Our aim is to create ads that are discussed at dinner tables across Indian homes: Sukesh Nayak, Ogilvy

India is a cricketing nation. Sports other than cricket, still don’t get the attention they deserve from audiences across the country. Although things are slowly changing, there’s still a long way to go.

Cadbury Dairy Milk is set to change this notion, with its #CheerForAllSports campaign, involving cricketers. Ironically, the brand’s Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign that also features cricketers (Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh), tells audiences to cheer and support teams of other sports, like table tennis, football and wrestling. 

The brand has also designed a platform, where people can register themselves and get updates about the schedule of various sporting events. Cadbury has also introduced limited edition packs, on the sidelines of the campaign.

Speaking about the campaign and the idea behind it, Sukesh Nayak, CCO, Ogilvy India, says that people tend to support other sports only after a particular team or athlete has emerged victorious. Take Neeraj Chopra, for example. He’s the reigning Olympic Javelin throw champion.

Kumar talks about the 2018 social media post of men’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri, where he urged more people to come to stadiums to watch football matches, just like cricket matches.  

“Cadbury felt it was a great idea that reflects its principles of generosity. The brand was delighted when we shared the idea with it, and it took us six months to execute it, along with Sporjo- a sports marketing agency and Wavemaker,” shares Nayak. 

“And, the spokesperson for this campaign can be cricketers themselves. Cricketers like MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, have spoken about supporting other sports in the past. They cheer for other sports too.” 

The insight 

According to Nayak, Cadbury, as a brand, has always had a clear insight and direction – ‘Kuch Achha Ho Jaaye, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’. 

“When you have a direction and vision, the challenge then is to think about the best in that direction. Cadbury has been a remarkable partner, and we’ve together executed some amazing campaigns,” says Nayak. 

From an advertising point of view, Cadbury has had a great couple of years. The #NotJustaCadburyAd, featuring Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, was quite successful at industry awards. The campaign was followed by the iconic ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’ ad that was recreated by the brand. It won the hearts of the industry and audiences alike. 

According to Nayak, technology has been a key factor of all the three campaigns that also have a lot of heart to them. He adds these aren’t just campaigns, but rather ecosystems in themselves.

“I think technology allows us to interact, and let the idea breathe and live more than just one way-communication. I tell my teams to use technology to tell the best stories possible.” 

The #CheerForAllSports campaign has a 360-degree media plan across various touchpoints.

“There are influencers involved, and also TV spots during the IPL. People who sign up, will get constant reminders about an event through an SMS, email, etc. It’s an interesting media plan, where we’re using multiple touchpoints. I hope the idea lives on, and we want to run it throughout the year,” mentions Nayak.

“At Ogilvy, our aim is to create ads that are discussed at dining tables across Indian homes, and when people do that, we feel the job is done.”