India – As part of its annual Valentine’s Day tradition, Cadbury 5 Star has teamed up with Ogilvy India for a bold new campaign that enlists older couples to disrupt the excitement surrounding V-Day.
Cadbury 5 Star’s latest campaign film features a data scientist revealing a pattern: youth trends fade when older audiences adopt them. From skinny jeans to social media, once the older crowd joins in, the youth move on. Cadbury 5 Star applies this logic to Valentine’s Day—if uncles take over, the romance fades.
To put this idea to the test, the campaign directs its Valentine’s Week budget toward older couples, funding their dates to create a visible presence on V-Day. The brand will also amplify romantic content featuring older couples across social media, ensuring their participation is seen both online and offline.
Nitin Saini, vice president of marketing at 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 and 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.”
Cadbury 5 Star continues its tradition of helping people “do nothing” on Valentine’s Day. After last year’s time-travel hack, the brand now aims to end V-Day for good—with the help of uncles.
Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer at Ogilvy India, shared, “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, led by Rajneesh Bolia, 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,” Nayak added.
Shekhar Banerjee, chief client officer and office head at Wavemaker India, also commented, “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,” Banerjee continued.
Those looking to take part in Cadbury’s mission can nominate an uncle they know at www.destroyvalentinesday.com. Selected nominees will receive a “date allowance,” while nominators earn a small “commission” for their participation.
