Cricket, Cadbury and Piyush Pandey have a lot in common. 40 years ago, before joining advertising, Pandey used to passionately play cricket. When he changed course, Pandey started adding sweetness to Mondelez India’s brand Cadbury Dairy Milk which has always been celebrated in the world of advertising.
Cadbury’s ‘Cricket’ commercial, where a girl runs onto the field and breaks into an absurd but wonderfully heart-warming dance during a match, is still regarded as one of the most memorable ads of the 90s. So much so that in 2021, almost three decades after the film’s release, Cadbury’s parent company Mondelez and Ogilvy came together and recreated the magic. This time with an unexpected twist. Instead of a young man hitting the ball towards the boundary, a young woman in cricket gear was seen hitting the shot. And in classic role reversal, it was the man who dodged a security guard to run onto the field and do a celebratory dance.
With the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) mania, Cadbury Dairy Milk has released its latest campaign #CheerForAllSports. The genesis of the campaign is exactly as the title describes. Keeping the brand’s core purpose, generosity at the centre, the campaign aims to bring all of India together to cheer for Indian athletes who will be playing other sports during the same time as IPL. Cadbury Dairy Milk is nudging consumers to support sports like wrestling, boxing, hockey, table tennis and other tournaments across the globe.
In a unique effort to promote the campaign, Cadbury Dairy Milk has launched a special edition pack for Rs. 100 that carries a one-of-a-kind font on the front, where each letter represents a different sport. On the front of the pack is also a QR code, which when scanned takes you to a microsite. The microsite contains a timetable of all sporting events taking place in India at the same time as the IPL. Through the microsite, consumers can also sign up for reminders for every event and click on the links provided to view and support other sports live. Furthermore, in another initiative, Cadbury has even set up large screens in stadiums that will display the fans who choose to join the stream and support the athletes and teams of various sports.
In an exclusive chat with Storyboard18, Pandey says that Mondelez India is like a responsible corporate citizen with points of view on things that matter to people. He calls Cadbury Dairy Milk a “brave” brand for taking a sport like cricket, which is considered to be a religion in a country like India, and using its mass appeal to promote other sports. He calls the campaign a larger-than-life experience.
Interestingly, he says that while he knew that the idea was in the works, he saw the campaign only after it went live, like all the consumers out there. In fact, Pandey recalls the time when he actively called cricket, his team used to actively listen to radio commentary during hockey matches to pump up their energy levels. He tells Storyboard18, it’s time for brands to look at engagement with athletes not only when they win big but also when they need good cheer on regular days too.
Formulaic move?
Last year, Cadbury Dairy Milk became a sponsor for the on-ground staff during IPL. It was a great effort to focus on treating the ground staff at par with the cricketers, making them the real stars of the tournament. This included giving them best-in-class travel, accommodation, taking care of their nutritional needs and providing customized jerseys designed by renowned fashion designer Masaba Gupta, throughout the season.
From the dancing girl and boy, to now cheering for all the sports in the country, the long lasting relationship between Cadbury Dairy Milk and cricket has come a long way. Now, on the surface it may look formulaic to many, however, Pandey says, these campaigns have organically happened and cricket just automatically fits itself into these narratives.
For instance, with regards to the dancing girl commercial, Pandey says, “The idea was to bring out the child in you.” According to him, Cadbury Dairy Milk is well aware of the circumstances and works in accordance to the way the world is evolving. None of these associations were planned. It all fell into place at simply the right time.