20 Jan 2022SpottedCadbury hidden Creme Eggs tap playful nostalgia
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Cadbury’s campaign is flipping its iconic slogan on its head by daring people not to eat its rare Creme Eggs, if found – resisting the temptation could lead to a £10,000 win. With people seeking more joy and escapism post-pandemic, tapping playful nostalgia is a smart move.

Author
Christina Møller Christina Møller is a senior behavioural analyst at Canvas8. With an MSc in social and cultural psychology, she is interested in how different cultural contexts shape people’s ways of thinking. She speaks Danish and French. Outside of work, you can usually find her strolling around London taking pictures or drinking wine with friends.

In the lead-up to Easter 2022, a campaign across the UK and Ireland sees Cadbury's classic ‘How do you eat yours’ slogan being switched up with ‘How do you not eat yours’. As part of the campaign, 13 Creme Eggs that are half-white and half-milk chocolate have been hidden across supermarkets, and if found, the lucky buyer could win up to £10,000 – but only if they don't eat the egg. “Cadbury Creme Egg is one of the most iconic and well-known products in the Cadbury portfolio. We wanted to create a campaign that both honored the special heritage of the brand, whilst injecting some new energy into it,” says Lyndsey Homer, brand manager at Cadbury.

With long work hours and bills to pay, being an adult can feel overwhelming at times. And with 90% of Britons reminiscing about the way things used to be at least sometimes, nostalgia can act as a powerful antidote to the present. Increased demand for Y2K memorabilia along with rising sales of vinyls and cassettes suggests that people want to be taken back to simpler times. By tapping into nostalgia, Cadbury’s playful twist on its well-known campaign cements its position as not just a children's classic, but also as one for adults. And as people look for more play post-pandemic, leveraging levity and joy is a good way to engage stressed-out grown-ups.