Cadbury 5 Star's Squid Game 2 contest in India proves 'do nothing' wins big

Earlier this month, Cadbury 5 Star partnered with Netflix’s Squid Game 2 to launch a contest in India. The symbols Circles, Triangles and Squares play a significant role in the Korean show and feature everywhere, from the games to the masks of the guards who run the games. In keeping with that theme, participants needed to find Cadbury 5 Star packs featuring Circle, Triangle, and Square symbols from the show.

To make the contest more engaging, Cadbury 5 Star distributed the packs on a limited scale and shared hints on social media to guide participants. The first to find and share a pack with the Circle, Triangle, and Square symbols would win 4.56 million Korean Won. However, the twist was that all Cadbury 5 Star packs already had these symbols. Megha Madhvan won the prize after noticing the symbols on a pack at home and sending a picture, winning without searching. The contest reinforced 5 Star's "Eat 5 Star, Do Nothing" message.

Commenting on the campaign, Nitin Saini, VP- marketing, Mondelez India, said, “Cadbury 5 Star is known for its irreverent and quirky approach to life’s pressure situations where we believe a lot of good can come out of doing nothing. Netflix’s Squid Game is set in a high-octane world full of surprises. We saw an exciting opportunity to bring the two worlds together and unlock a surprise for our consumers. We did this with a contest where people had to find the Cadbury 5 Star pack with Circles, Squares and Triangles. However, just like the show, our finale had the twist where all you had to do to win was ‘nothing’ since the packs always had these shapes on them. Proving that sometimes in life, to overcome a situation, a difficulty, or even a contest, all you must do is not take it too seriously.”

Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India added, "For years now, Cadbury 5 Star has been offering its unique 'do nothing' take on trending conversations about everything, from cryptocurrency to AI, so it was a natural fit to collaborate with a much-talked-about show like Squid Game. But what we created is anything but a straightforward contest. In keeping with 5 Star's counter-culture stance and unique humour, Karunasagar Sridharan (Ogilvy ECD) came up with an unexpected idea that completely flips the script on what it takes to win a contest, and the Ogilvy team partnered with Netflix to bring it to life in a big way. It's a game so simple that everyone from every part of India can participate in it, making it a massive contest open to the entire country."

Shekhar Banerjee, chief client officer and office head – Wavemaker India mentioned, “Crafting the partnership between Cadbury 5 Star and Netflix’s Squid Game presented a unique opportunity to merge two distinct narratives combining the show’s high-stakes intensity with 5Star’s signature irreverence. This collaboration is designed to capture attention and spark intrigue among audiences. To seamlessly align with this vision, our media approach has been carefully devised to reflect the show’s gripping narrative, delivering a sense of anticipation and surprise each day. By strategically building momentum and creating impactful touchpoints across key platforms, we are ensuring that the partnership is as immersive and unmissable as the game itself.”