Cadbury affirms that its ice cream is guaranteed not to last

The campaign was created by VCCP London

By creative salon

22 March 2024

Ice cream manufacturer Froneri has unveiled an integrated campaign for Cadbury Ice Cream - claiming the delicious frozen treats are ‘Guaranteed not to last’. The campaign was created by Cadbury’s global agency of record VCCP London.

Taking a bold strategy, the campaign steers clear of category conventions which usually showcase mouth-watering product shots in overly stylised worlds. Instead, it’s the lack of Cadbury product that helps to bring to life a common family scenario - wanting an ice cream, reaching for the box, only to discover it’s empty… and has been put back in the freezer.

The humourous and relatable 20-second spot 'Mum & Son' shows a son's disappointment upon discovering an empty Cadbury Ice Cream tub in the freezer. Without a second thought, he puts it back in the freezer for its next unsuspecting victim.

In the second 20-second spot, we see a Dad discover an empty ice cream box in the freezer - as his not so innocent children avoid his gaze by focussing incredibly hard on their homework.

VCCP’s global content creation studio Girl&Bear collaborated with award-winning director Lucy Bridger to breathe life into these familiar snapshots of family life, casting real families to capture the essence of these relatable moments that Cadbury is renowned for.

Additionally, the campaign features bold outdoor and social ads, working closely with the7stars on media planning and buying. These activations across D/OOH and social first appear to be standard product shots of delicious Cadbury ice cream before a hand comes in to steal them from view. Media planning has been phased with upweights around bank holidays and across the summer to align with key family moments.

Charlotte Hambling, Global Marketing Manager at Froneri, said: “ We believe this new Cadbury campaign will have real cut through in the ice cream category. It’s rich in emotion and taps into such a powerful human truth. Casting real families brought additional warmth and authenticity and will resonate strongly with our family audience. The ad also plays to the relatable, slice of life scenarios that we have come to love from Cadbury… this ice cream is guaranteed not to last in any household!“

Daniel Glover-James and Elias Torres, Creative Directors at VCCP London added: “We’ve all been there, looking forward to a Cadbury Ice Cream, heading to the freezer, opening the box… and it’s empty! Someone has got there first, and they’ve even put the empty box back in the freezer! We wanted to share that frustration, to let people know we feel their pain, but with ice cream this good it won’t be in the freezer long.“

The campaign will run in the UK and ROI across TVC, VOD, Social, YouTube, Outdoor and Digital display with media planning and buying by the7stars.