identity to a whole new level.
3. They Think Outside The Box
It’s basic logic. Do what everyone else is doing, and you’re not going to stand out.
The same old emotional/sales-based ads might have worked in the past, but with virtually every brand hopping on the rusty bandwagon, they have a slim chance to none of even being remembered, let alone converting a customer.
On the other hand, Cadbury did not rely on the usual boring recipe of flashy content, sad storylines, and a big budget for endorsements.
Instead, they went full-on creative mode and found a really unique storyline into which they can weave their 5-Star branding this season.
A little advice for brands who are reading this: spend a little more time brainstorming ideas and different angles for your ads, instead of playing it safe or just resorting to spending more money.
You’ll find that even if you fail, you’re at least on the right track to becoming more memorable to your customers.
Conclusion
And that’s how Cadbury saved Christmas: with a creative ad that was not only entertaining and smart but incredibly empathetic as well. Three ingredients for a successful ad.
What are your thoughts on this ad? Did it hit the spot for you as well? Do let me know your thoughts in the comments section!
