Valentine’s Day can be a tricky subject for companies aiming to be part of the zeitgeist in 21st century India but FMCG giant Cadbury has found its saviour in uncles.
In a viral advertisement vowing to “destroy Valentine’s Day”, Cadbury’s 5 Star claims to have decoded what ends trends in modern times.
It isn't inflation, it isn't social media algorithms, and it certainly isn't consumerism. Cadbury has roped in uncles to “destroy Valentine's Day” by using what the FMCG giant calls a tried-and-tested method.
After all, the ad reasons, trends like certain social media platforms and YOLO were destroyed merely by the arrival of uncles that drove away young people.
The premise is simple, cheeky, effective.
According to the one-and-a-half-minute ad created by Ogilvy India, uncles have historically been the ultimate trend-killers. Their enthusiastic participation in anything — from viral dance trends to use of Gen-Z slang — immediately signals the beginning of the end.
Leveraging this natural ability, Cadbury 5 Star says it is funding uncles to ensure that Valentine’s Day meets the same fate as every trend they've ever unknowingly destroyed.
“Studies show that several popular trends in the recent past died in the same way — when uncles join a trend, the youth instantly lose interest in it. So this year, we're funding uncles from all over the country to unite for a historic mission: To destroy Valentine’s Day once and for all and to pave the way for a future where everyone will get to spend that wretched day doing nothing,” the official website for the campaign states.
The campaign is already making waves, with the YouTube video garnering over 69 lakh views and more than 6,500 likes in four days.
Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India, said: “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.”
The official website allows people to either sign up as an uncle themselves or nominate an unsuspecting uncle for the mission. If selected, the uncle receives a “date allowance” from Cadbury 5 Star, while the person who nominates them earns a commission. These uncles will be funded by the FMCG company to “hit the streets, flood the internet and go on dates until everyone else feels out of place”.
Whether or not this uncle-led movement will succeed in eradicating Valentine’s Day remains to be seen, but one thing is certain — Cadbury 5 Star has once again supplied netizens with enough fodder for their meme fests.
