Cadbury Poster Campaign Sees a Man Sleep in a Santa Hat

Cadbury's Latest Christmas Campaign Celebrates Advent Calendar Tradition

Created by VCCP, the OOH-led campaign features user-generated content of families celebrating the big day

By Creative Salon

06 November 2024

Cadbury, in partnership with its agency of record VCCP London has today launched a new integrated campaign designed to capture the true spirit of Christmas while celebrating special moments and diverse holiday traditions.

This out of home-led campaign marks the first time in years that Cadbury has released a campaign specifically centred around the beloved advent calendar, aiming to make Cadbury a part of everyone's countdown to Christmas. Whether it’s the warmth of a family Christmas, a lively "friendsmas”, or the magic of a children's nativity play, the campaign recognises the unique ways people come together to celebrate the festive season.

Cadbury is unwrapping the festive spirit with 24 unique out of home executions, each representing a day of the Cadbury advent calendar. Recognising that families and friends all countdown Christmas in their own special ways, VCCP sought to capture these various traditions by asking people what they’re counting down to this holiday season.

The result is a series of ads filled with real-life moments, transforming the traditional countdown into a joyful celebration of Christmas. From placing the final sparkling ornament on the Christmas tree, gathering around a mouthwatering family roast, sharing a sweet moment with a snowman, to the playful chaos of family charades, each execution captures the magic of those heartwarming holiday moments.

The real-life snapshots have also made their way into a heartwarming social and YouTube campaign. As November unfolds, the campaign builds excitement, mirroring the anticipation of opening that very first door of the Cadbury Advent Calendar on December 1. It’s more than a countdown, it’s a celebration of all the little moments that make Christmas special.

The campaign aims to promote the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate advent calendar, which holds the top spot as the number one SKU in its category. Each calendar features 24 doors, each concealing a delicious treat made with Cadbury’s world-famous chocolate. From the first of December through Christmas Eve, each opening reveals a mouth-watering piece of milk chocolate, transforming the daily countdown into a sweet celebration.

Nicole Partridge, brand manager at Cadbury, said: “This year, we wanted to celebrate the unique heart-warming and funny moments that people across the UK look forward to each Christmas and highlight counting down to these with a Cadbury advent calendar. Counting down can be as exciting as Christmas day itself with so many moments of connection and fun to look forward to. This campaign is all about making those beloved Christmas memories even more special with a little piece of Cadbury each day!”

Frances Leach, creative director at VCCP London, said: “Playing Pie Face after Christmas dinner, for me, is the best bit of Christmas. When else can I legitimately deliver a face full of spray cream to a family member? Our new Cadbury Advent Calendar campaign acknowledges that the ‘thing’ we are counting down to is often deeply personal. So we created 24 unique executions, one for each day of advent, celebrating the public’s favourite Christmas moments using real family photos.”

The campaign will run across OOH, social and YouTube until 30 November across the UK and ROI. “Advent” was brought to life with the help of VCCP’s global content creation studio, Girl&Bear, with media led by Publicis Media, owned channels by Elvis, and PR and influencer content led by Ogilvy.

CAMPAIGN TITLE: Advent

CLIENT: Cadbury

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Simon Crowther

MARKETING MANAGER: Emma Paxton

BRAND MANAGER: Nicole Partridge

ADVERTISING AGENCY: VCCP

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jonny Parker

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Chris Birch

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Frances Leach

CREATIVE TEAM: Kenneth Abalos & Samuel Adio

MANAGING DIRECTOR: David Boscawen

MANAGING PARTNER: Matt Smith