With a fresh approach, Cadbury 5Star continues its annual tradition of rescuing those who want to “do nothing” on Valentine’s Day. For several years now, Cadbury 5Star, with its tagline “Eat 5 Star, Do Nothing,” has been supporting people who dread the day and would much rather spend it ‘doing nothing’. After introducing a time-travel hack in 2024 to help people skip the entire day in minutes, the brand is back with an audacious plan to make this the last Valentine’s Day ever, using an unexpected secret weapon: uncles.
Conceived by Ogilvy, the campaign’s launch film introduces a data scientist who explains that several youth trends in recent years have ended in a similar way: when older audiences adopt them. From skinny jeans to youth slang and social media platforms losing their cool factor, the pattern is clear—once the older crowd joins in, the youth move on.
Extending this pattern, Cadbury 5Star proposes that if uncles take over Valentine’s Day, the youth will quickly lose interest in participating in it, and the rituals surrounding the day may soon fade. To test this theory, this year, the brand will spend its entire Valentine’s Week marketing budget on uncles—by paying older couples to go on dates and take over the day. The brand will also promote mushy Valentine’s Day videos made by older couples on social media platforms, so that uncles are everywhere this V-Day—both online and offline.
Speaking on the campaign, Nitin Saini, Vice President Marketing- Mondelez India said, “At Cadbury 5Star, we’ve always championed the virtue of doing nothing. Valentine’s Day often comes with a lot of pressure to put on a romantic show, but it is certainly not for everyone. We wanted to take a light-hearted and fun approach to disrupt Valentine’s Day—by enlisting the help of uncles, who are often the last people associated with romance. It is a fun way to demonstrate the lengths to which we at 5Star will go to by battling anything that gets in the way of Doing Nothing.”
Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India added, "5Star'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. While last year we explored technological interventions like time travel, this time Karunasagar Sridharan (ECD Ogilvy) came up with a completely different yet simple and relatable solution. And our Creative Tech team helped build the platform to interview and recruit 'uncles' who can take this mission forward while rewarding the youth, so that everyone who is tired of the mush around V-Day can actively contribute to pruning it."
Shekhar Banerjee, Chief Client Officer & Office Head – Wavemaker India mentioned, “Cadbury 5Star, known for its counterculture play, is turning Valentine’s Day into 'Destroy V-Day' this year, with a cheeky, disruptive message. Our multi-platform strategy targets a digitally native audience through engaging content on Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, while extending reach through strategic TV placements for broader impact. The campaign is amplified through strategic partnerships across cinema, retail, and sports, ensuring maximum impact and resonance. Supported by a unique KOL strategy that mirrors the playful, counter-culture spirit of our brand. In a sea of predictable Valentine’s Day messaging, Cadbury 5Star is poised to disrupt the norm and own the conversation.”
To test this theory, this year, the brand will spend its entire Valentine’s Week marketing budget on uncles—by paying older couples to go on dates and take over Valentine’s Day. The brand will also promote mushy Valentine’s Day videos made by older couples on social media platforms, ensuring that uncles are everywhere this V-Day—both online and offline. Audiences who are tired of Valentine’s Day can ‘recruit’ uncles they know by visiting www.destroyvalentinesday.com. Not only will the uncles receive a ‘date allowance’ from the brand, but even the person nominating the uncle will receive a ‘commission’.
