‘Shops for Shopless’

by Cadbury

Campaign Context…

  • The Problem –

    In India, millions of hawkers (street vendors) sell goods without a permanent shop. They are shop-less. This lack of a permanent address means they miss out on the digital economy and are often invisible to new customers.

    Cadbury identified this issue and instead of just spreading awareness about it, thought of taking an initiative to address it.

 

  • The Opportunity –

    Diwali is the biggest selling season, but these hawkers often lose business because they are constantly moving or hard to locate.

    Cadbury’s brand purpose revolves around ‘generosity’ and it has successfully associated its brand with gifting during festivities or other celebrations.

    But in a stark contrast to what the brand stood for, there remained a section of the society struggling for major yearly income during the time when others are enjoying happily. 

    So, the Cadbury team started brainstorming on how can they demonstrate their ‘philosophy of giving’ to their customers instead of just telling them to be generous and give back to others.

  • The Action – 

    Cadbury turned their product packaging into a discovery platform. They added QR codes to their “Celebrations” gift packs.

    The celebrations gift pack is one of the most gifted items in India on diwali, so what better medium to engage the customers on this serious conflict than to use the beloved product to do the talking.

  • The Execution –

    They modified the pack and printed QR codes that had a listing of local hawkers in it. When a customer scanned the code, they could identify nearby hawkers and can even create a “virtual shop” for those who are still not listed.

    • This digital listing included the hawker’s name, phone number, and products, effectively giving a digital address to an unorganized business.

 

  • The Result – 

    Over 3,500 virtual shops were created, and 3.2 million people scanned the codes to connect with local street vendors, effectively bringing the “unorganized” sector into the digital fold.

Our analysis of the campaign…

  • Solving a “Human” Problem with Tech –

    The campaign didn’t use tech to show off; it used tech to solve a dignity problem (lack of identity/address). 

    The brand practiced their philosophy of ‘generosity’ by taking action rather than just preaching and asking their customers to be generous.

 

  • Product as a Platform – 

    Cadbury used its physical product (the box), which millions buy, to serve as a bridge between the consumer and the street vendor.

    They turned their packaging into a “media channel” for the poor. This helped them engage their customers by inviting them on a conversation that showcased the brand acting upon its purpose and also invited them to do their part in solving the issue.

 

  • The “Generosity” Brand Stand – 

    This aligns perfectly with their shift from “Joy” (which is internal/selfish) to “Generosity” (which is external/social).

    By helping the small vendors, they cemented their place as a brand that cares about the community, not just the consumer.

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