Cadbury celebrates the 'real' heroes that truly stayed locked-down

When life gives you lemons, do nothing. When there is a will, do nothing. When the going gets tough, do nothing. With this tagline, Cadbury 5 Star has been thanking the heroes who, well, do nothing. In a new ad, the brand is hailing our pants – those hanging in our cupboards or stacked in a drawer or dangling from a hook behind the door – for having done nothing in the past few months.

The ad is almost shot like a trailer of a superhero movie. It begins with a bird’s eye view of the city and subsequently cuts to people working in their homes. One is ready to take on the task of cleaning the toilet and another has just fought a battle with the washing machine. Meanwhile, the third person is cleaning the floor and simultaneously attending to a video call in a formal shirt and shorts. All this time, pants are nowhere visible in the frame. Slowly as the music reaches a crescendo, almost sounding like the Avengers theme song, the doors of a cupboard open to reveal “the legends that did the impossible” — pants.

Sounds bizarre, but the ad does make you laugh out loud. “A good dose of humour lifts our spirits in challenging times like these,” says Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer of Ogilvy India. The 38-second film ends with a 5 Star bar crawling into a pant pocket while the voiceover says, “It takes a hero to do nothing and get away with it. Pants, you deserve a 5 Star.”

The brand’s #DoNothing campaign began in December 2019. In a hilarious ad, a young lad, who is too lost in the taste of the caramel filled chocolate, does not budge to help an aged woman. Eventually, the old lady gets up from the bench to pick up her walking stick and a grand piano falls right where she was sitting. The ad ends with the woman thanking the guy for essentially saving her life by doing nothing. “This is the persona of the brand. In fact, the quirky brand personality is so strong that people look out for the 5 Star ads,” says Nayak adding that a lot of homework was done to execute the ‘Pants’ film remotely.

Soon after the ad was released across social media platforms, the brand started posting other relatable content to connect with the young audience online. This included short videos of people laying out wrinkled clothes under mattresses, using disposable leaf plates to avoid washing dishes and leaving a dirty car outside for the rain to do its job. “From tickling the funny bone with Ramesh and Suresh to the most recent 'Do Nothing' campaign, Cadbury 5 Star has always been at the heart of the youth culture of the country,” says Anil Viswanathan, director – marketing, chocolates, Mondelez India.

With over 26 million views on YouTube, the ad has become the talk of the town. As the ad ends with a ‘Stay tuned…’ message, viewers definitely have something exciting to look forward to. Till then, “5 Star khao, kho jao”.