VCCP un-advertises Cadbury's new mint chocolate

The campaign informs consumers 'they probably won't like it' and warns them not to engage with the ad

By Creative Salon

05 May 2023

Cadbury is launching a campaign to un-advertise its highly anticipated limited edition Cadbury Twirl Mint bar. The new limited-edition bar is a new take on the iconic Twirl, infused with mint in the velvety layers the chocolate bar is known for, with the potential of attracting mint chocolate lovers everywhere.

With the help of global agency of record VCCP, its product & service innovation company Bernadette, and its content creation studio Girl&Bear, Cadbury is on a mission to make Twirl Mint as big a success as its previous and popular limited-edition ranges Twirl Caramel and Twirl Orange and become one of the nation's favourite bars in 2023.

Building on this momentum created by previous campaigns, which saw Twirl Orange sell out before becoming a permanent addition to the Twirl family, the campaign is bold and confident and uses cheeky humour that fits the distinctiveness of the iconic brand.

Cadbury and VCCP created a “worst-practice” campaign that works on the premise that it is so ineffective that it’s effective. The integrated campaign pokes fun at the exclusivity of the limited edition bars and warns Brits off from trying it. The premise of the campaign is about actively managing demand, so mint-chocolate lovers can get their hands on the limited edition bars.

The OOH executions make outlandish comparisons between Twirl Mint and mint body wash or other mint products. While the social creative informs consumers that they“probably won’t like it” and warns them not to swipe up or click on the link provided. The campaign is further supported by influencers, who will discourage their followers from buying the delicious bar.

Frederike Grohmann, Brand Manager for Cadbury Twirl, said: “We are excited to give consumers the chance to get their hands on the limited Twirl Mint chocolate bar. Although mint and chocolate can divide opinions, we believe mint chocolate fans will love this so much that we want them to know they need to act quickly to get their hands on one.”

Tom Lee and Vicky David, Creatives at VCCP, added: “Twirl Mint's going to be very popular, but it's limited edition - there's not going to be enough for everyone. So we did a ‘worst-practice’ advertising campaign to un-advertise Twirl Mint, doing everything in our power to stop it from becoming too popular.”

The campaign is running on OOH, social, and a microsite. It is being supported by a consumer PR and influencer campaign run by Ogilvy. Media has been planned and executed by Publicis Media and Elvis is supporting social and CRM.

Bernadette has created a Twirl Mint microsite, to target chocolate lovers everywhere and you can visit here: https://twirlmint.cadbury.co.uk/ and here https://twirlmint.cadbury.ie/.