Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk’s new Ogilvy ad plays a chocolaty hide-and-seek

Mondelez, the owner of Cadbury, in collaboration with Ogilvy India, has recently launched a new TV commercial that combines the inherent romance of art galleries with a bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk.

There are chocolates aimed at children, as well as those targeted at adults, and Cadbury appears to excel at marketing to both demographics. The brand has garnered recognition for its feel-good advertising in various forms since its debut in India in 1948.

Through its segmented advertising approach, the brand has targeted kids, adults, families, and couples alike, with memorable taglines such as "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye", "Shubh Aarambh", and "How Far Will You Go For Love?" The last one is specifically related to Dairy Milk Silk, a sub-brand of Cadbury Dairy Milk, with which the brand launched its premium chocolate line in India in 2010.  

Marketed to teenagers and young adults as a romantic gesture, Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk’s new ad is set against the backdrop of a contemporary art gallery. Here, romance is portrayed not through grand gestures, but through indulgent bites shared from the same chocolate bar.

After the young couple is momentarily separated due to a duty call, the young woman attempts to locate the young man again, but to no avail. What she does find, however, is the Silk they were just sharing, concealed within an art exhibit. Thus begins their playful treasure hunt of love.

The couple share lingering bites from the same chocolate bar, concealing it for the other to discover in a different exhibit, all the while exchanging intimate glances.

While the couple does not share a kiss in the ad, the iconic “Kiss Me, Close Your Eyes” jingle, a Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk classic, plays softly in the background, leaving much to the audience’s imagination.

At the heart of the playful exchange lies restraint, as the commercial steers clear of overt PDA, letting the soundtrack and the stolen glances do the heavy lifting.

The campaign cleverly positions the chocolate bar as the modus operandi of a budding romance. The art gallery, typically a place of quiet contemplation, becomes a canvas for their private, shared narrative.

By weaving Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk into this playful game of hide-and-seek, the brand reinforces its role as the facilitator of memorable ties. It’s a nostalgic nod to the brand’s legacy, wrapped in a contemporary, relatable aesthetic, proving that the simplest gestures still make the loudest statements of love.