“I never met a chocolate I didn’t like.”
—Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis)
in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cadbury Dairy Milk is no exception. Dairy Milk, now synonymous with chocolate, (the way Xerox is with photocopier) has had a roller-coaster journey in India where it evolved from a kids’ brand to not-just-a-kids’ brand and recently as a substitute to sweets, something one would have on every happy occasion.

With Cadbury’s launching yet another campaign before the Diwali season - Iss Diwali aap kise khush karenge? - it’s an occasion to look at brand’s popular campaigns over the years. Drool!

The real taste of life
The real taste of life campaign introduced Dairy Milk on television in the late 80s. “A great tasting chocolate from UK, that’s the branding we were aiming at,” says Nikhil Rao - vice president, marketing, Cadbury India.

At the time chocolate was seen as kids’ staple food and with India’s youth growing, it was a natural course for the Bourneville-based company to make appearance on the Indian television (coloured by then).

“The tagline was a rage in India. It was conceived here keeping in mind the taste buds. You think of chocolate and you drool. Mouth-watering. That’s what the cloud on the top of your head reads. The nick signifies the pure taste of chocolate,” says Abhijit Avasthi - national creative director, O&M.

The campaign ran for six years and was a huge success. Still at places in villages/smaller towns one can find hoarding/graffiti with the same tagline. “A case where a tagline defined the brand,” says Avasthi of O&M.

In the early 90s, chocolates were seen as ‘meant for kids’, usually a reward or a bribe for children. In the mid 90s, the category was re-defined by the popular Kya swaad hai zindagi ka (Hindi translation of the real taste of life) campaign, shifting the focus from ‘just for kids’ to the ‘kid in all of us’.

“It appealed to the child in every adult. And Cadbury Dairy Milk became the perfect expression of ‘spontaneity’ and ‘shared good feelings’,” says Rao.The real taste of life campaign had many memorable executions, which we all can fondly recall.

“However, the one with the ‘girl dancing on the cricket field’ after her cricketer boyfriend hits ball out of the boundary has remained etched in everyone’s memory as the most spontaneous and uninhibited expression of happiness,” adds Avasthi.

“The campaign was a runaway success,” he recalls. This campaign went on to be awarded ‘the campaign of the century’ at the Abby (Ad Club, Mumbai) awards.
Khaane waalon ko khaane ka bahana chahiye…

It was first real rejig at branding done in late 90s. Taking the assertion - the chocolate wasn’t just for kids - a new campaign was launched encouraging older people to be blunt and upright about their love for chocolate.

Then VJ-cum-comedian Cyrus Brocha was introduced to carry forward the brand’s appeal to middle-class and middle-aged Indians. “We figured out that the real taste of life campaign had a huge impact in big cities, while we also wanted to reach middle class and middle-aged consumers in smaller cities and towns who’d love chocolate, but would never admit it publicly,” says Rao from Cadbury.

The campaign talked about how you just need an excuse to have your favourite chocolate, and no real reason. The ad had a lot of elderly people digging into Dairy Milk bars bringing chocolate out of their closet.

“Adults were never comfortable eating chocolates in public. The campaign spoke about how there was no harm in doing so,” says Avasthi. The campaign went on till 2004, when a controversy let worms out of the pack.

Kuch meetha ho jaaye...
The biggest challenge for Cadbury was to reinstate faith of consumers after the worm controversy. “Post controversy, we brought in Amitabh Bachchan to calm the nerves. Once the negative publicity died, it was time to re position the brand,” adds Rao from Cadbury.

“The best part was we came out unscathed and the challenge was to build on from there, says Awathi from O&M.

That’s when the Kuch meetha ho jaaye campaign was introduced. It projected chocolates as a substitute to mithai and cheered people to have chocolate on every joyous occasion.

The phrase Pappu pass ho gaya became part of street language. “It has been adopted by consumers and is today used extensively to express joy in a moment of achievement/success,” claims Avasthi.

The interactive campaign for Pappu pass ho gaya bagged a Bronze Lion at the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival 2006 for ‘Best use of internet and new media’.

“Before the campaign (Kuch meetha ho jaaye) chocolate was never seen as something associated with little joys of life. Nobody would have a Dairy Milk if they clear their exam, or if India wins a match, and the campaign egged people to celebrate every little happiness in their life with a chocolate, substituting mithais,” says Rao.

The Pappu pass ho gaya campaign won silver for ‘the best integrated marketing campaign’ and gold in the consumer products category at the EFFIES 2006. There are many variations to Kuch meetha ho jaye campaign each targeting different socio-economic class of people.

“Miss Palampur and Kenya jeet gaya was clearly targeted at hinterland, Pappu pass ho gaya was for youngsters, while Pehli taarikh hai campaign is on the working class of the country,” says Avasthi.

Campaigns aimed at rural India did fare well as the share of Cadbury increased by more than 20% in rural India, while the brand further strengthened its positions with the core audience, i.e., youngsters post the Pappu campaign. ‘Pehli taarikh hai campaign highlighted the celebratory occasion of payday, which is an important event in the life of every middle-class Indian.

“As many have pointed out, it is a clever occasion-based association which allows for the brand to be recalled in the right context, every month,” adds Avasthi.

 New campaign
Cadbury’s new campaign again has celebrations as the protagonist (being part of Kuch meetha ho jaaye series). It calls on people living a fast life in cities to spread happiness during the festival of lights among neighbours, the postman, the pizza delivery boy and many others who though significant are never valued for their little contributions that bring joy to one’s life.

The core thought behind the new campaign is to surprise those who work unconditionally on the Diwali day and least expect their little gestures to be appreciated. The commercial centred on Cadbury’s Dairy Milk is already on air and has two postmen dropping letters of individuals at their neighbour’s house to get them out of their houses and start talking to each other on Diwali day.

Says Avasthi, “We have created a complete 360-degree campaign to involve and engage the target group by promoting the big thought of Iss Diwali aap kise khush karenge?. This integrated communication strategy will be rolled out to intensify the engagement with the consumers. The media of communication will include television, print, radio, online, and outdoor activities.”

The commercial is the latest in the Iss Diwali aap kise khush karenge?” series of ads conceptualised by Ogilvy, Mumbai. The commercial is directed by Shoojit Sircar. The team comprises Abhijit Avasthi, Kawal Shoor, Mahesh Gharat, Shekhar Jha, Samrat Bedi and Kaustubh Mahajan.