Brand:
Mondelez India
Agency:
Ogilvy Mumbai
This Diwali was different.
For the first time ever, we did not spend time with our close ones without having to worry about Covid-19.
And while our family get-togethers were affected, a lot of local businesses and their sales were affected too.
Cadbury a brand, that has over the years established itself as an equal, if not a replacement for sweets, during Diwali, decided to highlight the need to promote local businesses.
This is what they came up with
Advertising Background:
Watch YouTube Video
For years now, the perfect occasion for Cadbury to promote their products has been Diwali time.
But keeping in mind the current scenario, it was extremely difficult to bring about a connection with a usual Diwali theme.
Hence Cadbury Celebrations decided to put in the theme of ‘generosity’.
It’s not the first time, this year, that a brand has turned and twisted its communication just to ensure that Covid connect.
We have seen that in the case of the Colgate re-marriage ad campaign, as well as Titan’s initiative to get India ticking.
But Cadbury went a step beyond to provide a customized experience to everyone watching the ad.
Advertising Objective:
The objective of Cadbury was to highlight the fact that unlike any other Diwali, this year, the local retailers would suffer huge losses because the sales would be restrictive.
The objective fit in perfectly because given the season of Diwali, sharing gifts or sweets with family members is not only considered as a tradition but also signifies developing stronger relationships.
So the overall aim for the brand was to do its bit in this way and create a greater impact.
Advertising Strategy:
The campaign tagline “Iss Diwali Aap #KiseKhushKarenge holds a lot of emphases, more so because the premise is based on the fact, that when you shop from local retailers- you are creating a difference in their lives, by adding a smile.
The communication was strategic in nature because hardly any of us would’ve thought about the local retailers while shopping this Diwali.
One of the reasons for this would be the ever-increasing shift of shoppers to the e-commerce platform, and while there might be nothing wrong with that, it’s still affecting the local retail shops considerably.
The ‘generosity’ quotient is highlighted perfectly and portrays a deeper meaning of – This Diwali is not just about gifting each other, but about gifting through local retailers.
When the world is facing tough times, a brand like Cadbury- which is known to spread sweetness through its products, is moving a step ahead to highlight a greater cause.
This is sure to generate more brand love.
Advertising Execution:
What I love the most about Cadbury campaigns is how every minute detail in an advertising commercial is extremely thoughtful and well taken care of.
If we closely analyze the commercial, it’s extremely relatable given how the daughter seems busy with her own thing while the mom patiently gifts her something she loves.
How the kid is so happy to have received a watch, and the deeper thought behind this is the fact that when we are young- we are more likely to appreciate these gifts.
Let’s also consider the fact that there was a big possibility for the brand to go unnoticed, or rather the focus being diverted from the ‘Cadbury Celebrations box’ gifted in the end, but it’s pretty bold for the brand to go ahead with the communication- irrespective of that.
The campaign used geographical location tagging to ensure that as per the viewers’ pin-codes, local retailers would be highlighted.
For example, if you are sitting out of Mumbai- based on your pin-code, local retailers in and around your area will be showcased.
They partnered with select stores based in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow, by promoting over 1,800 local businesses.
The communication acted as a reminder, that we must keep in mind smaller/local shops while gifting.
The ad leverages technology and AI in the best possible manner to promote something meaningful.
Advertising Results & Learnings:
For years, Cadbury and specifically Cadbury Celebrations is considered to be the perfect gifting option during Diwali, and the brand wanted to capitalize on this uniquely.
This communication led to setting higher standards when it comes to advertising executions.
This also became India’s first hyper-personalized ad, and we can see many brands experimenting with similar technologies soon.
Now let’s look at the TME ratings for this, let me know your thoughts about the same in the comments below:
Relevance – 8/10
Creativity- 9/10
Strategy- 8/10
TG Focus- 8/10
Impact- 9/10
Overall Rating: 8.4
Here are my top 3 learnings from the campaign:
1. Use Technology to your advantage
There are multiple reasons behind the success of this campaign and one of the major ones being the use of technology to enhance the experience even more.
Let’s understand how important this turned out to be for the brand, if the ‘localized’ feel was not present- the actions expected at a consumer’s end would be limited.
Here, if you want to gift a pair of earrings, the ad showcased the local retailer you can consider for buying the same.
So technology was used perfectly to their advantage.
2. When it comes to a greater cause, it’s almost always better to move the limelight from the brand to the cause.
Had the brand tried for a hard sell by promoting Cadbury Celebrations as the only and the perfect gift for Diwali, the impact created would be extremely average.
They did focus on Cadbury Celebrations being the sweetest gift, but clearly, the aim to promote local retailers was highlighted.
The brand was willing to make that bargain and that’s commendable.
Would another brand, that isn’t as successful as Cadbury, manage to do this? I highly doubt that!
Nonetheless, the effort was appreciated and created a lot of goodwill.
3. Relatable nuances create a better impact
I couldn’t stress on this enough, these small things like gifting a saree to your maid during Diwali are specific to Indian households.
By including these small things in your communication, the relatability quotient goes up and consumers are more likely to react positively.
Conclusion:
The brand has managed to garner a lot of love and respect for promoting a unique and not so highlighted cause.
The use of technology has raised the bar high, and we can expect a lot of brands to use similar technologies in the future.
Indeed the campaign has managed to provide ‘Kuch Meetha’!