Cadbury 5 Star has rolled out its yearly film ahead of Valentine's Day.

The brand, which is 'anti-Valentine's Day', looks to target those audiences that do not want to celebrate the day. In the film a 'middle-aged data-scientist' reveals how the trend can come to a stop. He states that his team analysed 'hundreds of trends' and discovered that every fad ends with uncles entering the bandwagon and cites the examples of social media platforms, skinny jeans and YOLO (you only live once). So he asks those uncles to 'take one for the team' and start celebrating the day, while transforming from his formal suit to a shiny, heart-shaped shirt. 

The film states that 5 Star is spending its marketing budget on paying 'uncles' to hit the street, flood the internet and go on dates, until everyone else feels out of place. 

The film has been conceptualised by Ogilvy.

What we think about it: Love this idea. We have tried the website and are waiting to see if 'our candidate is selected' and what sort of commission we'll be earning.

Nitin Saini, vice president - marketing, Mondelez India said, “At Cadbury 5 Star, we’ve always championed the virtue of doing nothing. Valentine’s Day often comes with a lot of pressure of putting on a romantic show, but it is certainly not for everyone. We wanted to take a light-hearted & fun approach to disrupt Valentine’s Day—by enlisting the help of uncles, who are often the last people associated with romance. It is a fun way to demonstrate the lengths to which we at 5star will go to by battling anything that gets in the way of Doing Nothing.”
 
Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India, said, "5 Star's counterculture take on the cringe around Valentine's Day has been gaining popularity year on year, so it was a no-brainer that we'd come back with something even bigger. While last year we explored technological interventions like time travel, this time Karunasagar Sridharan (ECD Ogilvy) came up with a completely different yet simple and relatable solution. And our creative tech team, helped build the platform to interview and recruit 'uncles' who can take this mission forward while rewarding the youth, so that everyone who is tired of the mush around V-Day can actively contribute to pruning it."
 
Shekhar Banerjee, chief client officer and office head, Wavemaker India, added, “Cadbury 5 Star known for its counterculture play, is turning Valentine's Day into 'Destroy V-Day' this year, with a cheeky, disruptive message. Our multi-platform strategy targets a digitally native audience through engaging content on Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, while extending reach through strategic TV placements for broader reach. The campaign is amplified through strategic partnerships across cinema, retail, and sports, ensuring maximum impact and resonance. Supported by a unique KOL strategy that mirrors the playful, counter-culture spirit of our brand. In a sea of predictable Valentine's Day messaging, Cadbury 5 Star is poised to disrupt the norm and own the conversation.” 

The film went live on 1 February across social media.

CREDITS:

CCOs India: Sukesh Nayak, Kainaz Karmakar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha
Executive chairperson: Hephzibah Pathak
CEO: VR Rajesh
President, head - Mumbai and Kolkata: Hirol Gandhi
CCO Mumbai: Anuraag Agnihotri
CSO/DCSO: Ganapathy Balagopalan
Creative team: Karunasagar Sridharan, Jugal Joseph, Nishigandh Dhende, Himanshu Sonparote, Darshan Dhonde
Account management team: Beenu Kurup, Priya Thakkar, Patrick Britto, Bindu Singh, Isha Savla, Vanishree Iyer
Brand strategy team: Russell John, Shiksha Singh, Aayushi Jadli
Creative tech team: Rajneesh Bolia, Vaishali Mange, Dishant Malik, Manisha Kumari
Client team: Cadbury 5 Star - Nitin Saini, Siddharth Singh, Syed Rizvi, Yash Desai, Arpita Kalubarme, Anjali Madan, Satnam Ajmani, Vednarayan Sirdeshpande, Thomas Oomen, Aishwarya Jain, Priya Dixit, Rakhee Bansal, Aishwarya Chopra
Director: Nitin Menon
Production house: Retro Films
Media team: Wavemaker India
Tech partner: Oobedu