Cadbury Dairy Milk
Gorilla
The Definer
The Brief: Cadbury was in crisis after a salmonella scare. Trust was damaged. Rebuild emotional connection without mentioning product quality or safety.
Problem Reframe: We cannot talk our way back to trust. We have to make people feel something positive about Cadbury again. Emotional reset, not rational reassurance.
Category Convention: Chocolate advertising focuses on indulgence, taste and ingredients. It shows the product, the pour, the bite.
The Targeter
Audience: Joy Seekers
Tension: They want brands to lift their mood, not lecture them. They are tired of advertising that tries too hard to sell.
The Positioner
Position: For people who want a moment of pure pleasure, Cadbury exists to bring joy, not just satisfy a craving.
We Are Not: Apologetic. Defensive. Product-focused. Hard sell.
The Strategist
Direction: Create joy without explanation. Make people feel good about Cadbury by making them feel good, full stop. No product shots. No reason why.
The Forge
Pure Joy
Unexplained delight. No sell. Just feeling.
Surreal, joyful, unexplained
Shared Moments
Togetherness. Gifting. Connection through chocolate.
Warm, relatable, human
Playful Absurdity
Weird and wonderful. Unexpected juxtapositions.
Surprising, talkable, cult
What The Creatives Made
A gorilla playing drums to Phil Collins. No product. No voiceover. No explanation. 90 seconds of pure, unexplained joy that made people feel good about Cadbury again.
"A glass and a half full of joy."
Why It Worked
- Emotional reset without mentioning the crisis or the product
- Talkability generated massive earned media and cultural conversation
- Exclusions banned product shots and rational messaging, forcing pure emotion
- Proved that feeling beats explaining in brand recovery